Collaborator's Handbook Released

Timed Genres:

Certain sub-genres on MMA are time sensitive. This section explains them and also how they relate to each other and other sub-genres.

Proto-metal

The cut-off year for proto-metal on MMA is 1976. This does not mean that every release on the site that came out in 1975 or earlier is automatically proto-metal. The first true metal releases are generally considered to have appeared in 1970, with credit most often going to Black Sabbath's self-titled debut. While such releases were indeed metal and still considered such by today's standards the genre was still developing towards what we now think of as traditional heavy metal. So even though metal releases existed in 1970, other early 70's records may still have been pushing towards metal without actually being metal. A key example would be the Judas Priest debut Rocka Rolla from 1974, which is still more of a hard rock album overall, with the band becoming fully-fledged metal with Sad Wings of Destiny in 1976. In other words the 1976 cut-off represents the point at which MMA considers traditional metal to have fully developed, which paved the way for the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWoBHM) in 1977 along with the many subsequent sub-genres of metal that have developed since.

Exceptions to the proto-metal policy are made for archival/live releases. It's more accurate to say that the policy applies to recording dates, rather than release dates. Albums released in 1976 but recorded in 1975 can still be proto-metal, for example.

As many proto-metal releases could also be placed under hard rock on MMA, being valid for proto takes precedent over placement in hard rock.

NWoBHM

On MMA we consider the New Wave of British Heavy Metal to have begun in 1977 and lasted until 1985. Like with proto-metal the dates refer to the recording date of the material, opposed to the release date. Releases by NWoBHM acts recorded after the 1985 cut-off are placed in traditional heavy metal, or elsewhere if the artist later changed style.  

There are a few other rules that need to be kept in mind when dealing with NWoBHM entries on MMA. The foremost thing to remember is that NWoBHM was a movement, and most rules that MMA uses derive directly from the name.

New Wave. This means NWoBHM acts were new bands on the scene, not pre-existing bands who influenced the movement, such as Judas Priest. Acts would have released their first albums or EP's within the 1977 - 1985 timeframe. Allowances are made for acts who had demo's before 1977, to still be considered part of the movement, but artists releasing albums beforehand are considered pre-cursor acts and are to be tagged as traditional heavy metal on MMA.

British. The movement happened in Great Britain, so this is where the artists placed in NWoBHM should be from. Though exceptions are made sometimes, such as the case with Swedish act E F Band, who relocated to the UK are were genuinely included as part of the movement despite being Swedish. Such exceptions are carefully researched and approved by the NWoBHM team.

Heavy Metal. The music of NWoBHM acts must be primarily traditional heavy metal, in other words releases that, if we didn't have a dedicated NWoBHM section on MMA, we would put under the traditional heavy metal sub-genre. This is not only because of the movement's name, but the way the site is structured. All NWoBHM tagged releases on MMA are also in traditional heavy metal, by virtue of the child sub-genre system. Stuff that was closer to doom metal, such as Pagan Altar, is placed under doom metal, for example. 

• Changed Limits on Type 1 Artists to Limitations on Metal Related Additions. Now covers Type 2 acts. It dawned on me after Bartosz suggested his project that it's impossible to really evaluate for Type 2 without sufficient material available. Therefore the guideline is either at least one studio album or a few EP's before the MR voting for an artist will take place. 
• Partly re-wrote the addition procedure for all MR types in an attempt to make it both clearer and more to the point.