Путешествие Металлиста (2005) Online

I saw this film on September 22 at the Atlantic Film Festival. I was with some people who had never heard anything heavier than KISS and wouldn't know Black Sabbath from the Black Label Society. It's a mark of this film's excellence that they really enjoyed it and felt they had gained an understanding of the metal scene.

This is no gushing fan-tribute. Well, it is in part, but I couldn't stay objective either were I given the chance to sit down with Bruce Dickinson at the Hammersmith Odeon. Seriously, it rises far above the fulfillment of a metal fan's dreams to explore many different elements of what makes metal both an enduring artform and one that remains on the fringes.

The structure of the film follows distinct topics - Gender, Censorship, Death & Violence, and more. Each area is thoughtfully explored with comments from many musicians and some outside observers. From the calm commentary of Rob Zombie to the wry humour of Dio to the laughable minimalist interviews with Norwegian black-metal players, there's a broad range of experiences and opinions.

This is an excellent documentary in every way.

I knew it was going to be great when I got my first glimpse of the big chart of metal bands that correctly put KISS far away from the actual musicians. Ronnie James Dio further obliged with a running commentary on Gene Simmon's preference for money over music.

You'll get to see and hear a lot of great bands, from the standard warhorses like Maiden, Metallica, Motorhead and Slayer to the less-mainstream stuff like Voivod.

Metal: A head banger's journey

When this documentary starts showing at the multiplexes, it will be the biggest exposure this musical genre would have gotten thus far, aside from a few ridiculous lawsuits that went public throughout the years. The concept itself that mainstream audiences will be learning of everything from Dio's unique opinions on things to Norwegian Black Metal is quite appalling. More importantly, hopefully this documentary will clear once and for all every false doubt and misconception that Metal has always portrayed to the misinformed.

A head banger's journey starts off by examining Metal's roots, the long debate in regards to who was the first Metal band ever. Then, we are taken through an analysis of how metal sub-genres came to exist. Dunn also gives his thoughts about Metal's culture, viewpoints, religious standpoints, the fans and every other aspect of metal. Some of the veterans of the scene as well as some insightful outsiders give their interesting opinions to support the argument at hand. The film balances the serious aspects of Metal with some unintentional humor. Personalities like Alice Cooper, Bruce Dickinson, Alex Webster, Slipknot, Ghaal, Dee Snider, Doro, Ihsahn and many others offer their own individual thoughts in an intellectual way while bands like Mayhem make a fool out of themselves during a drunken interview.

Dunn is a true metal head. It is his passion, yet he gives a critical and sometimes subjective opinion of the music at hand. The documentary is extremely entertaining and informative. It made me proud to be a metal head. It even made me give bands I'm not too fond of another chance. Bottom line is, if you're a Metal fan you'll enjoy this from beginning to end. If you're a curious outsider, here's your chance to understand our world better and get a more defined opinion of our music. And even if you don't, well to quote Dunn at the end: "We're doing just fine without you…"

I saw the film today and was mighty impressed. The film captured the buzz in the '80s when heavy metal became the biggest thing going. It was good to see Iron Maiden and Judas Priest contrasted to current bands such as Slipknot to show how the spirit of the genre is thriving. Tony Iommi, Dee Snider and Ronnie James Dio all give standout interviews with Dio's digs at Gene Simmons being especially revealing. It was also great to see '80s curiosities Accept and Quebec's own Voivod being represented. The segment contrasting the grunting, leather-clad bands such as Man O War with the lace-wearing bands such as Poison and Cinderella was unexpected and fascinating. Showing the closeted Rob Halford performing in full cruising gear for a rabid hetero audience was quite poignant. I especially like how the film stresses how the music let its fans dream, cope and find solace. Those like myself, whose interest in metal may have flagged in the intervening years would do well to view it and remind themselves what all of the fuss was about.

Opening with the age-old question of what was the first heavy metal song before launching into a metal head's history of the genre this fascinating documentary is a must. With interviews from rock greats like Lemmy, Tomy Iommi, Alice Cooper and Vince Neil to name but a few and concert footage of various heavy bands from Black Sabbath to Slipknot this is a sweaty, mosh pit inducing, bleeding ears look at what heavy metal music is and means to thousands of fans the world over. It is well made, surprisingly funny and brilliantly paced. There were moments in the film when the hairs on my neck stood up as memories were evoked by what I was watching. Seeing Rage Against the Machine performing killing in the name of and all the fans singing along reminded me of when I saw them fourteen years ago in room with no more than a hundred people. You can't beat the feeling of seeing a massive rock concert and the film manages to capture that feeling with the sights and sounds it is almost like you can smell the sweat. The makers also don't shy away from the controversy that has been levelled at the music over the years and delves into the various court cases and why so many believe it's the devils music. Overall it is a thoroughly engaging look at heavy metal and all that encompasses, made by a fan for fans but open to anyone, are you ready to rock?

I don't like heavy metal music; in fact I hate most heavy metal music. I loved Metal: A Headbanger's Journey. It had all the best components of a good documentary, one of the best released in a long time and a good companion piece on a par with Metallica – Some Kind of Monster.

Co-director Sam Dunn is both a metal aficionado and a student of anthropology. He knew how and where to delve into the culture with a healthy reverence for his subject matter, but with the objectivity to examine in a way that outsiders could glean appreciation. I found it fascinating.

In a systematic, well-structured manner, heavy metal's origins and history were examined, as was the disparity between its followers and detractors. Fans, band members and industry experts were interviewed. The questions and answers were intelligent. Historic file footage was used. The culture and its many sub-genres was analysed. The relationships between heavy metal and gender, sex, religion, Satanism and violence were all covered in a most interesting and enlightening manner.

It was shot on location, including at various concerts, across North America, UK and Europe. I found Dee Snider of Twisted Sister, Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath and Ronnie James Dio of Dio (accredited as the inventor of the devil horn sign) the most compelling interviewees, though there were many others too numerous to mention. The sum of the whole turned out a rich result.

Unlike many documentaries of late, where the primary goal appears to be light entertainment using celebrity heads, this film is truly insightful, intelligent, balanced, educational, funny and entertaining! Whatever your taste in music, I highly recommend it.

Actually, to say that heavy-metal music is just a genre of music is almost insulting in some circles. As someone who's too eclectic to really be solely a metal-head, but has been in the realm of the metal world to see how it goes, I can empathize with Sam Dunn's main intention with the documentary; this music should not be seen as just some goofy, crude, offensive, or dangerous off-shoot of old-time rock n roll (not that the last one doesn't apply in one or two cases). It's to show how personal this music, and how this 'way of life' can be for a person, and how it affects personality but not necessarily in the perceived negative light. Dunn, of course, has his head totally together, which is how he can go head-to-head with metal legends &/or notorious sorts like Tony Iommi, Bruce Dickinson, Lemmy, Alice Cooper, Dee Snider, Dio and Rob Zombie (Geddy Lee is also among the big known interviewees, though it's strange to see him here when he's not really 'metal', at least in league with these guys).

But through him and his collaborators, he is able to get inside not just the off-shoots and specifics of the world of heavy-metal. The look, the style, the attitude, the controversies both domestic (i.e. Dee Snider's battle with Tipper Gore) and foreign (a superlatively done look at the Norwegian black-metal scene, which is both tense and hilarious), the women bands in the world, and how it helps some people really get better on with life either to hear it or play it or, of course, both. Dunn's look is good if, by necessity perhaps too, too brief, as he at one point lists a kind of heavy-metal family tree of sorts- all too quickly to really see every single one- and barely scratches the surface in the 96 minute running time. Maybe there is only so much that can be covered in a feature-length film, but the subject matter serves to be even more looked into; VH1 had also done a heavy-metal documentary, and it lasted four hours. On the other hand, Dunn and his people actually do get some material here that is more precious, and more enlightening. The juxtaposition of the 'true believers' and horrors in Norways black-death-metal scene with a band like Slayer, who are bad to the bone and have fans who go toe limit, is interesting.

It's the kind of documentary that really does work for that it's worth, but not enough of a good thing is explored for fans. Non-fans may get just enough that they can handle, a mix of the basic facts and key points (i.e. the coining of the term 'metal', the roots in the blues, the devil horns, and a look at outrageous album covers). It's good subjective film-making, though edging a little much on trying to get enough history along with the personal history.

I agree with the previous comment.

I saw this movie at an outdoor summer screening in a local park, and it was brilliant to hear the sounds of the metal we know and love pounding out through the park on a Sunday night.

The film was a considered, thoughtful journey through some of the questions that plague the minds of those who aren't part of the metal community. Such as what the fans are like, how they get into metal, why they stay with metal and rarely stray from the various genres that it has. Others include sexuality, girls in metal, and so on.

Each aspect of the documentary was soundly explored, rationally argued, and balanced. For instance, on the one hand you get the perspective of groupies, and then of groupies from bands. You get differing opinions.

In fact, the documentary is a boon for both the metal community and the non-metal community alike. On the one hand, the mettles can revel in the exploration of their community and genres; on the other, the wider community can gain some real insight into the workings of the community.

I must admit that some of the humour that our (predominantly metal) audience felt at the posturing of the Norwegian Black Metal scene, and other parts, the rest of the audience didn't necessarily get. The humour is often something which you must be part of the community to understand, which is why it all appears so serious to the rest of society: they don't get the humour.

All in all, a well-wrought, skillfully crafted, and well argued documentary. Of course there were subgenres and things missing, but you get that with all docos - there just isn't the time to do it. Given the limitations, Metal: a headbanger's journey, makes the most of it and does it well.

Highly recommended viewing.

This doc is completely awesome in every way I can think of stuff being awesome. It's not even perfect, and there's some things in this film that I don't like. However, to be honest with you, most of this doc is so informative, and fun to watch that I still consider it to be one of the best documentaries ever made.

First off, let me give Sam Dunn some props. He's a lifelong head-banger himself, so he's as qualified as anyone should need to be to lead this film. I am also a lifelong head-banger. I also had to defend my love of this style of music to my parents, teachers, and friends, so I understand where his interest in this approach to the subject comes from. I'm sure most fans of heavy metal can attest to being faced with similar challenges while growing up, and it was good to see that I am not alone. This was a recurring theme in the film. That if you are a metal fan, you may be told or feel that you are weird, that you're a real outsider, but in fact, you have a lot of allies out there in the world. I also like the fact that Sam Dunn has the educational background he does, and is obviously making something productive and positive out of his life because too many people do write off metal heads as being stupid, low class, criminal, uncultured, and most likely, introverted, out of touch, and mentally unstable. He seems like a real good person in general, a friendly and talented guy, and a good person to be an ambassador for metal heads everywhere.

This doc is an investigative film that asks lots of questions, and it gives lot of answers in return. I can't imagine a true fan of music, no matter what kind, not appreciating the goals of Sam Dunn and his crew in this film. Simply, he was looking to find an answer to why heavy metal music, and it's fans, have been stigmatized and labeled as this horrible thing in our society. This is interesting stuff, and it's about time someone stood up and asked the questions, answered them, and presented it all in a package that no one can discount as being, "low-brow." Metal heads across the globe for over 30 years have been asking this very question, and it's nice to see someone really tackle it like this.

The heavy metal, "tree," is a really cool thing, and while I hate the fact that too many discussions surrounding heavy metal spiral downward into arguments over what sub-genre a certain band does or doesn't fall into, it's a really well thought out visual aid to the film. There is so many great interviews in here, and most of them are from really great people. With only a few exceptions, I agreed with the views of the people being interviewed, but there were a few that left me scratching my head and yelling at the screen. Some of them were way off base, but that's okay, it only serves to bring light to the fact that many people can't, or won't, "get," heavy metal music.

But like Sam Dunn says at the end of the film, "that's okay," and I agree with him completely in that, no matter if other people understand why I love heavy metal so much, the fact is, I do love it and I do, "get it." I'm glad I'm not alone.

This was shown during the AFI Festival held in Santa Monica, CA.

Unlike 1988' The Decline II: "The Metal Years" disaster while a big deal at the time, it still remains a brutal "cringe-fest" from start to finish and focused on predominately one style (Glam)one era (The 80s) one location(Sunset Strip) and barely covers the period of Heavy Metal that is STILL alive and well: thrash, black, speed,etc

I would have never guessed that a film about Heavy Metal would take serious the attitudes, styles, individuals,genres and provide a clear history time-line unlike Decline and any others of that ilk.

Don't know when this will come out officially, but hopefully a distributor out there will take notice, even if its headed for the midnight movie circuit.

FEATURED INTERVIEWS: Dio *Iron Maiden * Girlschool * Twisted Sister * Motorhead * Slayer * Rob Zombie* Tony Iommi * Slipknot and more.

As a passionate metalhead I was excited to watch a movie on the subject. It has some cool interviews and the documentary tries to map the metal's evolution from the hard rock beginnings in the 60s to the multitude of subgenres today. It does well with heavy and thrash metal but when it comes to the extremes, it barely touches the surface of styles like the norwegian black metal, and omits important styles such as doom metal, or black metal with folk roots, or "alternative" projects that combine five types of male & female vocals with black metal guitars, heavy metal riffing, flutes, violins, techno/trance rhytms and ambient landscapes all in one song... Metal undeground is very complex and the variety is immense - so it is understandable that fitting all this into 90 minutes borders with the impossible. Yet it is obvious that the author is more knowledgeable about heavy metal than the recent developments in the most extreme realms ever known to the music world. Overall, quite enjoyable!

METAL: A HEADBANGER'S JOURNEY is probably the best documentary EVER on the Heavy Metal scene. It encompasses virtually all of metal sub-genres like Hard Rock, Glam, Black, Power (although I have trouble with defining this sub genre in particular), death, prog and thrash. The film's mastermind, 31 year old Sam Dunn, does an excellent job dissecting the genre, from its classical and blues origins, to why the Scandinavian black metal scene is so evil. He even goes out of his way to set up a genealogical tree for metal! For the metal fan who enjoys or enjoyed some of the metal sub genres presented here, he/she will be full of ecstasy and for the uninitiated, this is a good place to start. Interviews with SLAYER, MOTLEY CRUE, EMPEROR, IRON MAIDEN, MAYHEM, DIO, BLACK SABBATH, RUSH, SLIPKNOT, KORN, ARCH ENEMY, TWISTED SISTER, etc. will only leave you wanting for more and more. There's a nice flow to the documentary and, in my humble opinion, wasn't bored in the least.

What I didn't like too much was the fact that Sam Dunn barely talks about thrash metal. Yeah, he mentions METALLICA, MEGADETH, and there's the SLAYER interview, but this sub genre is the one that gets least mentioned (taking into account today's biggest metal band, METALLICA, arose from the thrash movement).On the other hand, black metal and death metal receive more film time. Maybe Sam Dunn wanted to leave the thrash part less explored due to the upcoming thrash documentary, "GET THRASHED", which has been in the making for at least 4 years.

Minor complaints aside, this documentary rocks and if you're a fan of the genre you'll do no wrong in getting this essential film in your DVD library. Thrash on!!!

Metal: A Headbanger's Journey is a subjective and interesting look at the many different facets of metal, both the sub-culture and the music.

As we follow anthropologist and self proclaimed metal head, Sam Dunn on his journey through the world of metal we get an unusual insight into this widely misunderstood and intricate sub-culture.

Dunn not only maps out and explains the origins of the huge number of different sub-genres within the genre of metal music (something that all music lovers have probably wondered about at one time or another), but he also travels to places like Germany and Norway in search of many different metal bands and their fans.

There are interviews with everyone from Alice Cooper to Lemmy to Rob Zombie as well as some quite disturbing interviews with a few Norwegian Death Metal bands and a hilarious interview with the very funny Dee Snider from Twisted Sister.

There is indeed quite a deep and interesting flow to this documentary and Dunn not only managers to maintain a subjective and professional roll in his research, but also managers to maintain his integrity as a metal head - this is indeed, a credit to him.

I highly recommend this documentary not only to people who love their metal, but even to people who don't.

Well what can I say about this masterpiece of a documentary? First: It's a film made by a real metal-head, who has a big knowledge about the best kind of music in the world. Although he is a Die-Hard-Metalfan, he tries to be objective and just to document the heavy metal universe and its origins. This with success! Second: He interviews many important pioneers and members of the scene,like Slayer, Enslaved, Ronnie James Dio,Lemmy from Motörhead... etc. But I think In Flames and Metallica would have been necessary, too. Third: XXXXXXX awesome, Sam Dunn, you rule!

Greetings from a Die-Hard-Metalhead from Metal-Nation Germany!

Philipp

This somewhat amateurish documentary comes off more like a vanity project and focuses way too much on the film-maker's own narcissism, or "headbanger's journey." The film tries to focus on the whole history of heavy metal and various sub-genres, but in the end only glances over most details and bands of note, and lacks interviews or content dealing with many influential artists. Instead, it's like they took all of the random footage and interviews they were lucky enough to get and poorly edited it together with cheesy effects into an unfocused mess that doesn't really say anything nor give much insight into the music or culture of heavy metal. I felt like I was watching a high school book report.

Like other reviews I agree that this film is preaching to the converted and well... what can I say people enjoy being acknowledged, hence the good reviews.

But as a "documentary" it lacked A LOT of real information. I certainly did not learn anything new (except that cradle of filth is now being considered Norwegian black metal - i mean who made these categories? Is it sloppiness or lack of knowledge?) and I'm not sure non-metal heads would learn much either.

I have a real problem with the gender/sexuality bit- the word sexism was thrown out but not used in a single coherent thought... the only all female metal band they covered is girlschool! really? I would have appreciated hearing more of an intelligent analysis or theory of why metal either is or perceived to be a male, heterosexual and WHITE genre. Maybe that's asking too much but therein lies the problem of this doc. Its too ambitious- tries to explain the whole culture and history of metal in 90 minutes! It clearly lacked focus and would have done much better honing in on a particular area but that would require more research instead of jerking off every interviewee...

however maybe this film has inspired and opened doors for future film makers to really explore various nuisances in the metal scene... one can only hope.

I surprisingly found this DVD hidden in dark and secluded section of a local DVD store, mostly reserved for B grade flicks, art and indie material. Me being a metal-head myself, was thrilled about watching a documentary that digs into the world's most controversial and "forbidden" style of music/art/life. The experience was a little odd.

The first few seconds into the film, when the all familiar intro of Number of the Beast began, with the clips of metal-heads on screen, I shivered, the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. I felt something very rare, I felt "I'm at home, baby!" m/ I won't go ramble on about the things everyone knows. Yes, this film is awesome. It has that rare atmosphere, that only a true metal-head could create, like Sam Dunn. If you are a true rocker, you'll feel in sync with the guy, you'll know what he is talking about and why, but if you aren't into metal, you'll have a hard time understanding some of the meaning.

My biggest problem with this doc, is the same as the others: it's too superficial. For me, it's too much about satanism, gore and torching of churches. For me, metal is not about that. Metal is a form of expression, a way of life. I wanted to see more about metal from around the world.

For an anthropologist, Dunn is far too concerned about the different styles of back and death metal, rather than reviewing metal as a phenomenon and culture around the world. He focuses on the US and Norway, but that is just a little piece of the big picture. What about the rest of Europe? What about eastern metal or other regions of the world? What about the other genres of metal? I wanted to hear more about the different genres, the history and pioneers of each of them...etc, how those evolved and transformed over the years, and who are the artists that made it happen.

In a nutshell, it's too one-sided, too narrow perspective. I know it's only 90 minutes, but it could've been done. Okay, I'm maybe splitting hairs here. I agree, it's a decent documentary, and for such an (pardon the term) amateur team, it's a very good film about metal, but it left me with a nagging feeling of "something's missing", it's somehow not complete, and I guess that's what most people are feeling about this documentary. The interviews are very well done, but with the wrong people. I wanted to hear more big names, more name bands and real pioneers of metal. I know the film is very low-budget, and they probably couldn't pay for an interview with Ozzy, Lars, Joacim Cans or even Serj Tankian, but I really miss those bits from a documentary about metal. Other than that, its a pleasant experience, and I recommend it for every metal-head and non-metal-head out there.

I just saw the screening with the film makers on hand. I wish I could have joined them afterwards at the bar which they invited us all to, but I've gotta work tomorrow. Oh, well.

The film was what I had expected. I wasn't expecting a definitive work on one of my favorite kinds of music but rather what had been touted as a love-letter to heavy metal artists and fans. That it was. It was funny in parts, interesting in parts, not overly educational but all in all just what I had wanted...a longhaired, down-to-earth guy giving an overview of us metalheads and some of the music, bands and metal styles that makes us happy. This was not a corny VH1 type of special but rather a heartfelt tip of the hat to a culture that is still going on with teenagers and with us slightly older folks. The teens get their release at the end of a school day and us older ones get our release when we come home from work. We all crank up the metal.

It is a film that is at once scattered in it's presentation but also held together by it's topic. It has a good enough array of commentary from musicians that keeps the pace flowing well. Most of the musician interviews come with at least one good one-liner making metalheads and non-metalheads grin with or grin at the subject. Specifically, as much of a blip as Twisted Sister was in the 80's (and I am not a fan), I keep noticing through the years that Dee Snider is a very adept, articulate and funny person. In my mind he is probably the best spokesman for the heavy metal community. He had me laughing.

I think this film speaks more to the fact that metal is a release. Some people get it and some people don't, but for some reason it works perfectly to some of us who use the music to let loose, no matter what sub genre we are into. This was a great love-letter to metal for both young and old and I look forward to the DVD with the extra footage.

Over a year ago I saw this documentary at the Melbourne International Film Festival (I think). Not being a headbanger, per se (though I do like some heavy metal), I found this documentary very informative and interesting.

It's presented by avowed "headbanger" (so called for how fans react to this music) Sam Dunn. Now, there is no doubt some interest in a fan-boy waxing lyrical about their favourite things, but what raises this documentary above the average is that Sam Dunn just happens to be a scholar-an anthropologist-thus ensuring that the content is well thought out and articulated.

Of particular fascination to me was the "family tree" diagram featured frequently in this docu of how the various genres of heavy metal relate to each other...that must be the anthropology angle kicking in, I think. When I contacted a site related to this docu, someone mentioned that the DVD of this may have the diagram (or at least future editions would) as a distinct element of the DVD.

The docu covers heavy metal as a genre-it's various sub-branches and its putative father, so to speak. What was particularly good about this was that whilst Dunn did posit who he thought created heavy metal as a genre (Black Sabbath), he does provide video footage of bands which piqued my interest in the subject and which could perhaps be argued to have created the genre themselves. In other words, you don't get a completely biased view of the subject from Dunn.

Many of the legends of the genre are interviewed in this docu-Tommy Iommi from Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, Lemmy from Motorhead and Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson. Not being a great fan of Iron Maiden, I must say that Dickinson was a highlight of this docu for his honest and insightful comments on the art of performing.

As there is a school of thought, perhaps, that Metallica are the pinnacle of this genre, they are conspicuous by their large absence from this docu.

I've reviewed some heavy metal albums at Amazon under this id. e.g. Coldseed.

This film was just about perfect. My main complaint would be that it was not long enough.

It is right up there with The Decline of Western Cilvilization: The Metal years and VH1's 4 part series on Metal. If you like punk, then you would enjoy American HardCore as well.

The cool thing about these documentaries is that having grown up when most of these sounds were just kicking in, you get to relive the excitement and fill in a great deal of blanks about what happened behind the scenes.

Sam's next film should be out soon: Global Metal. I look forward to that one as well. The more music documentaries the better!!!!

This is a solid and interesting documentary which I would recommend to everybody who loves Metal but also to people who are not necessarily fans of the genre but have interest in music or underground culture.

What makes this documentary likable and catches the attention is that it combines solid knowledge and research with a personal style. The author declares himself a fan, visits clubs and festival, travels to get interviews and adds his personal touch to the whole story which makes it likable and well documented at the same time.

Sure, the fans of different genres and bands may always have complaints to enter because their favorite flavor of metal or their specific band did not get enough screen time or even omitted. I for example may have liked to hear more full acts of music and I am wondering why Gothic rock did not get some coverage. Yet, we find in the film both an historic thread that is well built, as well as a good coverage of specific subjects and messages like sex, death, violence, etc. that traverse the whole history and different styles in a consistent manner. This documentary if both informational and entertaining.

A thought provoking and interesting documentary about one of the most popular- and controversial- genres of music around today. Discussing topics like religion and sexuality in the world of metal, this features some fascinating interviews with pretty much everyone from Geddy Lee to George Fisher. for those unfamiliar with the genre, or those who consider it "pointless noise", this should hopefully open a few eyes. The director, Sam Dunn, a self confessed headbanger himself, has clearly researched his topic greatly, and whilst the "geneology chart" may need a few tweaks (last time I checked, Cradle of Filth were English, not Norwegian), the footage and interviews provided more than compensate. It addresses the musics critics head on, whilst also providing us with some very funny stories from the lives of its subjects. The interview with Dee Snider about the PMRC is particularly hilarious. And best of all, it has a killer soundtrack.

When you come to hear a great idea about a movie you usually build a lot of pressure if the outcome is not what you wanted it to be. Metal. The headbangers jorney delivers in every aspect you can look for in a documentary, especially if its about metal music and the people behind it.

Mainly what makes it so good is the simple fact that it was made by a fan, that nows the music inside out. Hearing about the darker times of the genre you start to really think how much Slayer, Metallica, Dio, Children of Bodom, Möntley Crue and which ever was the band you liked meant for you when you where a kid.

For a film to have so much influence on you that i can feel proud of being a Headbanger, Metal kid or whatever its always a great thing. Im not saying that i don't feel proud of who i am. This film just underlines the fact that you are a bit different, but so are the thousand kids behind you screaming as they all reach for the stage devil horns up in the sky.

This movie is great for every metal fan, and if you don't even like the music its still entertaining and builds up you understanding about Metal, Headbanging, and why Norwegian Blac metal stinks. Metal saves lives it doesn't take them.

I saw a screening of this on Monday, and although I was pretty skeptical, I must say I was pleasantly surprised. It has some flaws, and I'm no fan of a lot of the bands that were interviewed, but for what it is, it's a good movie. The director starts of by telling his own story, why and how he got into this kind of music. Then he travels to places like Germany and Norway to interview people and try to find answers to some of the questions people have about metal. It's weird seeing a documentary about this music, since I can relate so much to some of his experiences and feelings. Like how he always has had to defend metal because most people look down on it as a lesser form of music. And how he just doesn't bother to do it anymore, because if you feel it you feel it, and if you don't, chances are that you never will.

I saw this movie with someone who had a very different approach to it than me. I have been into this kind of music for almost 20 years, and she has never listened to it, but came along because she was curious. We both liked it and got something out of it, so that means they must have done something right. For people not into metal, they might learn something, and they might get their preconceived opinions about the music and it's fans adjusted just a bit. For those of us who are into it, we might not learn too much new during the movie, but we can still sit back and let ourselves be entertained.

8/10.

PS: Cradle Of Filth are NOT Norwegian though ;)

"Metal: A Headbanger's Journey" is an entertaining documentary about Sam Dunn, a Heavy Metal fan trying to find an answer to the question why Metal fans are always outcast by the general public and why Metal itself is often not recognized as a valid form of music. In doing so Dunn categorizes Metal into different subgenres (a process that will always lead to a lot of discussion among fans as proved by the IMDb boards), he tries to find the origins of Metal and divides his survey rather cleverly in chapters like "Religion And Satanism", "Gender And Sexuality" or "Death And Violence".

The results are not really ground breaking. If you ever were into Metal, you'll already know most of the facts presented here. What makes the movie worth watching anyway are the comments by some genre-defining and some underground musicians that have been interviewed. Unfortunately, Sam Dunn couldn't get all the important Metal bands, so he has to do without contributions by Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Judas Priest, Metallica, Anthrax, Megadeth or Pantera, which makes "Metal" seem a bit random.

Very rarely are we getting substantial insight into the minds of those who listen to Metal or even contribute half their life to it. An explanation like Metal is always there for you come what may just isn't very enlightening. I mean soccer fans will say the same about soccer, right? So, no, this documentary doesn't tell you things you hadn't already known before, but it helps you to relume your passion about Metal. And the interviews are often quite hilarious. Just watch out for Gaahl, a wine-filled glass of Cognac and the mention of Satan... you'll understand what I mean when you see it!

Finally a worthy documentary that shows the positive of the metal culture! This tackles all the major sub genres and controversial topics like death and sexuality in such depth. Kids committing suicide and the media blaming it on the choice of music they decided to die to. Damn the media!!! The closing statement by the film maker saying for all those years he had been defending his passion and culture, making this documentary he felt he didn't need to any more because if you love metal then you love it, if you don't then you just don't understand! This comment is so true! just have to get a chance to sit down with the parents and get them to watch it, I'm 21 now and been a metal head since i was 10, they still think its a phase! I think they would finally understand what its about and what I'm about! This film rocks! And if do you don't, then you will never understand or have the love like we metal heads do!