Landmark Metal Albums of 2006: Part II
December 15, 2006 by Jo Minor · Leave a Comment
A Matter of Life and Death by Iron Maiden
A rather unconventional album from the greatest Heavy Metal band of all time, A Matter of Life and Death is the band’s longest-running studio release - it’s around 72 minutes long, with an average song length of 7:12 - thus making it the lengthiest Maiden album by song average.
Rather unconventional, too, is the album cover created by Punisher comic artist Tim Bradstreet - but the art explains much of what the album’s lyrical aspects deal with. The cover depicts the band’s mascot Eddie represented in the form of soldiers in battle, thus giving off an accurate first impression of the war-themed album.
Drawing rave reviews from critics and the media, who branded the album as the band’s most mature and progressive release to date, A Matter of Life and Death is only the band’s fourth studio album not named after a specific song.
As the album displays a mature and more-polished side of Iron Maiden, some fans might be turned off by the lack of shorter, catchier songs that have propelled the band into worldwide fame and the sales of over 70 million albums. This is to be expected from a band with their caliber and talent, as they have released an equally-progressive album in the form of Brave New World.
A healthy amount of tempo changes and instrumental sections find their way into A Matter of Life and Death, and that is not necessarily a bad thing when we’re talking about a band like Iron Maiden.
A Matter of Life and Death is an eccentric but highly entertaining release from the legends of Heavy Metal.
Sacrament by Lamb of God
Post-thrash band Lamb of God is probably one of the worthy successors to the Thrash Metal throne after Progressive Thrash outfit Nevermore takes the crown from an aging Slayer, and with Sacrament they prove that the claim isn’t unfounded by any means.
The album kicks into full gear immediately with opening track Walk With Me In Hell, with drummer Chris Adler paving the road to total annihilation with his clear-cut drum beats. The guitar riffs and vocals in this song are outstanding as well, making this the best song of the album, and the song ends just as spectacularly as it begins.
Again We Rise is the track after the opener, and is an energetic offering. Once again, drummer Adler executes his trademark drum work and lays the foundation of the song. Vocalist Randy Blythe’s percussive barks spell out the words with aplomb while the interesting main riff of the song plays repeatedly in the background, creating a powerful presence much in the vein of early Pantera. Again We Rise is topped off with a short albeit catchy guitar solo.
Redneck is the third song in the album and is chosen as the first single from Sacrament. A strangely entertaining music video accompanied this song as well, and depicts the band performing at a kid’s birthday party. It’s great to see the band’s roadies treat those party clowns the way they should be dealt with - with force and violence! Video aside, Redneck is a gripping song, and vocalist Randy Blythe’s performance in this once is faintly reflective of ex-Pantera vocalist Phil Anselmo’s singing in the song 5 Minutes Alone. The change of tempo in Redneck after the 2:00 mark is a tasteful departure from the otherwise straightforward tempo of the song.
All the other 8 tracks in this 11-track behemoth sound like they have been constructed from a formula used for all the songs in the album - especially in terms of tempo and song arrangement - but there are a few pleasant surprises hidden in this album. For example, check out the blink-or-you’ll-miss blast beat at the 0:20 mark of Foot To The Throat.
Sacrament is great effort from Lamb of God, and is probably the band’s best CD thus far. Good, but not good enough to outperform the other American Thrash Metal bands still plying their trade today such as Slayer, Nevermore and Exodus - but is a reminder of what Lamb of God might be in the near future.
Greatest Metal Album of 2006
December 15, 2006 by Jo Minor · Leave a Comment
2006 has been an amazing year for Metal in general, with some exciting developments in the genre and incredible album releases from some the best bands marking an eventful and truly memorable year.
Fans of Metal were greeted with some enthralling news as legendary Norwegian Black Metal bands Emperor and Immortal announced their comeback from their respective short-lived retirements, and hints from the band members stating that fresh studio releases could be in the works has given more promise to listeners worldwide.
Aside from that, the year was filled with several surprising and truly remarkable albums from the biggest name in the business - Iron Maiden and Slayer, among others - and the quality of the albums released this year is significantly better than of those released in 2005.
Let’s take a look my personal choice for the greatest studio release of the year.
With Oden On Our Side by Amon Amarth
Amon Amarth, throughout their illustrious career thus far, has been a band that can simply do no wrong. All of their albums are magnificently enjoyable, and each has shown steady improvement over the previous one - and once again, this five-piece from Sweden have sculpted a record full of memorable melodies and eardrum-shattering brutality.
With Oden On Our Side has to be the band’s strongest release to date, and after repeated listens it appears that the drastic improvements noticeable on this album - the songs, and the entire album, in general is set at a faster tempo than all of their previous efforts - have only made it stand out more. A bold step taken by a band that is at the peak of their career.
The album kicks into full speed almost instantly, thanks to the opening track Valhall Awaits Me. In the vein of the songs in the Fate Of Norns album, the song brings a tinge of the signature sound that album possessed - a speedy guitar riff coupled with an equally fast rhythm section. Then, comes the guitar solo…and the solos in this album have to be heard to be believed. They are that good.
With Oden On Our Side has some emotional tracks, inspired by the tragedy and despair that is found in abundance in Viking folklore. The second song of the album Runes To My Memory is a slower and rather tragic affair, and vocalist Johan Hegg does an excellent job in conveying the heartbreaking fate of a warrior who can’t escape the grasps of death. The song also benefits from thoughtful lyrics - “When I am dead, lay me in a mound. Raise a stone for all to see, runes carved to my memory” is a line in the chorus of the song, and raises the hairs at the back of my neck every time I listen to it.
The album is a varied one, with heavier tracks like the title track and Asator bordering on Thrash Metal, but what makes this album a unique experience are the slower, melodic pieces. Hermod’s Ride To Hel - Lokes Treachery Part 1 and Cry Of The Black Birds are probably the best songs in the entire album, and are unequalled in their ability to express the raw emotions and majestic myths present in Viking folklore.
Technically, drummer Fredrik Andersson steals the limelight once again from his band mates with his intense and precise drumming. He has changed his approach slightly for this album, though, by substituting some his floor tom fills with cymbals. This can be heard in the intro of the title track, and this alteration in his drumming is rather entertaining, to say the least. Andersson’s rapid double-bass drumming, as with all Amon Amarth songs, forms the backbone of the rhythm of the songs. It’s nice to know that Andersson and bassist Ted Lundstrom still have their chemistry in check in the rhythm section of the band.
With Oden On Our Side effortlessly outdoes some of the more established releases of the year, and is a hell of an album!
A Night At The Opera
December 14, 2006 by Jo Minor · Leave a Comment
When it was released, fans of Power Metal hated everything about this album from the pioneering visionaries of the sub-genre Blind Guardian. And they still hate it for some subtle nuance or the other. When they ran out of ideas, they started hating it for the album cover as well, but then again, Blind Guardian is known for their brilliant J.R.R. Tolkien-inspired cover artwork and this slight departure from their normal conduct raised more than a few eyebrows among fans.
A Night At The Opera also saw the band trying out more options in the studio, making the album just as unconventional and untraditional as the cover artwork would suggest. Some in the Metal community conveniently accused Blind Guardian on employing “studio magic” - a vicious accusation that is only second to accusing a band of “selling out”.
Sure, there are some exotic (and very cool sounding, I might add) percussion and all that studio stuff present in the album, but its saddening to see that fans are overlooking, and even deriding, the masterpiece of an album for such trivial matters. Fans of simpler, stripped-down Power Metal should stick to the earlier Blind Guardian albums, or check out vocalist Hansi Kursch’s Demons & Wizards project which he started with Iced Earth guitarist Jon Schaffer.
A Night At The Opera kicks opens with the powerful Precious Jerusalem, and the furious tempo and immense energy is carried on in the next two songs as well. Then, some of the album’s mellower tracks appear, giving listeners some breathing space before plunging them into the fist-in-the-air track that is The Soulforged. A Night At The Opera doesn’t stop entertaining at any point, however it’s clear that the best tracks are at the very beginning of this epic journey of an album.
That brings me to comment on the negative comments aimed at this album from the fans and the media. This criticism can be attributed to the band’s different approach when it came to writing and producing A Night At The Opera, and as it is known, fans don’t accept change too easily. Blind Guardian might have taken pride in their audacity to step on innovative aural terrain, but the fans might never want to see the band evolve. This might spell a dead end to some bands, but Blind Guardian has obviously learnt a lot from its years in the music business, and trusted their instincts when releasing A Night At The Opera.
The album possesses some of the Blind Guardian’s strongest songs ever recorded, thus turning some of the tracks present in the album into live favorites as well. Later on, songs such as Under The Ice and The Soulforged made their way into the band’s Live album - an accolade given to only the best Blind Guardian songs.
A break from run-of-the-mill Power Metal makes A Night At The Opera an invigorating and distinctive listening.
Songs of Freedom
December 14, 2006 by Jo Minor · Leave a Comment
One of Bob Marley’s better-known compilation albums, this 4-CD set contains over 70 songs from the legendary reggae songwriter. While there are quite a number of other Bob Marley compilation albums (including the popular Legend - The Best of Bob Marley and The Wailers), no other CD set captures the full spectrum of Marley’s creativity and originality as a songwriter and performer as much as Songs of Freedom does.
Marley’s instantly recognizable classics are evenly distributed among all the 4 CDs, thus making the set relevant and appealing to less-seasoned fans. For example, the first disc of the set has the original version of Stir It Up (definitely one of Marley’s most reputable songs) and a live version of I Shot the Sheriff tops off the end of the second disc. This also allows Songs of Freedom to be a remarkable showcase of Marley’s mainstream songwriting prowess, as the set has a healthy dose of his radio-friendly hits such as No Woman No Cry, Waiting in Vain, Is This Love and Redemption Song.
The sheer quantity of songs evidently adds quality to this set, as there is a tasteful mix of up-beat and slower songs - with remixes, edits and live recordings of the more popular songs thrown in between the regular tracks for good measure. There are also rarer tracks present in Songs of Freedom, especially the live recordings. Since Bob Marley was fated to meet with such an untimely and tragic death, each and every one of his live recordings would be undeniably treasured by his fans.
On the downside, the packaging for Songs of Freedom is dismal. The CDs are stuffed in cardboard envelopes which are then slid into a box - hardly a presentation, I must say. The booklet that comes with the set suffers from the same issue as well - it should’ve been filled with more content and pictures.
For the musical experience that Songs of Freedom is, the set should have at least been presented in a better package, or also re-released in a collector’s set which should house some Bob Marley memorabilia or perhaps even a DVD.
While it’s true that die-hard fans of Bob Marley and reggae in general might pick up the man’s individual albums, Songs of Freedom might capture the attention of casual listeners as it serves as a Bob Marley song collection in its own right. Anyone can pop in all 4 CDs into a stereo for a nostalgic night of easy listening music.
All in all, Songs of Freedom manages to display the memorable essence of Bob Marley and his beautiful contribution to the world of music, thus making it the essential Bob Marley compilation release.
Stormblast
December 14, 2006 by Jo Minor · Leave a Comment
Arguably the finest Melodic Black Metal album to ever see the light of day, Dimmu Borgir’s masterpiece Stormblast - translated to “storm blown” in English as the title, as well as the entire album, is written in the band’s native Norwegian - is a majestic musical experience.
Released before the band started evolving into a heavier and faster incarnation of its former self, Stormblast starts off with a hauntingly beautiful orchestral arrangement that is the beginning of Alt Lys Er Svunnet Hen. While the song titles and lyrics can be a mouthful to anyone outside of Norway, the music does it all - emotion and atmospheric nuances are painted to eerily perfection, thus sculpting an intangible and elusive environment that haunts the listener throughout the entire album.
None of the songs in Stormblast surpass mid-tempo speeds, and that is done intently as faster song speeds would strip away the ominous appeal that the album binds the listener with. The best illustration of this would be the only instrumental track of the album, Sorgens Kammer. The track is in essence a harmonious piano piece, with the gentle resonance of wind blowing in the background.
While it was later known that the tune of Sorgens Kammer was taken from an old videogame soundtrack by their then keyboardist, this track remains as one of the highlights of Stormblast for its clever utilization of atmospheric sound effects.
The atmospheric orchestral arrangements in Stormblast build a backbone for all of the songs, as they effectively enhance the overall aural experience of each song. Taking away the orchestral parts would weaken the structure of the songs, and subsequently cause the album to collapse - such is the importance of the orchestral performance in Stormblast.
Even though Dimmu Borgir achieved much more success later on in their career, it can’t be denied that the seeds of their creativity and passion were sowed first in Stormblast. The band’s debut album For All Tid was the starting point for the band’s ingenuity but Stormblast took a step further and created a more refined and focused album - ultimately marking the start of the band’s launch into glory.
Dimmu Borgir might have permanently changed their overall sound today, but they owe a lot of their accomplishments to Stormblast, which served as the prototype of the band’s songwriting style.
One of the most flawless albums of the genre, and is a must-have for any fan of Melodic Black Metal or Symphonic Metal.
Black Metal 101
December 14, 2006 by Jo Minor · Leave a Comment
Wanna stand out like a sore thumb among your buddies?
Ever felt the urge to scare the wits out of the runny-nosed kids in your neighborhood?
Need a permanent solution to skip Sunday morning church for the rest of your life?
If you’ve nodded in approval to any one of the questions above, take heed. You need to be Black Metal.
But…I don’t know anything about Black Metal…I don’t even listen to it!
You don’t even need to listen to Black Metal to be Black Metal. Here’s a list of what you should get - think of this as your Black Metal Starter Kit or something.
- Several Black Metal band t-shirts (the more worn out, the better)
- Your sister’s make up kit (tell her you want to cover up a zit or something)
- A liter of white paint (from your garage or the nearest hardware store)
- Some planks, some nails, bits of leather and a hammer (as above)
- Fake blood (can be substituted with real blood if you wish)
- Dead animals (road kill will do just fine)
Once you have these items, proceed to making a costume that looks something like the dudes in the pictures are wearing. Oh, and having a beer belly really helps so start packing on the pounds!
Those guys look silly! Why should I dress up like that?
Interesting question, kid. That’s why you should have an ever sillier Black Metal name, and start using it to address yourself all the time, everywhere. Yes, even on your school report card. Here are some Black Metal names for your reference:
- Necrobutcher
- Demonaz
- Blasphemer
- Legion
- Hellhammer
- Dead
- Euronymous
Remember to use the usual terms and references, but try to be original as well - you can also try combining two random words together, as long as it sounds Black Metal! By the way, you will stop whining about how cheesy and lame your new name is once you see your costume at the end of this lesson.
OK, I have a name…I think. I’ll keep it a secret for now, but it has something to do with an internal organ and a goat…so what do I do next?
Good job, kiddo. Now, we will put some of your shop class skills into good use. Remember the pieces of wood and the nails I told you to find earlier? Create a piece of medieval era weapon with them - a simple spiked club would do. You would want a slightly comical effect for your weapon as well, so make it look like something out of a B-Grade movie or something. Your weapon is now your best friend, and should bear some resemblance to the stuff the Immortal guys are wielding in the picture below.
Alright, that’s done…does this look like a weapon to you?
It sure does, young man. Excellent job! You might want to pull that nail out of your foot, though… Anyway, we’re nearing the end of our lesson for today. Now that you have a Black Metal name, a neat costume and your very own weapon, you can now start living the Black Metal life.
The Black Metal life?
Yes, the Black Metal life. You have to consider certain sacrifices and obey several rules of conduct if you want to be Black Metal. I will give you some tips but you will get the idea soon enough. Firstly, always carry a dead animal (or a part of it if it’s too big) around with you wherever you go. That will tell people that you have a fascination for death, Satan, and all that is dark. Secondly, talk in whispered tones - you should convey a brooding and gloomy attitude to everyone around you. Bloodstains on your face will help you get this across very well.
So am I black Metal now? Is there anything else I must do?
I can only show you the door, you must walk through it. Yes, I know that was taken from The Matrix - which, by the way, is a great movie for you to watch over and over again. It’s dark, it’s gloomy… and the main characters are in leather all the time. That’s pretty Black Metal to me. Scamper off now, kid…you’ve got some serious scaring to do!
Still Reigning
December 13, 2006 by Jo Minor · Leave a Comment
Released in 2004 and marking the return of Dave Lombardo to the band, Still Reigning is the entire masterpiece which is the Reign In Blood album (the greatest thrash metal album ever recorded in the opinion of many!) and with several other tracks thrown in as well this is a hell of a Slayer show!
According to the Still Reigning Micro Site at Slayer’s official site, the band looked at their 1986 record for an inspiration to record this visual feast. Even the stage design is a direct replication of the original 1986 Reign In Blood Tour stage design! The best part, of course, is the climax - the actual rain of blood that falls on the band during Raining Blood! It has to be seen to be believed!
Certain venues of the last US tour of the band were rigged so that fake blood would, in fact, fall upon on the band members, and this allowed Raining Blood the opportunity to hit home a refreshing, never before seen experience. Sadly, though, guitarist Jeff Hanneman goes out of his position to check on a problem with his guitar, thus he is the only member of the band that doesn’t get soaked with blood on the show!
From the start (Still Reigning has one cool DVD menu!) to the end, this is an ass-kicking thrash fest. Nothing beats the original Slayer lineup performing the entire Reign In Blood album songs, non-stop. This is the closest a fan can get to being at a live Slayer gig. The added bonus on the DVD is an interview with all the members of the band, as they talk about their influences and the history of Slayer over the years. The interview serves as a short documentary on the band’s early influences, right to their present-day plans for the band. This extra bit educates as much as it entertains!
For those who thought Dave might have gone a little soft from his time away from Slayer - you thought wrong! The band might be past their prime, but damn, you have to check out the show to see how sharp his drumming skills still are! He doesn’t slow down one bit, or display any signs of fatigue. It’s pure joy to see the man do what he does best. All hail the greatest thrash metal drummer of our time!
After the main section of the show, Tom parts a few words to the crowd before he goes into a frenetic encore with War Ensemble. Other classics follow, such as South Of Heaven, Spill The Blood and Mandatory Suicide. The selection of songs in the encore is superb - only the band’s masterpieces made it here.
This is an almost perfect release, I shit you not. The only imperfection I can think of would be the lack of bonus materials. The interview alone isn’t enough, when you compare this to War At The Warfield where there’s a lot of extra footage. In the end this serves as a rather minor setback, really, when you take into consideration the quality of the live show on Still Reigning.
This will reign as one of the best DVDs of the genre.
War At The Warfield
December 13, 2006 by Jo Minor · Leave a Comment
War At The Warfield, simply put, is a DVD that represents the best of Slayer - capturing brilliant moments from the Show No Mercy years all the way to their more recent offerings. The band doesn’t disappoint with this video release - how can that be possible when they perform thrash metal masterpieces such as Chemical Warfare, Mandatory Suicide and Hell Awaits?
I strongly believe one of the reasons Slayer released this video was to support the God Hates Us All album. There are a few indications of this - the text and background music (God Hates Us All and Darkness Of Christ, respectively) at the start of the video, the first song on the set list (Disciple) and the stage design all point to this. However, Tom and Co. don’t get carried away with the newer material, thus making sure that the band doesn’t stray too far away from their classics that have heavily contributed to their 20-plus years of thrash metal supremacy.
By dishing out their regular live favorites like War Ensemble, South Of Heaven, Postmortem and Raining Blood, the DVD (a VHS format of the video was also released, by the way) is a solid showcase of the energy and brutality of the band. The thing that sets this video apart is the classic Slayer songs that they performed - aside from the songs I mentioned earlier in the review - they even played classic tracks such as Die By The Sword and Captor Of Sin!
As with any video release there are bound to be some drawbacks, and the only missing element here would be original drummer Dave Lombardo. Since the Warfield show was taped before he returned to the band, Paul Bostaph was the man responsible for the percussive assault, and this human drum-machine did a satisfactory job. In my opinion, he was the best “replacement” drummer to ever play with Slayer and handled the drumming in Warfield very well, but sadly his playing just doesn’t sound like Lombardo. Additionally, Bostaph is an extremely fast drummer who has a tendency of pushing the limits to insane limits, therefore minimizing the effects of some of the band’s more groove-laden tracks.
Another issue that I can argue about would be the selection of tracks for this DVD. I can understand the band’s need to cover all bases by trying to include tracks from almost every album they’ve released, but I would be much happier if they removed sub-par tracks like God Send Death and New Faith and replaced them with classics like Black Magic or Criminally Insane - two of my most favorite and very underrated Slayer songs. The inclusion of those two tracks would make this a perfect thrash fest!
My last gripe would be Tom Araya’s faltering vocal performance - his voice has been going on a rollercoaster ride and it would be unfair to blame the man after all the screaming he has done for over twenty years. Anyway, the band’s watertight performance and colossal stage presence more than makes up for Tom’s weakening vocal chords.
Classic and new Slayer songs, performed and recorded live on a brilliant show. This is a must have for all fans of heavy metal in general!
How Metallica Lost It
December 13, 2006 by Jo Minor · Leave a Comment
They were the meanest, toughest bad-asses of the land. They not only recovered from the death of their bass wizard Cliff Burton; but ruled the metal world with their virtually endless touring in the late 80s. The band’s limitless drinking abilities scared the daylights out of mortal men, and there was nothing in sight that could stop the rise of Metallica - the band many envisioned as America’s answer to the more-glorified European metal bands.
Now merely a shadow of their past, Metallica is making headlines for their infamous inner struggles, money-grab tactics and other meandering activities. Discarded some time ago by metal purists, they have been graciously accepted into the home abysmal music - MTV - and have joined their legion of manufactured rockers.
Just where the hell did they go wrong?
1. Jason Newsted
Metallica hired Jason Newsted to replace the deceased Cliff Burton; and although he was nowhere near the live wire that Burton was, Newsted was a hard-rocking bassist with a unique stage presence and often helped front man James Hetfield with his vocal duties. Newsted was quickly accepted by fans as a welcome addition to the band, but he never had his say in the band. Newsted should’ve known something was amiss when his bass tracks were set to the lowest possible volumes on the …And Justice For All album. He left the band to pursue his suppressed musical interests elsewhere.
Solution:
Metallica with Burton was incredible, and Metallica with Newsted was good. They should’ve given the man more credit for what he brought to the band. With Newsted on board, they still had a chance.
2. St. Anger
The band’s musical direction was already heading downhill in the mid 90s, but the release of the horrible St. Anger left a bitter taste in the mouth of their fans worldwide. The only people who “loved†the album were the pretentious and biased music journalists and radio stations, who hailed the album as Metallica’s return to form. All in all, St. Anger managed to disgust the true fans of the band who never expected such absurdity from the band.
Solution:
Metallica relied too much on producer Bob Rock to create a masterpiece - ironically the album became the most evident sign of their downfall.
3. Lars Ulrich
Metallica was asking for it when they allowed their despicable drummer Lars Ulrich to intimidate users of Napster. Ulrich printed out a list of hundreds, if not thousands, of users who downloaded the band’s songs, and threatened to take legal action on them. His stunt not only angered countless fans who boycotted the band, but contributed to them hating the loudmouthed Danish dwarf even more. Ulrich didn’t stop there; he went on to sue as many people as he possibly could, for the most ridiculous reasons - it became a full-time job for the little weasel. Well, at least now we know he has a talent for something other than drinking.
Solution:
Lars Ulrich should shut the fuck up at all times.
4. Dave Mustaine
Metallica is controlled entirely by the egomaniacal James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. No one else in the band is as important as them and their interests; it has been always been the case and this fueled the firing guitarist Dave Mustaine in their early years. Mustaine was an exceptional guitarist - he and bass monster Burton used to steal the limelight away from the jealous Hetfield and Ulrich. As if that wasn’t enough, Mustaine had his share of ego and pride as well. This wasn’t taken lightly by Hetfield and Ulrich, and the duo quickly started conspiring to get him kicked out of Metallica. They cite Mustaine’s drug use as the reason for his dismissal, but then again, they were addicted to alcohol too. Once Mustaine was out of their hair for good they took the credit for all of his songwriting, and prompted him to form rival band Megadeth.
Solution:
Mustaine would’ve left the band sooner or later, but he was their brightest guitarist and his departure was Metallica’s loss, not his.
Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey
December 13, 2006 by Jo Minor · Leave a Comment
This amazingly well-produced documentary follows the travels of one Sam Dunn, a 30-year old anthropologist who is also an avid fan of metal, into the minds of the world’s leading metal musicians and fans alike.
Sam, who plays the role of narrator and host, seeks to find the answers to heavy metal’s most puzzling questions and succeeds in unlocking some of metal’s darkest secrets; and breaks some of the stereotypes surrounding the genre along the way. He is perfect for the job, as his understanding of the genre and knowledge as an anthropologist helps him seek the information he requires.
The DVD starts off with Sam’s attempt to name the first heavy metal band - a question that has dumbfounded people for the longest time - and pinpoints a good, but rather predictable answer.
On the road, Sam manages to interview some of the biggest names in the genre - including Tom Araya of Slayer, Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden and Dee Snider of Twisted Sister - thus, drawing an immense amount of credibility to this documentary. It’s very riveting to see what the people behind the music have to say about the stereotypes that shroud the genre, and personally I feel that this is the best part of the DVD.
As the documentary unfolds, it gets even more and more gripping - it manages to stay so interesting that it feels like a work of fiction rather than a factual one - and soon enough it leads to a rather abstract, but very satisfying finale.
Sam does manage to shed some light on this often- ridiculed style of music, and his efforts have made the DVD as the best tool to help explain the art heavy metal to people who only associate it with social ills, moral decay and the corruption of young minds. He also plays an important role as well; Sam is probably the best example of the average-looking metalhead (long haired and all) who is just as successful and intelligent as your run-of-the-mill lawyer or professor.
The documentary is split into separate sections, making the information collected here easily accessible to everyone. The quality of the footage, Sam’s approach as a metalhead and the stars he manages to interview makes this DVD a must-have for all fans of metal, but on the other hand it might not appeal to others.
Having said that, it’s pretty clear that Sam didn’t want his DVD to be watered-down in any way to make it more appealing to the MTV generation, or to any fair-weather film fans,. He had the fans - the true metal enthusiasts - in mind throughout the production of this documentary, and it shows.
