There are a number of Christian Metal distros out there and I will attempt to sort them out for you. This is not a totally objective review and are in some cases based a single order placed with the store. Also note that my opinions on "selection" are based on my musical tastes and may not reflect yours, check each distros website out for yourself.
Radrockers.comRadrockers is one of the best known outlets for all forms of Christian music and they have been around the longest. Radrockers also has a program where you can get a certain amount of free merchandise based on your order size. RR has a $25 minimum order, the only distro to impose such a requirement.
Selection: Excellent. Radrockers selection is unparalleled. If they don't have it, it probably doesn't exist.
Price: Average. On new releases Radrockers tends to have the highest prices. On some older titles they can have some great deals. They also seem to get new releases several weeks before the others.
Website: RRs website is good, with the ability to sort by various genres. The search function works well. The ability to track your orders is well done. The ability to hear sound samples is built within the website but not yet functional. The sheer volume of discs available can make RR somewhat hard to sort through.
Shipping: Excellent. RR ships fast. All my orders have come within a week.
Communication: Good. Mike Delany has always responded to my emails within a day. Emails are sent when the order is shipped.
Summary: RR is a good distro. They also have the advantage of selling new releases several weeks before anyone else. Their reputation has been somewhat tainted as of late as they have started to sell various bootlegs. If you see anything labeled as an "import" it would be wise to investigate further as many classic discs are being sold as legitimate copies when they are in fact CDRs. That being said, I've always had good service from Radrockers and I've bought quite a bit of stuff from them in the past.
Christiandiscs.comA relatively new outlet, Christiandiscs carries a wide variety of Christian music. They also have sound samples available and a customer rewards program that can earn you free music.
Selection: Good. Christiandiscs has a varied selection of music, focused mostly on newer titles. Their selection of older out of print titles is poor.
Price: Good. This distro's prices are below average, with most new titles sold at least 1 or 2 dollars below Radrockers's prices
Website: Good. The search function appears to work well. This is the only current website with working sound samples. The genres are currently very broad.
Shipping: Excellent. I have received all my orders within a week.
Communication: Poor. Emails are sent when product is shipped. Several email inquiries (general information type) questions have gone unanswered.
Summary: Good distro with good prices. I really like the ability to hear samples of the music I'm purchasing right on the website. One of the better selections among the distros reviewed. As a bonus you can also pay with Paypal.
Girdermusic.comGirdermusic has one of the most visually appealing websites out there. It is also home to Girder Records which has put out a few good releases lately (Whitecross, Stryken)
Selection: Average. Girder has a decent selection although not as much as Radrockers or Christiandiscs.
Price: Average to good. Some prices seem high although they do have good deals on a number of newer selections.
Website: Fair to poor. While the website is one of the more visually appealing of those reviewed, the site contains numerous spelling errors. They don't seem to have a real time tracking system in place as some titles are listed as "back in stock" but when you go to the page for the specific cd it will say "out of stock". Prices listed are sometimes different than what you pay when you add the item to your checkout card (Evergrace $9.99 Score!). There is no real time order tracking.
Communication: Poor. Several questions submitted via the website have gone unanswered. Emails are sent when your order is shipped
Shipping: . Good. My order shipped 3 days after ordering it and arrived about a week after that.
Summary: Girder is a newer distro and is doing an excellent job putting out new releases on its record label with some exciting new stuff coming down the pipe (Eternal Ryte and Mass). I think the distro side needs a little work.
www.Shaverav.comShaver Audio and Video seems to specialize in (un)black metal and metalcore while offering a selection of the "hard music" genre. They also carry Tshirts.
Selection: Average to below average. While the sheer number of titles doesn't match Christiandiscs or Radrockers. Shaver carries alot of music that none of the other distros have, including many imports. Shaver does not seem to carry new Retroactive releases.
Price: EXCELLENT. On almost every title Shavers prices are far below the competition. You can find most new CDs for $11.99. Import discs which are often high priced on other websites are very low at Shaver.
Website: Below Average. I really wish there was a way to see recent additions to the website. There is no way to sort by genre. There are no descriptions of the CDs.
Communication: Excellent. Emails are responded to within a day.
Shipping: Excellent. My order was placed on a Sunday night and I received the discs on Wednesday.
Summary: My experience with Shaver was great. The website is very bare bones but this is offset by the excellent prices. Shaver also takes Paypal.
Other Distros not reviewed:
http://blastbeats.com/
Blastbeats has been around for a while. You have the ability to trade in your old music for credit towards new stuff. The selection is currently very limited and aimed more towards the black metal vein of music. I have heard good things about the shipping and service.
http://www.nightmarerecords.com/Nightmare records is owned by prog metal vocalist Lance King (Balance of Power, Pyramaze, many others) . Many of the bands listed in the "White Metal" section aren't actually Christian, but "positive". I really can't stand the design of the website, I find it difficult to navigate and find exactly what I'm looking for. The prices are very good and I've heard great things about the shipping and service.
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