Welcome to mymetaloftheday!
I started this concept as a dedicated Instagram account to talk about my passion for metal and provide more exposure for bands in any way that I could. This quickly turned into detailed concert reviews with full length videos and pictures, as well as detailed album reviews. Instagram is not great for long form content (reviews or videos), so I decided to expand to a proper review site and YouTube channel.
Who am I?
My name is David Bixler, and I am currently based in the greater Seattle area. I have always had a passion for music, playing multiple musical instruments as well as singing as early as my elementary school days. I remember when I first discovered metal, but it was quite taboo growing up in a very conservative Christian household. I quickly found ways to satiate the metal itch through Christian music (since that was all I was allowed to listen to). Though I have sold off a bunch of it, I used to have a top 5 Christian rock / metal CD collection in the world. I also built drindustrial.com, which in addition to being the backbone for a couple of small label’s websites in the early 2000’s, was also the “IMDB” of Christian rock and metal at the time.
In the early 2000’s, I synced up with Faithbomb vocalist Rob Colwell to run Bombworks Records, an underground “Christian” metal label. Christian is in quotes because we were by no means a traditional label in that sense. Instead we were interested in finding great undiscovered metal, as well as reissuing hard to find demos that had never had a proper release, that could have a Christian message, or maybe it just had some Christian band members. This approach definitely stirred up its own controversy at times, but it also allowed me to connect with a whole swath of people I never would have otherwise. It was a ton of work with zero financial gain, and it eventually became too much, particularly when the CD landscape shifted to digital. We did put out a ton of great releases, many that I am still proud of to this day. Long running UK death/doom band My Silent Wake is a very notable band that started out with Bombworks Records, and I remember how much of a privilege it was to work with Ian Arkley (who is most well known for his earlier Christian thrash band Seventh Angel). I could spend pages talking just about Bombworks, but some of my favorites (but not inclusive of all) included introducing the Western hemisphere to the extreme folk metal sounds of Holy Blood, discovering A Hill To Die Upon and helping them get started, and releasing the first 2 efforts from one of my personal favorites, Lo-Ruhamah. I even got on stage with several bands and would perform guest vocals on one of my favorite songs at shows I would attend. We sold the label, I worked for one more year with the new owner, and then I largely took a step back from the music scene as burn out had set in.
As much as I love discovering new bands and helping them get albums out, what I loved most about running a label was getting to know the bands and actually promoting them. I built personal relationships, strong networks, and provided exposure in ways they couldn’t have gotten it otherwise. I wrote up every promo pack summary which, looking back, were almost like mini reviews. I still talk to many band members I signed to Bombworks years later, and I truly enjoy getting to know bands as real people. Sadly, my stepping back in 2009 and not really returning until 2022 means I was very disconnected from the metal scene for a long time, but it has been so fun jumping back more formally. Starting mymetaloftheday was something fun I could do with my kids as they were initially getting into metal, but it also provided an opportunity to formalize the aspects of running a label I truly loved.
So what is mymetaloftheday?
mymetaloftheday is a metal resource for both album and concert reviews, though I envision it will expand further over time. I bias toward power, prog, symphonic, and melodeath, but I like lots of metal and will cover a wide range of genres. My end of year Top 25 lists tend to be a bit different than many, with some albums that overlap as well as many that don’t, represent a broad array of subgenres, and will feature particularly great releases from smaller bands. If you like metal, you are bound to find bands you will like and will likely discover a new band or two as well! I particularly enjoy providing exposure for lesser known bands and will give extra priority to a really great indie release.
I go to a TON of shows (have averaged well over 100 unique bands seen live each of the past 2 years), so I will provide a lot of live band coverage. Due to the nature of tours and how shows are assembled, this does mean my live coverage will many times cover bands that are not considered metal, though the vast majority of bands featured will be metal. I live in the Seattle area, so local bands from the Pacific Northwest (Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, and surrounding areas) will get additional live coverage since I love supporting the local scene. I am well traveled, attending fests and tours throughout North America and Europe, and I plan to add more in the future. This means you will get a broad array of concert coverage!
My review and ratings approach
My album reviews will take you on a technical deep dive into the innards of an album, providing a different spin and approach than many sites out there, demonstrating both my passion for metal and knowledge of music while providing a more personable and intimate journey. Every review will feel a bit different, but will generally discuss how I found a band and what my personal connection is, some historical context, and an immersive technical decomposition and walkthrough of each song, some more detailed than others. My goal is to review things as much as possible as they come out, though my proclivity for discovering new bands means I may review something well after the release date.
You will never find an album rating as part of a review on my site. There is way too much new music being released, and I neither have time to review everything nor do I want to. There is already enough negativity out there, and finding a negative review for an album is not difficult. I also believe rating numbers can be so arbitrary and subjective. My rule is, if I like it AND if I can prioritize reviewing it, I will. And if I am willing to write a review for it, then I believe it is worth your time to check out. This also means that I cannot guarantee I will review every promo I receive either, though I will promise to listen to everything I receive.
The same rules apply to my concert reviews. I will cover bands I like, which does mean a show that features 5 bands may not have every band covered. I will occasionally make an exception for smaller fests to provide fair coverage, but you may notice I am less excited in my live coverage for a band that I ultimately do not like. What may surprise you is how much coverage small bands will get. It is easy and more common for a bigger band to get a write up, and I enjoy doing that, but I almost get more satisfaction out of providing insights about a smaller or up and coming band.
My Instagram account will feature albums I am listening to at the moment even if they don’t get a full blown review here. Following this page plus my Instagram will maximize your opportunity to see what I am currently listening to.
Check out my latest album reviews!
Check out my latest concert reviews!
The rest
I maintain the mymetaloftheday Instagram feed, and I would love it if you followed that for near real time updates, which include letting you know when a new album or concert review has been posted here. I also have a dedicated YouTube channel for all of my live concert footage. Links for both are below.
I hope you enjoy the content here, and I am always open to feedback or great new music suggestions! Feel free to contact me using the Contact Form or through my Instagram account.