Metal: A Headbanger's Journey

A fascinating and entertaining journey through the world of heavy metal.

This is a superb documentary. Seen through the eyes of metal fan and co-director Sam Dunn, we are taken on a journey across the world of heavy metal. From London to Wacken to Norway to New York, many different subjects are covered, including the history of the genre, its influence and impact, and the Norwegian black metal scene.

Dunn is an anthropologist as well as a metal fan and he delves into a lot of cultural aspects of metal. Tons of different artists are interviewed, including Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden), Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath), Ronnie James Dio, Rob Zombie, Dee Snider (Twisted Sister), Lemmy (Motorhead) and many more. Dunn is a knowledgeable and sometimes amusing host, and filming it using him as the onscreen narrator makes it more entertaining and personal.

The DVD also has some fantastic extras. There is a family tree of metal that examines the various genres and subgenres and ties them all together. There are also extended artist interviews, a behind the scenes travelogue, and another documentary. After the film was released in theaters the Norwegian black metal section caused some controversy, especially in Norway. They went back and did more interviews, and the result is a 25 minute documentary focusing exclusively on Norwegian black metal.

This DVD is a must-own for all metal fans, and it's also interesting for non-metal fans. It's a great DVD to show to people to explain why you love metal. It's both entertaining and educational.