I know this has been discussed before but I don't remember whether it reached any satisfactory conclusion. The 6-way 'Crushing The Holy Trinity' split is listed on MA, split into its separate CDs (2 bands per CD for 3 CDs, Father, Son, Holy Ghost). However, a cursory Google search doesn't turn these up as being sold separately, only in the 3-CD A5 digipak. This would make it a 6-way split and thus ineligible. Is there any evidence that the separate sides were at any point for sale individually?

I vaguely remember someone mentioning that he was getting just one of them from somewhere. I might recall non-existent or possibly second-hand things here, though.

In any case, the release is not your usual V/A compilation, and just like there's a case like Dawn of the Black Hearts, this could well be a worthy exception to the rule. I've never seen the release in real life, but it's not a hastily assembled quickie for some cash, but rather a really nice box definitely worth owning. I don't think the debatable status as a V/A comp is reason to remove it. A good question, in any case.

Now, if I only got permission for the final exception, and could submit Hear'n Aid's full-length for the sake of its historical importance, despite the obvious V/A comp nature, I'd be a happy panda...

The only possible option is second-hand. The original was (and still is) sold only as a 3CD/3LP box.

I own the release. Does the quality of the release itself have anything to do with it? Which, by the way, I'd say isn't particularly good; the cardboard case is nice, but the CDs themselves are just in clear plastic sleeves stuck inside it which seems INCREDIBLY half-assed to me.

I would argue that it should be included based on the length of each band's original contribution. Each band wrote a significant quantity of material specifically for that release. Also, I don't really see why it would matter that there are six bands rather than two in the overall release since each CD is given its own subtitle.

Anyway, I think that not including it would be excluding a significant project from each band's discography and would make the Archives less complete. Hence, I would argue that, even if you think that it doesn't fit the rules exactly, the release is important enough that this is a case where an exception should be made..

We've decided on the five band limit for splits because that's pretty much the maximum number of bands that can be found in a true split. The previous limit was four, but it turned out that a lot of splits were being left out. In changing the limit to five bands, we've turned a blind eye to VAs passing out as splits, in order to make things manageable.

I don't know any other six band split, so it would be ridiculous to change the rules only because of one split. That would open the gates for even more VAs. On the other hand, we don't want to leave any split out of the database, so, this release can be here as an exception.

Well what defines a 'true' split? It seems more a matter of semantics than anything; I know there are frequently splits with a larger number of bands than five, particularly in the grind/gore scene. So is five a hard limit or is above that case-by-case? What exactly makes CtHT a more legitimate split than most?

Very true. I do know of a few 6 way band splits and there are MANY grind v/a compilations that, in my opinion, are an important part of a band's discography.

@ Noktorn, I think the fact that these are well known bands and since this is a quality split, the mods give it an exception. If it was some garbage split by a bunch of unknown bands, I don't think anyone would really care.

You are overestimating the issue, there are not so many 6-way splits here as you might think.

It's partly a matter of semantics. If CtHT was just a compilation of previous released tracks by all the bands, then it would probably be marketed as a VA by the label. In case it was still sold as a split, we would probably consider it a VA anyway.


It's pretty much a hard limit. As far as I'm aware, CtHT is the only exception.

What makes it a more legitimate split? First, it's marketed as a split. Second, it has new material. I don't think that anyone would make a case for it if it was just old material.

Well Evenfiel, what about this then:
http://www.ragingbloodlust.de/Startseite.html
8 Acts of Origin split LP
exclusive songs from Akitsa, Darkest Grove, Pagan Hellfire and Ash Pool vs. Mörker, Gaszimmer, Nasheim and Woods of Infinity
all new tracks, marketed as a split ...

-Ultimate Fighting Deathgrind Chapionship Six Way Split
-The Sin Decomposition Split
- Bizarre Vinyls Six Way Split
- Scream Of The Eastern Lands
-Knock Em Down To Size 7"
- Killing By The Sound
- Montreal's Crust F***'s
- Blood and Sickness Six Way Split CD
- A Sixth Sense Of Darkness
-6-Way Mutilation
- 6 Lessons Of Hate
- Connections 6-Way Split
-Maximum Global Brain Hernia
- War of the world 6-way Split
-Os Seis Caminhos para a Verdade" - 6 Way split tape

just to name a few...

http://www.metal-archives.com/splits-list.php?page=1
we have around 10000 splits-entries in this list here (4000 actual release it should be) and the 6-ways are an exception and rather limited to the grindcore/brutal death metal scene.

Yes, you would think there wouldn't be any six way splits in there, wouldn't you? This would be the entire point of this thread, because the OP wants to know why the mods accepted Crushing The Holy Trinity as a six-way split but not any other six way splits.

Crushing the Holy Trinity is present in the database, and parsed as it is, on account of the unusual nature of its actual format. It could be seen as analogous to Dawn of the Black Hearts, in a sense.

I personally can think of a number of releases featuring six bands that could be most reasonably parsed as splits (rather than V/A comps), and I'm sure that many of you could, as well. However, we must always be aware of the slippery slope.

I'm starting to regret my previous posts. Maybe we should just delete it to put an end to this discussion.

Just kick it. Five is a reasonable maximum.

But really, is it not the point of an encyclopedia to contain all possible information? In my humble opinion, I believe any and all splits/compilations where the tracks are unique to that release should be added. Without them, we are losing an important piece of a band's discography, as previously stated. Of course, this but an opinion coming from a low rank user such as myself, but let it be something for you administrators to at least consider, to perhaps further the development of the Metal-Archives.

I share your opinion, but I think it can be done far more elegantly in V2. For now, let's try to be a little economic.

Good point. I wasn't saying it should be done as soon as possible, because it would likely be a huge pain in the neck. But at some point, it should be done.

Yea, that annoyed me too.