Metal: A Headbanger's Journey

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Metal: A Headbanger's Journey

Starring	Sam Dunn
Distributed by	Seville Pictures Warner Home Video
Release date(s)	2005
Running time	96 min.
Language	English
IMDb profile

Metal: A Headbanger's Journey is a 2005 documentary directed by Sam Dunn, a 31 year old anthropologist who has been a heavy metal fan since the age of twelve. He sets out across the world to uncover the various opinions of heavy metal music, including its origins, the controversy surrounding the genre, and the reason why it is loved by so many people, as well as exploring the culture of heavy metal. 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 September 19, 2006.

A follow-up to the film currently titled Global Metal is currently under production, and can be tracked on Sam Dunn's blog at the official website for the movie.

Tagline:

The film that will take you into the heart of the beast

1 Contents
- 1.1 Interviews
- 1.2 Soundtrack
2 "Definitive Metal Family Tree"
3 External links

The film begins at the beginning of metal's history, and a discussion of who was truly the first metal band. It then proceeds to discuss the traits and originators of some of metal's many subgenres, including black metal, thrash metal and glam metal. Dunn used a family tree type flow chart to document different metal subgenres. The film then splinters off to explore 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, many of which whom support Satanism and openly discuss the burning of several Norwegian churches.

The most insightful information given in the film comes from candid interviews from popular artists of metal's past and present. Notable interviews come from:

Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden
Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath
Ronnie James Dio
Geddy Lee of Rush
Tom Araya and Kerry King of Slayer
Corey Taylor and Joey Jordison of Slipknot
Lemmy of Motörhead
Dee Snider of Twisted Sister
Alice Cooper
Rob Zombie
Ihsahn and Samoth of Emperor
Necrobutcher and Blasphemer of Mayhem
Angela Gossow of Arch Enemy
Alex Webster and George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher of Cannibal Corpse
Randy Blythe and Mark Morton of Lamb of God
Jorn Tunsberg of Hades Almighty
Gaahl of Gorgoroth
Morgan Lander and Mercedes Lander of Kittie
Munky of KoRn
Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine

Iron Maiden - Run To The Hills (Live) and Number of the Beast
Accept - Balls to the Wall
Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell
Lamb of God - Laid to Rest
Rush - Working Man
Motörhead - Ace of Spades
Motörhead - Killed by Death
Diamond Head - Am I Evil?
Twisted Sister - We're Not Gonna Take It
Venom - Blood Lust
Slayer - Disciple
Enslaved - Havenless
Arch Enemy - Silent Wars
Slipknot - (SIC)
Children of Bodom - Needled 24/7
Cannibal Corpse - Decency Defied
Emperor - Inno A Satana (Live)
Metallica - Master of Puppets

The chart from the film documents various sub-genres of metal that have spawned over time, while also attempting to list the prime examples of bands that fall under each sub-genre. Below is a typed version of that chart, which can be found on the second disc of the film's special edition DVD package.