Metal: A Headbanger's Journey
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Metal: A Headbanger's Journey is a 2005 documentary film directed by Sam Dunn with Scot McFadyen and Jessica Wise. The film follows 31-year-old Dunn, a Canadian anthropologist, who has been a heavy metal fan since the age of 12. Dunn sets out across the world to uncover the various opinions on heavy metal music, including its origins, culture, controversy, and the reasons it is loved by so many people. The film made its debut at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival, and was released as a two-disc special edition DVD in the US on 19 September 2006.
A follow-up to the film titled Global Metal premiered at the Bergen International Film Festival on 17 October 2007, and saw limited release in theatres in June 2008.[1] Dunn has also elaborated upon his "Heavy Metal Family Tree" in the VH1 series Metal Evolution, which focuses on one subgenre per episode.
Contents
The film discusses the traits and originators of some of metal's many subgenres, including the new wave of British heavy metal, power metal, nu metal, glam metal, thrash metal, black metal, and death metal. Dunn uses a family-tree-type flowchart to document some of the most popular metal subgenres. The film also explores various aspects of heavy metal culture. Notable segments include Dunn taking a trip to the Wacken Open Air festival, an interview with Dee Snider providing an analysis of the PMRC attack on heavy metal music, and an interview with several Norwegian black metal bands.
Interviews
The most insightful information given in the film comes from candid interviews with popular artists from metal's past and present. Notable interviews come from:
Non-musicians
- Bob Ezrin, record producer (Alice Cooper, Kiss, Pink Floyd)
- Deena Weinstein, sociologist
- Robert Walser, musicologist
- Malcolm Dome, journalist, writer, DJ
- Mike Guitor
- Sam Guitor, fan
- Joe Bottiglieri, fan
- Chuck Klosterman, writer
- Eric Bryan, fan, bass player (Bryan currently plays bass for Los Angeles thrash metal band, Anger as Art)
- Robert Kampf, founder of Century Media
- Joey Severance, tour manager
- Eddie Trunk, DJ
- Rob Jones, DJ
- Pamela Des Barres, groupie, writer, author of I'm With The Band
- Donna Gaines, sociologist
- Gavin Baddeley, writer
- Monte Conner, senior VP A&R – Roadrunner Records
- Rolf Rasmussen, assistant minister of the Åsane church
- Brian Slagel, owner/CEO of Metal Blade Records
- Rose Dyson, writer
- Keith Kahn-Harris, writer
Soundtrack
- Accept – "Balls to the Wall"
- Arch Enemy – "Silent Wars" (live)
- Blue Cheer – "Summertime Blues"
- Burn To Black – "Winter Rancid Skies"
- Burn To Black – "Into Shadow"
- Burn To Black – "Microcosmic"
- Burn To Black – "Hellspell"
- Cannibal Corpse – "Decency Defied"
- Children of Bodom – "Needled 24/7"
- David MacDonaldson – "Partita In C Minor – Chorale"
- Diamond Head – "Am I Evil?"
- Dio – "Heaven and Hell" (live from A Special From The Spectrum)
- Emperor – "Inno a Satana"
- Enslaved – "Return to Yggdrasil"
- Enslaved – "Havenless"
- Girlschool – "C'Mon Let's Go"
- Iron Maiden – "Run to the Hills" (live from Rock in Rio)
- Iron Maiden – "The Number of the Beast"
- Lamb of God – "Laid to Rest"
- Metallica – "Master of Puppets"
- Metallica – "Fight Fire With Fire"
- Mötley Crüe – "Girls, Girls, Girls"
- Motörhead – "Ace of Spades"
- Motörhead – "Killed by Death"
- Rage Against the Machine – "Killing in the Name"
- Richard Wagner – "Faust Overture"
- Rush – "Working Man"
- Sepultura – "Arise"
- Sepultura – "Beneath the Remains"
- Slayer – "Disciple"
- Slipknot – "(Sic)" (live)
- Tim Renwick and Andy Caine – "Ain't Got a Pot To..."
- Twisted Sister – "We're Not Gonna Take It"
- Van Halen – "Eruption" (live)
- Venom – "Bloodlust"
"Definitive metal family tree"
The chart from the film documents Dunn's view on the progression of subgenres of metal that have spawned over time as well as other styles of rock (i.e. hard rock, shock rock, punk rock, and hardcore) that have influence these styles of metal, while also attempting to list the prime examples of bands that fall into each category. Below is a typed version of that chart, which can be found on the second disc of the film's special edition DVD package. A new version was presented in the related TV series Metal Evolution which included a new "Pre-Metal" field that listed non-metal bands that had an influence on heavy metal and also listed additional bands as examples of the various subgenres.
- Early Metal (1966–1971)
- Cream; Jimi Hendrix; Blue Cheer; Deep Purple; Led Zeppelin; MC5; Mountain; The Stooges; Black Sabbath
- Shock Rock (1968–1983)
- Progressive Metal (1970–present)
- Uriah Heep; Rush; Queensrÿche; Savatage; Fates Warning; Voivod; Dream Theater; Meshuggah; Symphony X; Evergrey
- Glam Metal (1973–1990)
- Original Hard Rock (1974–1979)
- Early Punk (1976–1979)
- Power Metal (1976–present)
- Scorpions; Judas Priest; Rainbow; Accept; Manowar; Dio; Yngwie J. Malmsteen; Helloween; Blind Guardian; HammerFall; Primal Fear
- Pop Metal (1978–present)
- Quiet Riot; Van Halen; Whitesnake; Def Leppard; Europe; Dokken; Lita Ford; Ratt; Guns N' Roses; Winger; Warrant; Doro; The Darkness
- New wave of British heavy metal (1979–1983)
- Original Hardcore (1980–1986)
- Agnostic Front; D.O.A.; The Exploited; Bad Brains; Misfits; GBH; Discharge; Dead Kennedys; Minor Threat; Black Flag
- First wave of black metal (1981–1986)
- Doom Metal (1982–present)
- Thrash Metal (1983–present)
- Metallica; Slayer; Anthrax; Megadeth; Exodus; Overkill; Kreator; Destruction; Sodom; Testament; Nuclear Assault; Death Angel; Pantera; Sepultura; Children of Bodom
- Death Metal (1985–present)
- Possessed; Death; Morbid Angel; Obituary; Deicide; Cannibal Corpse; Immolation; Autopsy; Nile; Dying Fetus
- Metalcore (1985–present)
- Corrosion of Conformity; Suicidal Tendencies; Dirty Rotten Imbeciles; Machine Head; Stormtroopers of Death; Hatebreed; The Dillinger Escape Plan
- Hard Alternative (1985–present)
- Faith No More; Jane's Addiction; Prong; Living Colour; The Smashing Pumpkins; Rage Against the Machine; Tool
- Grindcore (1987–present)
- Industrial Metal (1988–present)
- Grunge (1988–1994)
- Green River; The Melvins; Soundgarden; Mudhoney; Nirvana; Alice in Chains; Mother Love Bone; Stone Temple Pilots; Pearl Jam
- Norwegian black metal (1990–present)
- Mayhem; Darkthrone; Immortal; Gorgoroth; Emperor; Satyricon; Enslaved; Dimmu Borgir; Cradle of Filth
- Swedish Death Metal (1990–present)
- Grave; Entombed; At the Gates; Unleashed; Dismember; Arch Enemy; Soilwork; In Flames; Dark Tranquillity; The Haunted
- Goth Metal (aka Doom Metal on the DVD) (1990–present)
- Paradise Lost; Tiamat; Therion; Type O Negative; My Dying Bride; Anathema; Theatre of Tragedy; Katatonia; Opeth
- Nu Metal (1994–2003)
- New wave of American metal (2000–present)
Timeline
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Colors =
id:Past value:red legend:Past id:Current value:green legend:Current id:Time value:black legend:Decades
LineData =
at:01/01/1970 color:black layer:back at:01/01/1980 color:black layer:back at:01/01/1990 color:black layer:back at:01/01/2000 color:black layer:back at:01/01/2010 color:black layer:back
BarData =
bar:Metal text:"Early Metal" bar:Shock text:"Shock Rock" bar:Progressive text:"Progressive Metal" bar:Glam text:"Glam Metal" bar:Rock text:"Original Hard Rock" bar:Punk text:"Early Punk" bar:Power text:"Power Metal" bar:Pop text:"Pop Metal" bar:British text:"NWOBHM" bar:Hardcore text:"Original Hardcore" bar:Black text:"First Wave of Black Metal" bar:Doom text:"Doom Metal" bar:Thrash text:"Thrash Metal" bar:Death text:"Death Metal" bar:Core text:"Metalcore" bar:Alternative text:"Hard Alternative" bar:Grind text:"Grindcore" bar:Industrial text:"Industrial Metal" bar:G text:"Grunge" bar:Norwegian text:"Norwegian Black Metal" bar:Swedish text:"Swedish Death Metal" bar:Goth text:"Goth Metal" bar:Nu text:"Nu Metal" bar:American text:"NWOAHM" bar: Revival text:"Nu Metal Revival" bar: Kawaii text:"Kawaii Metal"
PlotData=
width:10 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Metal from:01/01/1966 till:01/01/1971 color:Past bar:Rock from:01/01/1974 till:01/01/1979 color:Past bar:Shock from:01/01/1968 till:01/01/1983 color:Past bar:Punk from:01/01/1976 till:05/01/1979 color:Past bar:Power from:03/23/1976 till:end color:Current bar:British from:05/01/1979 till:01/01/1983 color:Past bar:Progressive from:01/01/1970 till:end color:Current bar:Glam from:01/01/1973 till:01/01/1990 color:Past bar:Pop from:01/01/1978 till:end color:Current bar:Doom from:01/01/1982 till:end color:Current bar:Hardcore from:01/01/1980 till:01/01/1986 color:Past bar:Thrash from:07/01/1983 till:end color:Current bar:Black from:08/01/1981 till:01/01/1986 color:Past bar:Norwegian from:01/01/1990 till:end color:Current bar:Grind from:01/01/1987 till:end color:Current bar:Death from:01/01/1985 till:end color:Current bar:Swedish from:01/01/1990 till:end color:Current bar:Goth from:01/01/1990 till:end color:Current bar:Core from:01/01/1985 till:end color:Current bar:G from:06/01/1988 till:04/08/1994 color:Past bar:Industrial from:10/11/1988 till:end color:Current bar:Alternative from:11/01/1985 till:end color:Current bar:Nu from:10/11/1994 till:12/31/2003 color:Past bar:American from:01/01/2000 till:end color:Current bar: Revival from: 07/13/2010 till:end color:Current
</timeline>
Reception
The film received mostly positive reviews. It currently holds a 90% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 6.9/10 and the critical consensus being: "Made by a metalhead, this documentary of the musical genre both informs and entertains with its range of interviewees."[2]
Some brief controversy arose over the film's depiction of black metal, which many fans of the genre saw as being one-sided and biased during a screening documented in the film. In the special features to the DVD of the film, Dunn attempted a restitution to the concerns of the black metal fans by including an additional featurette.
See also
- Until the Light Takes Us, a documentary film about early Norwegian black metal.
References
External links
- Template:Usurped
- Template:Trim/ Template:Trim at IMDbTemplate:EditAtWikidataScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:WikidataCheck
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Metal: A Headbanger's Journey on Rotten Tomatoes Retrieved on 18 November 2010