195 metal CDs offers independent metal, hardcore, punk and rock reviews. The website is run as a side project by Gareth J M Saunders. I live near St Andrews in Fife, Scotland, UK.
I currently work with a few music PR companies. I would love to review your metal, hardcore, punk or rock album.
Email me at 195metalcds@gmail.com.
Why 195 metal CDs?
In June 2012, someone on Freecycle gave me 195 CDs—some rock, some punk, but mostly metal. I created this blog to review one CD every week for over 3½ years.
After that, people started sending me new albums to review and I kept on posting (interrupted by a few life events).
My musical heritage
I first got into music listening to a couple of prog records (12″ vinyl LPs) in the 1970s, mostly early Genesis and Jethro Tull. In the early 1980s, I got into Queen, and by 1986 I was listening to Iron Maiden, Metallica, Celtic Frost, Slayer and Voivod.
I play guitar and bass and sing. I was a member of my local church choir, the Scottish Borders Youth Choir and between 1987 and 1996 the National Youth Choir of Great Britain? My taste in music is quite wide and diverse.
I love listening to new music, particularly unusual music. I always try to find something good in everything, I always want to like what I’m listening to, so hopefully these reviews will be fair and balanced. I’m not going to ‘gush’ about every CD, but I’m not going to completely slam them all either. Probably…
Metal is good for you
A 2018 study from the University of Australia, published in the Journal of Community Psychology found that metal identities and community helped people deal with mental health problems.
They felt the music helped cope with feelings of anger and ostracization; they found community in the metal fandom, whether in-person, online, or just in their own heads; and said their metalhead identities allowed them to both keep their tormentors at bay, and forging connections with their fellow fans.
Revolver
Read the article in Revolver: New study finds metal music beneficial to mental health.
Header photo
Header photo credit: Sunset over the mountains of Skye by v2osk on Unsplash.
Eleven metal kudos points to anyone who can identify (without looking it up) where “Rrröööaaarrr” comes from.