Director: Michael John Warren
Reviews
This is a really good doco that suffers from the way Heavy Metal is defined and (re)interpreted. It does a good job of exploring the birth and pivotal moments of metal, such as the first No 1 album, rise of the power-ballad, PMRC hearings, etc. However, it loses a lot of it's objectivity as it tracks metal's push into mainstream music. While the bands under focus are worthy metal ambassadors, the bands that barely get more than a mention unjustly lose their place in the evolution of metal (and Megadeth deserves more than a one-sentence mention!!!).
The value of this doco to the viewer is directly influenced by how broadly the viewer defines metal. Bare in mind that what was metal then was defined by it's proximity to acts like Wham!, Prince and Madonna, and as such, what was metal then may not sound like it now. This doco also seems to gloss-over current metal trends (SOAD!) and end its examination at the early 90's (perhaps, again, because of exactly how metal is currently defined).
However, it is still a good watch, well presented and produced, with heaps of TOP METAL NAMES discussing the music. This doco is flawed, but most definitely a must-see for fans of any-or-all metal.
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