Last year I took a several courses on anthropology, culture and ministry. As part of our studies we watched this film and studied the Metal culture.


It was really interesting to see this kind of study at a Christian college.

But as for me, I thought the film was so well done. I own dozens of documentries, and this is one of the best I have ever seen. Not just on Metal, but on any subject.

I thought it was a great documentary. It really gets around a lot of the aspects and different genres of metal. It also has a great mix of humor and serious in it. The conclusion at the end I thought was the best. The way those people spoke in the background while Master of Puppets was building up. Great.

It's fucking huge here among local metalheads!!

I really liked it, the interviews with Gaahl and mayhem have become legendary here. I really liked how they did genres and musicians that influenced metal, too. It was just a flat-out wicked documentary!

Written by Dane Train on 02.10.2007 at 23:21

Last year I took a several courses on anthropology, culture and ministry. As part of our studies we watched this film and studied the Metal culture.


It was really interesting to see this kind of study at a Christian college.

But as for me, I thought the film was so well done. I own dozens of documentries, and this is one of the best I have ever seen. Not just on Metal, but on any subject.

hold on..........why was this footage studied again

Written by [user id=160] on 06.10.2007 at 03:11


hold on..........why was this footage studied again

Because part of my studies last year was on Cross-Cultrual Communication and Anthropology.

I find it wonderful how the universities are accepting the metal culture as part of anthropological studies in showing it in the classroom environment...

Written by [user id=2084] on 07.10.2007 at 19:48

I find it wonderful how the universities are accepting the metal culture as part of anthropological studies in showing it in the classroom environment...

Well, when we have a generation of young professors who grew up listening to bands like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest or James Hetfield and the Metallicas, they are more open to new forms of study.

Saw it on the internet, and I liked it a lot.

Though I think the documentary is slightly too general, I think it got the point across quite clearly. It's gotten some backlash from other metal sites for the interview with the guys from Slipknot and Lamb of God and not covering the right stuff but then again, they've yet to clarify their statements about what really made it bad. I think it's a great documentary regardless of whether you actually learned anything or not. I always thought it would be a good idea that Sam would do another documentary in the near future but this time explore DEEP into the world of metal and REALLY explain all aspects of what makes this culture and music so unique and what characterizes all these different sub-genres, etc. etc. It could be a good learning experience for those who are already metalheads or those who saw the first documentary and wanted to know more.

Written by [user id=26130] on 08.10.2007 at 17:29

It's gotten some backlash from other metal sites for the interview with the guys from Slipknot and Lamb of God and not covering the right stuff but then again, they've yet to clarify their statements about what really made it bad.

I honestly thought the comments from those bands were some of the best in the whole film. Who cares if they are 'trendy' Metal bands, their point is still valid. ANd I think more people could agree with what Corey Taylor said than what Ghall stated.

I saw it right when it came out about a year and a half ago. I always end up crying at theend!

I thought it was really good...mayhem were complete wankers.

Written by [user id=22245] on 09.10.2007 at 03:26

I thought it was really good...mayhem were complete wankers.

Haha, loved the Mayhem interview^^

I liked it a lot, it has many interesting things. Yeah, the Mayhem interview was all about this: "F*** you" or "F*** them"

Written by [user id=22245] on 09.10.2007 at 03:26

I thought it was really good...mayhem were complete wankers.

People should know better than to interview drunk norwegians.
\../

and the movie is perfect on how norwegians should be viewed, as satanic drunk heads (ugly satanists, yarr), living in the wilderness dreaming about freeing Norway from christianity.

Kneel by the wrath of Thor!

strange that this thread has surfaced again - I watched it again just a few days ago.. weird eh?
I can only disagree with a few minor things, but on the whole it is a really great documentary. something someone could watch who knows nothing about metal to get a little taste of the whole culture

I think there should be a mini-series, each episode diving further into the largest and most known/popular sub-genres, with Sam Dunn as host offcourse.

I find it really good! Very interesting, a great job of Sam Dunn!

Are those Black Metal band members that were interviewed actually Satanic? or were they just saying they were for their image?

Here's something I noticed the second time i watched it, Alice Cooper is a friggin show off, he keeps talking about his old band like they were gods among men. He tried to say that Alice Cooper was the first Heavy Metal band lol, kept saying how black metal bands got the "scary image" idea from his band lol, or how his band created that. His band rules, but he's a flippin show off . Or at least that's what I interpreted from what he said.

I thought it was pretty bad myself, it seems to get a lot of praise mainly because it's the only game in town. It was very shallow and general, which is to be expected, but it doesn't tell you anything if you already have a basic understanding of the genre. It basically acts as an apologist piece, which is pretty sad if you think about it. Rather than asking any hard questions or going for any sort of insight it just tries to whitewash over everything and pass it off as normal and acceptable. The interview selection was horribly unprofessional as well, why do we get five seconds of Fenriz and Ihsahn but tons of drunk Necrobutcher and Ghaal? Shouldn't we be looking for information rather than cheap laughs? Is this a documentary or a collection of cute youtube clips? And of course you had some other interview choices that were questionable; Lamb of God and Slipknot is one thing but I don't see why he couldn't find a few fans to talk to that weren't complete social reject morons. I can't even really endorse it as a good introduction to metal, it spent so much time on the things I don't like about metal and so little on the good parts. He gets a B for effort but overall a big disappointment, hopefully he grows some balls next time around and tries to do something interesting or new.

Great documentary! have you ever seen a bigger dumbass than the guy in mayhem! and Gorgoroth!

I will see it, it sound were intressting! I guess it on Youtube.com

Written by totaliteraliter on 11.12.2007 at 08:43

I thought it was pretty bad myself, it seems to get a lot of praise mainly because it's the only game in town. It was very shallow and general, which is to be expected, but it doesn't tell you anything if you already have a basic understanding of the genre. It basically acts as an apologist piece, which is pretty sad if you think about it. Rather than asking any hard questions or going for any sort of insight it just tries to whitewash over everything and pass it off as normal and acceptable.

Why does some asshole skeptic always have to dump on something good?

Metal is normal and acceptable you insensitive clod. Sam was probably trying to pass it off that way as a statement to idiots like you and the PMRC and people who don't see the real positives of Metal because their too obliviouse and ignorant of the genre. The statement works really well as it reasures Metalheads that metal is a good thing. Calling it shallow merely reflects your own skeptical and shallow opinion and if theres anything sad it's your criticism of this documentary for covering subjects that don't need to be covered.

And people like Corey Tailor were Metalheads just the same as you people who grew up listening to Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and Slayer, so they have a right to a comment and some interview time when discussing Heavy Metal and how it affected them. And quite frankly, all this criticism against bands like Slipknot is utterly and completely pathetic. These bands are reintroducing young audiences to Heavy Metal, maybe not through there music but certainly through the message and freedom they seem to spread at there concerts.

Anyways, great documentary. Love the interview with D.Snider.

Written by [user id=26806] on 16.12.2007 at 20:48
Why does some asshole skeptic always have to dump on something good?

Metal is normal and acceptable you insensitive clod. Sam was probably trying to pass it off that way as a statement to idiots like you and the PMRC and people who don't see the real positives of Metal because their too obliviouse and ignorant of the genre. The statement works really well as it reasures Metalheads that metal is a good thing. Calling it shallow merely reflects your own skeptical and shallow opinion and if theres anything sad it's your criticism of this documentary for covering subjects that don't need to be covered.

Obviously the shallow documentary appeals to those with a shallow view of metal.

I think it ok at best, even though I have not seen it in a quite while.

Written by RockeRoy on 14.12.2007 at 16:04

Great documentary! have you ever seen a bigger dumbass than the guy in mayhem! and Gorgoroth!

Blasphemy! Their kvltness is just going off the scale.

Honestly though, I thought it was a pretty good documentary for someone who is not familiar to Metal at all.

Written by totaliteraliter on 17.12.2007 at 01:48
Obviously the shallow documentary appeals to those with a shallow view of metal.

You obviously don't have much concept of the word "shallow", nore are you able to form a constructive argument if your best response is an emoticon, which is sad cause I expected more from a person who is able to right a paragraph of horseshit on debates he's too ignorant to understand. In any case, I wash my hands on this.

Written by [user id=26806] on 17.12.2007 at 14:17
You obviously don't have much concept of the word "shallow", nore are you able to form a constructive argument...

Well pardon me, next time I'll just follow your example and go straight to the name calling and taking personal offense when someone criticizes a movie I like.

Yeah the movie was good,to watch mainly by non metalheads,Sam never heard of a subgenre called 'doom metal'?I also didn't like what Alice Cooper kept saying about himself,and how norwegian metal bands want autographs from him,and copy him,and how the first time the'term' "heavy metal" was used blabla,and what does Slipknot have to do with heavy?? ah that dramatic way the guy from Gorgoroth tried to make,no need to mention Mayhem lol.

Matt and I watched it today and i found it very interesting and they didnt just forcus on the one metal genre, They focused on alot of them. This documentuary was better than i thought it would be and ive wanted to see it for a long time