Directors: Sam Dunn, Scot McFadyen (Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey)
Producers: Scot McFadyen, Sam Dunn
MPAA Rating: NR
Running time: 93 min
A few years ago music’s black sheep, heavy metal, made a big splash in the film world when filmmakers Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen released their documentary Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey. It’s safe to say that no one expected this little documentary to make the splashes that it did but here we are, two years later, taking in the filmmaker’s second adventure though the dark tunnels of metal. The first film traced the history of metal from its humble beginnings in the working class suburbs of the UK and the US but it was very apparent from the interviews with heavy metal greats and footage from various big events, including the Wacken Open Air, that metal was a global phenomenon.
After receiving correspondence from metal fans in the most unlikely of places, Dunn and McFadyen decided that their look at metal wasn’t finished just yet and the pair set off to discover the metal offerings from places as varied as India, Japan and Israel. The result, Global Metal, is a unique anthropological research project that is much more interesting to study than anything I’ve seen in a textbook.
Beginning in Brazil and making their way to such distant and exotic locales as Indonesia, Dunn and McFadyen speak to both fans and musicians who love their metal and what we find is that as suspected, metal speaks to many. The most interesting bit of information discovered thought their travels is that the sound of metal varies from country to country and culture to culture. Though many of the fans and musicians associate their beginnings with listening to the Scorpions, Deep Purple, Sepultura, Iron Maiden and a long line of notable predecessors, they have taken the sound and made it their own, infusing the music with their personal struggles, beliefs and politics. The result, is a varied landscape of sounds with a common ancestor.
Global Metal expands on Dunn and McFadyen’s original thesis that metal is universal and in doing so, they also shed light on the various movements of metal around the world and the result is massively entertaining. From learning about Chinese metal pioneers Tang Dynasty, discovering the unique sights and sounds of Japan’s visual kei style, hearing Orphaned Land’s unique mix of traditional Israeli sound and seeing the beginnings of metal in India, the film manages to both entertain and enlighten.
Once again, Dunn acts as our trusty tour guide, taking us through the rocky and sometimes dangerous stories that make up the world of international heavy metal but he is a guide we have come to trust. An anthropologist with a love for metal, Dunn is someone fans and non-fans can associate with and he does a fine job of bridging the gap between the rockers and the armchair enthusiasts.
As Dunn points out, globalization plays a part in the spread of heavy metal to the world but in the span of ninety-three minutes, he also shows that it is not simply being consumed as presented by traditional metal bands. The sounds and messages are mixing and evolving, creating new and unique variations. The filmmakers avoid the trap of giving too much time or attention to a specific sound or location and instead, provide just enough material to peak more interest and thanks in part to the globalization in question, we are able to discover and enjoy these sounds for ourselves.
Global Metal lacks the pièce de résistance that is the metal family tree presented in Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey. Instead, Dunn and McFadyen present a documentary that has much more heart without giving up any of the entertainment value. At one point someone mentions that metal is like the sky, it’s there for everyone and the same is true for Global Metal. It’s not just for metal fans, it’s for everyone.
Click “play” to see the trailer:
Links:
Telefilm Profile
Official Site
MySpace Profile for Global Metal
Sounds cool!
very much looking forward to catching this, playing downtown in Toronto. will catch it next week.
for anyone who gives a crap, the director is in a metal band himself now, called Burn to Black, who have released a somewhat acclaimed album.
Goon you should post your thoughts once you see it.
Indeed, I’m looking forward to hearing what you think Goon. Actually, I’m also really looking forward to Doug Nagy’s review since he is such a massive metal fan. Should make for a fun read.
And thanks for the tip on the Dunn’s band. Will have to check it out.
Marina, I reviewed it on FilmJunk if you didn’t see.
Anyways, I recommend to anyone to also go search out (now on DVD) the documentary “Heavy Metal in Baghdad” which tracks a band and their escape from the country and search of their dream, taking them to Syria and then to Turkey. There is another 45 minute film on the DVD features called “Heavy Metal in Instanbul” which trakcs their progress. Make sure you check that part out if you watch this.
where i can this film buy in INDONESIA(Makassar city)?
anyone remember what he said at the end of the documentary? Something about metal not being a religion, but an escape? or something along those lines. I may be way off, but i know it was an awesome statement.