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holyrebels
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Jun 21, 2010 6:11 pm
Posts: 1314
PostPosted: Fri Jun 25, 2010 6:15 pm 
 

The following review was rejected once, which I believe was ue to an additiona line break I had between paragraphs. I corrected this and resent the review. As you can see, it was rejected once more. I can't figure out why it is not acceptable.

- I used plenty of paragraphs, the review is broken up properly.
- Paragraphs are properly separated and are spaced correctly.
- I did not use enter after every line, and the spacing between paragraphs is correct. No attempts at indentation were used.
- Spacing following punctuation is correct.
- Capitalization is also correct. Proper nouns and the first letter of each sentence are capitalized.
- Grammar is correct. The only mis-spelled words according to the spellchecker are the band's name (obvious), words that are proper metal/music terms like "reverbed" and "multitracked", and other words such as USBM and and abbreviation of another band's name, used once.

I would very much like to get back into the hobby of reviewing albums and participating on this site, but I am simply at a loss for why this review (my first one submitted) is being rejected. Thank you for your time.

Rejection email below:

Sorry holyrebels, Encyclopaedia Metallum was forced to reject your review for for Valhom - Desolation, for the following reason:

The contents of your review are acceptable, but it is poorly formatted and difficult or annoying to read. Please see the following list of possible problems, correct those you find in your review and then resubmit your work.

- The review consists of a single or too few paragraphs and needs to be broken into more manageable parts.
- There are paragraphs, but they have not been properly separated. Make sure you use two enter strokes between the paragraphs, and please note that indents are not supported.
- You have used enter too often, after every sentence or after every line in the submission window, and the formatting has suffered. Only use the enter twice to separate paragraphs, or once to change lines when needed for other purposes.
- There is supposed to be a space after every comma, period and other kinds of punctuation marks.
- You have not capitalized proper nouns or the first letters in sentences. This may include the review title.
- The number of typos and grammar mistakes is too high. We suggest that you either use a spell and grammar checker, or ask a fluent English-speaker to polish the text.

Your review was:
_________________________________________

Valhom is another in a seemingly endless line of raw USBM bands of recent years. "Desolation" is a one-man production which may or may not have session members, and the end product is decent enough if you like the raw USBM style. The overall production is strong, with full guitars, somewhat audible bass, and a decent drum sound for the style. The vocals are a strong point with a nicely reverbed and multitracked necro delivery. The guitar tone is consistently solid, while the guitarist weaves in and out with more than a few catchy riffs and excellent classic BM picking. The overall songwriting is a little more ambitious than is usual for the genre, with some use of samples, keyboards, and the occasional slower passage, but Valhom doesn't let you forget for a minute that they are primarily a raw, fast, and primitive offering. The extra spice added to the music makes it a bit more interesting overall.

While there are plenty of things to like about this album, there are also plenty of flaws. Many of the transitions during tracks are very sloppy, and several of the riffs and passages go nowhere. I found myself losing interest with this album frequently and almost none of it sticks in my mind even after repeated listens. "Glory and Death" has some female operatic Star Trek singing in the middle. The middle section of "As The Stars Fade Away and Die" is a perfect example of the song losing it's way, as none of the riffs come across as intended and sound like a careless mess until (almost) coming back tight at the 3 minute mark. "Infernal Legions" has a buildup early on that, again, misses the mark completely and leads into a weak guitar solo laid over an equally lethargic and poor rhythm section.

One wonders, if bass is Lord Temptation's primary instrument, why the inexcusably boring rhythms made it to the final recording. If anything, his guitar playing (excellent riffing at times) and vocals are his strengths. Like many one-man projects, this one runs out of gas and the creativity stalls too often. Note to would-be one-man recording artists: get some trustworthy and helpful opinions about your music and your songwriting before you assume that your "vision" will stand on its own. Minor tweaking would have done wonders for this album, as there is plenty of talent on display here.

Overall, there are several songs on her worth listening to if you enjoy harsh, fast, and raw old-style black metal. The guitar and vocals carry this album and even though there are plenty of missteps in timing on the part of the drums and rhythms, it has some charm. Necro-BM fans rarely care about that anyway. Valhom's follow-up "Despair" is far superior to this album. This is a worthy purchase if you are a USBM collector and enjoy stuff like older Lightning Swords of Death, however "Desolation" is nowhere near as good as the LSOD material. This is the Ars Magna Recordings version and it is professionally packaged with a nice booklet and artwork throughout.

Sincerely,
Encyclopaedia Metallum

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lord_ghengis
Still Standing After 38 Beers... hic

Joined: Mon Dec 04, 2006 8:31 pm
Posts: 5953
Location: Australia
PostPosted: Fri Jun 25, 2010 7:32 pm 
 

I only had a skim through, but it looks more than good enough for me. Are you sure something didn't screw up when you copied it into the window to submit?
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Naamath wrote:
No comments, no words need it, no BM, no compromise, only grains in her face.

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holyrebels
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Jun 21, 2010 6:11 pm
Posts: 1314
PostPosted: Fri Jun 25, 2010 7:49 pm 
 

lord_ghengis wrote:
I only had a skim through, but it looks more than good enough for me. Are you sure something didn't screw up when you copied it into the window to submit?


That's what I thought the first time. So, I retyped it into the window rather than cut/paste, just in case the special characters got scrambled in the transfer.

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