Methodology

Countries are grouped into regions using a fixed mapping. The regions follow the same groupings used elsewhere on this site.

Count chart: total reviews written about bands from that region in each year. A rising line means the community is paying increasing attention to that scene.

Average rating chart: weighted average of all ratings for that region in each year (weighted by review count). Sparse regions in early years may show volatile ratings — apply the minimum review threshold for more stable readings.

Dual axis: count and average rating plotted together. Solid lines use the left axis (count); dashed lines use the right axis (rating). Useful for spotting whether rating drift tracks volume growth or is independent of it.

Share chart: for each year, each region's review count is divided by the total reviews written that year. Regions with mapping gaps (countries not assigned to any region) mean bars fall slightly short of 100%.

Split releases: a review for a split involving bands from two regions is counted once per region.

End-of-data drop-off: 2025–2026 data is incomplete — reviews for recent releases accumulate over time.