Force Fed Films: Metal: A Headbanger's Journey (2005)

Every week Puneet and I pick a movie for the other to watch. We don't get a say in the matter, we can only watch what's put in front of us. Today Puneet's overwhelming love for metal music spilled out into his movie of choice. Metal: A Headbanger's Journey is a documentary covering the entire history of this style of music and all it's various forms and incarnations. What are it's roots? What are the controversies? What is Metal? These questions along with FAR more are discussed in this enlightening documentary. Throw up the horns and hit the jump for more!


This could be a tough one. I find documentaries hard to write about. So long as they cover their subject in a well thought out manner, they tend to be quite good. I don't want that to come off as if I'm saying there's not a lot to this movie though, or that it's easy to make a good documentary. The multitude of topics this film covers all having to do with metal music is far more than I ever thought there could be. I like metal music, but I'd be considered a casual listener by any real metal fan's standards. I don't hold a candle compared to Puneet!



The film starts off with a history of metal music and where it came from. Learning it has it's roots in orchestral, opera, and blues was just the beginning of my educational experience. They cover a wide variety of topics such as religious/satanic influences, what the fans of metal are like and who they are, the genealogy of metal and all it's various variations, and possibly the most fascinating part of the movie, the controversies of Norwegian Black Metal. Every topic is covered in just enough depth to be enlightening, but not too much that it ever becomes boring.

Probably the most stand out thing about this movie however is all the one-on-one interviews film maker Sam Dunn gets with band members and lead singers of all the top name and most popular metal bands. Members of Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, Rob Zombie, Slipknot, Twisted Sister, Motley Crue, Cannibal Corpse, Korn, Iron Maiden, Rage Against the Machine, and even the late great Dio are represented and interviewed here along with several others. And these aren't kid's questions he's asking, he really gets a good dialog going with many of the artists and gets some great insights. And you get to see inside Dio's house as he plays with his cat!

Overall I'd have to say that if you have any interest at all in any kind of metal music, this film is a must watch, especially if you're a fan. And if you're not so much a fan, but find yourself ever wondering what the hell is up with those crazy kids and their evil bands; check it out for a really good look behind the scenes and some insight into the subject. Overall, I quite liked it!