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Metal Judgment came online on Halloween in 1999, spinning off from the then one-year old Metal Update weekly email newsletter. Since that time, the metal scene has grown exponentially, and Metal Judgment has endeavored to cover it from multiple perspectives every step of the way. We have posted reviews of more than 2,275 albums, concerts, movies, books, games, and anything else that is at least arguably relevant to the world of heavy metal. At the core of the site is the Judgment Committee (Abyss, Death and Hel), which together has reviewed approx. 400 new release albums and 65 concerts (most of the concerts feature exclusive photography). In addition, the Metal Judgment staff has contributed weekly reviews to our Summary Judgment (approx. 1,300 albums, concerts, videos, books, and films reviewed since '99), Metal Classics (albums five years old or older; approx. 300 reviewed since '99) or Demo Review (approx. 370 unsigned acts reviewed since '99) sections. And of course, Metal Judgment readers have submitted hundreds of follow-up reviews of their own, adding their two cents to the staff’s opinion to give the site a truly democratic perspective. In the past year, Metal Judgment has grown as well, adding several new reviewers, while the webboard community has grown to nearly 750 registered users. All in all, over the last five years, we've covered a lot of metal.

In the first five years of Metal Judgment, only thirty-five albums out of the 400 judgment committee album reviews have achieved perfect scores. In Year Five, the Judgment Committee collectively gave perfect scores to 5 albums:

Nasum Shift

Pig Destroyer Terrifyer

Lamb of God Ashes of the Wake

Mastodon Leviathan

Anata Under a Stone with No Inscription

[Note: Albums modified below do not qualify as having received a perfect score.]

Knowing that hindsight is often 20/20, we have provided each Judgment Committee member the opportunity to rethink some of their Year Five scores. Each Committee member has been given the opportunity to amend their reviews by giving one extra skull to each of five albums, and removing one skull from five others. The only rules? They must give five skulls. They must take away five skulls. And any one album can only move by one skull.

This year’s second thoughts . . .

Abyss:
Another year gone, and another time I have to admit I may have made mistakes. Now if only our President could do the same. Anyway, on to the 20/20 hindsight...

Abyss Adds a Skull:
	1. Dream Theater - Train of Thought Sometimes I can't believe it myself, but the simple fact is that this album smokes. How a band that's come out with so many overindulgent, hackneyed cheesefests came out with a songwriting clinic like this album I'll never know, but it gives me hope for just about every prog band out there. New Rating:
	2. Dismember - Where Iron Crosses Grow I've been waiting to revise this one for awhile. My buddy Famine set me straight from the get go, telling me I fucked up the day the review was written. And he was right, this is exactly the type of album that Dismember should be coming out with, a sick, tight, bouncy, accessible death metal textbook. New Rating:
	3. Chaosbreed - Brutal This album isn't the most spectacular thing out there, but I felt I had to boost its score just because of how much I listen to it. Whenever I'm searching through my collection and looking for something to put on, damned if this thing doesn't grab my attention every time and it never disappoints. New Rating:
	4. Death Angel - The Art of Dying This is just a great throwback thrash album any way you slice it. I initially thought this record was a little dated, but now I have the opposite view. This album has some really killer riffs and really is quite an achievement. Perhaps not as successful a comeback as The Gathering from Testament, but damn close. New Rating:
	5. Today is the Day - Kiss The Pig This band should be commended for doing something all their own. While this act will probably never really catch on in any big way, the music world is a better place for them being around. Ugly, disturbing metal. New Rating:
Abyss Removes a Skull:
	1. Zeke - 'Til The Livin' End I hate to take a skull off of this album, because I really do like it, but with recent output by Alabama Thunderpussy and Mastodon, this album really hasn't been able to hold my attention. Still a great album, but probably not 4 skull worthy. New Rating:
	2. Grip Inc. - Incorporated I haven't even thought about this record since I reviewed it. So I listened to it again, and it is simply not that great a listen. It's pretty boring and really pales in comparison with most of the metal out there today. The three skulls I originally gave it were simply out of loyalty. New Rating:
	3. God Forbid - Gone Forever Another album I hate to take down a peg because it really is pretty good. However, when looking over albums to remove a skull from, this one simply jumps out at me. A great album in a world full of great albums, in my book that still only rates a three. New Rating:
	4. Killswitch Engage - The End of Heartache I keep trying and trying to like this band. I hate people who seem to hate bands as soon as they get some sort of notoriety, but alas, I just can't get into these guys. This is good, but not great. I understand why so many of you out there dig it, I just can't get on board. New Rating:
	5. Satyricon - Volcano While it's nice to hear them keeping a bit of the old school vibe, I haven't returned to this record nearly enough for it to deserve 4 skulls. I like it when it's playing, but nothing on it is all that memorable. A solid album it is, the upper crust it isn't. New Rating:

 

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Death:
Wow - five years of Metal Judgment. With two reviews a week since 1999, hopefully, you're starting to get a sense of my taste. That is my goal. I'm not going to tell you what to buy or what to listen to - you're a metalhead, and that means you probably think for yourself. What I can do is sift through some of the ever-increasing mass of material out there and give you my take. In so doing, I try to be consistent, to be honest and not to pull punches. If I tell you what I like, and speak from the heart, after a while you'll know where I'm coming from and you can credit or discount my opinion accordingly.

Did I ever think I'd still be doing this in late 2004? Who knows. What I do know is that when we started this thing I was under thirty, Bill Clinton was president, most people had never heard of Osama Bin Laden, and the notion of the "World Champion Boston Red Sox" was unheard of. Times sure have changed, but one thing remains the same: the metal continues to flow. Will I still be doing this five years from now, writing on the occasion of the Metal Judgment Tenth Anniversary in October 2009? I certainly hope so. For now, thanks for all the emails and feedback you send - your encouragement keeps me going. If I've turned a few of you on to a band here or there, helped to spend your hard-earned cash more wisely or got you to give an old favorite a second chance, then I've accomplished something. Or if I've just managed to entertain you with some fun discussion of the albums you're listening to, I know I've had a blast doing it. Here's to you, the readers, who provide an audience without which my soapbox would be irrelevant. Happy fifth.

Death Adds a Skull:
	1. Probot - Probot Some tracks are better than others, but the Eric Wagner tune kills (among others), and I have to give it up for Dave Grohl's "rock star as metalhead" trip. New Rating:
	2. Vehemence - Helping the World to See Vehemence is a band that truly is doing something different. They seem to be quite the polarizing band amongst the metal rank and file. But I think they deserve praise and accolades on a top-notch level. New Rating:
	3. Candiria - What Doesn't Kill You... One of the most creative and original bands out there. Too bad that they never seem to be getting their due and their proverbial just rewards. New Rating:
	4. Illogicist - Subjected One of the best technical death metal albums since the passing of Chuck Schuldiner. New Rating:
	5. Burnt by the Sun - The Perfect is the Enemy of the Good Intelligent and unique. These guys are certainly better than the "average" rating the 3 skull rating implies.. New Rating:
Death Removes a Skull:
	1. Stampin' Ground - A New Darkness Upon Us SYL does this stuff much better, with tounge planted firmly in cheek yet the thrash metal in full effect. These guys are much less talented and much less relevant. New Rating:
	2. The Haunted - rEVOLVEr I hate to second guess myself on something I just reviewed, but I can't help it. I wanted to like this album, and I definitely gave points for their trying something "Different." That should not be the standard, and on repeated listens the Haunted have definitely taken a step backward with this release. New Rating:
	3. Grip Inc. - Incorporated I liked this band once, but this new album just doesn't matter. Can't wait to hear Lombardo on the new Slayer record though. New Rating:
	4. Deicide - Scars of the Crucifix One word review (sorry Abyss): generic. If you are a Glen Benton fan, check out the last Vital Remains record instead. New Rating:
	5. Unleashed - Sworn Allegiance Better than before, but still not my chalice of blood, so to speak. New Rating:

 

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Hel:
It is truly unbelievable that five years have gone by since this nutty mess we call Metal Judgment first hit the internet. The world is a far different place than it was back then, and the metal underground has changed as well. If you had given me a glimpse of the future we are now living in, I would have scoffed and declared it impossible, but here we are. The metal scene has undeniably thrived in the last five years, and so has Metal Judgment. It's been a wild ride, and I look forward to seeing what the next five years will bring.

Hel's Revisions:

Hel Adds a Skull:
	1. Akercocke - Choronzon I was a bit too harsh in my initial evaluation of this album. Akercocke may never end up being one of my favorite bands, but revisiting this record on a better stereo was a very good thing. New Rating:
	2. Imperanon - Stained The Children of Bodom comparisons are unavoidable, but does this make them a mediocre band? I think not. The deserved better than they received from me. New Rating:
	3. Grave - Fiendish Regression I struggled with this one the first time around, and here I am pondering it once again. This album has stuck in my head long enough to earn the extra skull at this point. New Rating:
	4. Evergrey - The Inner Circle As I was looking through my past scores, this one kept catching my eye again and again. This album has proven to have far more staying power than I had given it credit for, and is withstanding the test of time quite admirably. New Rating:
	5. Exodus – Tempo of the Damned These thrashers came back with a strong album, and it gets even better with repeated listens. New Rating:
Hel Removes a Skull:
	1. Glass Casket – We Are Gathered Here Today... The more hardcore-tinged music I hear, the less of it I like. Increased exposure to Glass Casket has not fostered an increased fondness for them. Quite the contrary, in fact. New Rating:
	2. Stampin' Ground - A New Darkness Upon Us The more I hear this record, the more bored with it I become. New Rating:
	3. Beyond the Embrace – Insect Song There's just something about this band… I want to like them, I think I should like them, but I kinda don't… New Rating:
	4. Poverty's No Crime – The Chemical Chaos This band does their thing well enough, but further evaluation has caused me to decide that they are merely average. New Rating:
	5. Dimension Zero – This is Hell Despite claims to the contrary, this really isn't hell, but more like its lukewarm cousin purgatory. New Rating:

 

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Metal Judgment owes a great debt to our dedicated staff of metalheads who contribute to the site each week. Many of our staff members also contribute demo and classic reviews as well as photography. Their diverse interests and opinions are integral to the success of Metal Judgment. Vital stats for all the regulars can be found below.

Abyss
Judgment Committee Member
Date committed: 10/31/99
Location: New York

Death
Judgment Committee Member
Date committed: 10/31/99
Location: California

Hel
Judgment Committee Member
Date committed: 10/31/99
Location: California

Redwolff
Summary Judgment
Date committed: 9/6/00
Location: New York

Requiem
Summary Judgment
Date committed: 11/21/00
Location: Massachusetts

Equinox
Summary Judgment
Date committed: 3/8/01
Location: Massachusetts

Behemoth
Summary Judgment
Date committed: 6/7/01
Location: Delaware

Ember
Summary Judgment
Date committed: 7/12/02
Location: Massachusetts

Sabbath
Summary Judgment
Date committed: 9/6/02
Location: California

Metal Militia
Summary Judgment
Date committed: 9/13/02
Location: New York

Jotun
Summary Judgment
Date committed: 10/11/02
Location: New York

Kefka X
Summary Judgment
Date committed: 5/2/03
Location: Maryland

Slither
Summary Judgment
Date committed: 1/9/04
Location: Washington

Lugubrious
Summary Judgment
Date committed: 1/9/04
Location: Maryland

Goatwhore
Summary Judgment
Date committed: 4/23/04
Location: Texas

Martyr
Summary Judgment
Date committed: 6/25/04
Location: Massachusetts

Finally, we would also like to thank everyone else who has ever contributed a review to the site, our loyal webboarders, and, above all, our loyal readers. Your support has been invaluable to our continued growth. We look forward to many more years of sharing our dedication to metal with fans all over the world.

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