FILEnetworks Blog: Metalbits : Metal music tracker based on Gazelle

If I remember correctly, Metalbits was mentioned on FILEnetworks Blog once before, although it was way back in 2008. I logged onto the site after almost an year only to find the site had undergone massive changes. Once logged in, first thing you’ll notice is the change in tracker script – Metalbits now runs on the shiny new Gazelle codebase and boasts impressive new features of Gazelle such as tagging, speed, advanced search, better organization, discography view, custom stylesheets and more. For those who don’t know what this site is about, Metalbits is a private torrent tracker that specializes in metal music, or as their tagline says, it’s ‘pure fcuking metal’.

It’s not only the looks and interface that Metalbits has improved over the past few months. Their torrent index has grown past 6500 and the active user base has exceeded 2000. The site has been closing and opening public registrations frequently in the recent past.

Metalbit’s content comprises mostly of scene releases. However I’ve seen some non scene releases online including even bootleg DVDs. Apart from music albums in MP3 format, few Music DVD-Rs (MDVDR) and music videos can also be found on this site. A screenshot of (part of) Metalbits’s torrent index is presented below:

Another fact worth mentioning about Metalbits is the percentage of requests filled. This currently stands at ‘Requests: 275 (74.91% filled)’ which is a very healthy stat for a private tracker and one that speaks loads of its community.

Metalbits in fact has two stylesheets. Default is the dark looking skin that has a true ‘metal’ look to it. The second one, ‘Anorex’ I think is incomplete (or it’s placed there as a joke). Why? This skin does not have the tracker logo – instead it has a graphics which says ‘You’re all cocks!’ :)

As mentioned in the title of this article, Metalbits is currently open for signup. If you are a fan of metal music, this is definitely a site worth joining.

Site Name: MetalBits (http://www.metalbits.org)

Signup URL: http://www.metalbits.org/register.php