Sam Dunn, Scot McFadyen, Jessica Joy Wise, 2005, Canada, 96 mins
Cast: Tony Iommi, Bruce Dickinson, Alice Cooper, Rob Zombie, Lemmy, Slayer, Slipknot
Review by Richard Badley
“Don’t tell me you kids have never gotten the Led out?” exclaims Jack Black to his clueless School of Rock class before giving them a 101 in sticking it to the man. Unfortunately, he had to do it the hard way whereas today the musical mentor could have wheeled out Metal, a throbbing, vibrant documentary condensing half a century of hollering lyrics, thrashing guitar solos and more devil horns than the depths of hell itself into a sledgehammer 90 minutes. Die-hard fans can nod along to classic tracks and wallow in the wisdom of their idols while newcomers get a crash course in the genre’s many different and snarling faces.
Acting as guide is the young anthropologist Sam Dunn who doesn’t so much take the audience gently by the hand to take a nervous peek at Metal fans raging against the machine but throws them headlong into the mosh pit in front of centre stage. He’s no Louise Theroux or Nick Broomfield taking a wry, restrained snoop but a proper fan through and through - nervous about meeting his idols and a lifelong member of the community which has accepted him. Yet this doesn’t stop him exploring the darker roots of Metal that have begun to take hold on isolated shores away from its pioneers.
No doubt it’ll be the subject of debate on forums everywhere but Metal attempts to categorise the various different types and styles associated with it, lumping bands into categories such as Thrash, British New Wave and even Punk. This serves as a timeline on which to hang chapters tackling thorny issues such as morality, sexuality, misogyny and censorship with all the greats on hand to chart Metal’s journey, from Sabbath’s escape from grimy Birmingham to Slipknot tearing away from suburban Iowa. The veterans are surprisingly refined, on hand to provide the anecdotes. Dio is most amusing with his invention of the devil horns sign and fascination with Kiss’s Gene Simmons’ attempts to patent everything, while the contemporary artists talk of their modern-day appeal and point of rebellion for disaffected youth.
What pushes the documentary away from trivial nostalgia and looking like a late night Channel 4 best-of list begins with Dunn interviewing the drunken Norwegian band Mayhem at the sprawling Wacken festival in Germany before following their trail into Metal’s heart of darkness - or more precisely, Scandinavia. There, Death and Black Metal cause outrage with bands happy to admit to worshipping Satan and imprisoned for burning down churches. Alice Cooper laughs it off as bad boy posing with every new wave of Metal causing some sort of controversy, and as Rob Zombie points out, “Every band tries to be more evil than the last.” Whether it’s all for show or not is the film’s burning question, but what is certain is Metal’s selective counter-culture has over the years grown into a massive and unavoidable beast.
Funny, interesting and lovingly produced by genuine fans, this is everything you wanted to know about Metal but were afraid to ask, then sometimes wished you hadn’t. The dedication to covering every aspect of the music ensures this is essential documentary-making; alive, real and unsettling, it reaffirms the music’s importance in breaking boundaries for the post Spinal Tap generation. The inclusion of the mighty Metallica would have made it perfect but this will still be the Ace of Spades for anyone who remembers their long hair rocking to the tri-note and those still trying to grow it past their ears.
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Momentum Pictures have announced the UK Region 2 DVD release of Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey for 7th August 2006 priced at £19.99.
Packaged in a special, limited edition, “Heavy Metal” case features include:
- Dolby Digital 5.1 & DTS 5.1 Surround
- Exclusive Podcast
- Making of Featurette
- Norwegian Black Metal: A Documentary
- Lemmy at the Rainbow
- Outtakes
- Extended Interviews
- Trailer
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