North America and Europe are the commercial capitals of heavy metal, but the underground has spread across the globe. With Global Metal, Dunn and McFayden explore the metal scenes in other parts of the world. Dunn is the on-camera host, and takes the viewers to Brazil, Japan, India, China, Indonesia, Israel and Dubai.
During each international stop, the metal culture in each country and area is explored. Interviews with artists, journalists and fans give a firsthand perspective of the similarities and differences in heavy metal around the world. The love of the music is universal, but in some countries fans of metal face more than just being outcasts from society for their fandom. There are countries where metal CDs aren’t even available on the commercial market.
Dunn is an anthropologist, and has expertise in that area in addition to metal. It’s really interesting as he talks with people of all races, colors and religions about the common language of heavy metal. I found the segment about Indonesia, a predominantly Muslim country, to be especially interesting. The frenzy over Iron Maiden’s concert in Bangalore, India was also very compelling.
There’s no shortage of big metal names in Global Metal. Lars Ulrich (Metallica), Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden), Max Cavalera (Sepultura, Soulfly), Kerry King (Slayer) and Barney Greenway (Napalm Death) are just some of the artists that are interviewed. They add star power, but the real stars of the film are the local musicians and fans that provide the insight into each country’s scene.
