Heavy: The Story of Metal | |
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Genre | Documentary |
Directed by | Michael John Warren |
Narrated by | Matt Pinfield |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of episodes | 4 |
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Running time | 41–43 min. |
Production company | 441 Productions |
Original release | |
Network | VH1 |
Release | May 22 – May 25, 2006 |
Heavy: The Story of Metal is a four-part documentary special that aired on VH1 from May 22 to 25, 2006.
The series focuses on the origins, subgenres and the bands of heavy metal music, paying close attention to influential bands like Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, who helped to define heavy metal in its early years. Other bands on the program include Alice Cooper, Kiss, AC/DC, Van Halen, Europe, Def Leppard, Quiet Riot, Mötley Crüe, Megadeth, Metallica, Anthrax, Guns N' Roses and Marilyn Manson. However, the documentary notably passes over lower profile metal subgenres such as death metal, black metal, doom metal, progressive metal, power metal and many others considered core elements of today's metal pantheon, focusing mostly on hard rock and traditional heavy metal. The documentary aired in Canada on MuchMoreMusic and on C4 in New Zealand. It is not available on DVD or video.
The show is broken down into four parts. Each part focuses on different eras of the genre.
No. | Title | Original air date | |
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1 | "Welcome to My Nightmare" | May 22, 2006 | |
This part of the documentary talks about the beginning of heavy metal music and how the term came about. It also documents punk rock's threat to heavy metal's popularity. Artists discussed include Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper, Kiss, and AC/DC. | |||
2 | "British Steel" | May 23, 2006 | |
This part focuses on the rise of the new wave of British heavy metal, the Soundhouse in London and the beginning of the L.A. scene with Van Halen. It also talks about Ronnie James Dio's influence on the birth of the "devil horns" and metal's leather fashion brought on by Rob Halford. Artists discussed include Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Van Halen, and Def Leppard. | |||
3 | "Looks That Kill" | May 24, 2006 | |
The third part focuses mostly on the glam metal movement of the 80s, the use of keyboards in metal, the "power ballad", and the decline of the genre. It also talks about the P.M.R.C hearings, the 1984 film This is Spinal Tap and the 1988 "rockumentary" The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years . Only two bands were discussed in this episode (Mötley Crüe, and Quiet Riot), while most of the episode focuses on glam metal's effects to the music industry. | |||
4 | "Seek & Destroy" | May 25, 2006 | |
This part talks about the emergence of the underground sound of thrash metal in the 80's and the popularity of Guns N' Roses. It also talks about the popularity rise in nu metal, the influence of Marilyn Manson, and the beginning of Ozzfest. The documentary ends with saying how heavy metal has entered a "golden age" of sorts, with many classic bands returning to the stage and performing once again. Bands discussed include Metallica, Anthrax and Guns N' Roses. |
The documentary features interviews from several heavy metal singers, musicians, authors, journalists, DJs, music historians, VJs, and record producers.
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Despite an innovative and pioneering body of work in the latter half of the 1970s, the band struggled with indifferent record production and a lack of major commercial success until 1980, when the album British Steel brought them notable mainstream attention.
Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within a symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contrast with the heaviness and dissonance prevalent in, for example, extreme metal. Power metal bands usually have anthem-like songs with fantasy-based subject matter and strong choruses, thus creating a theatrical, dramatic and emotionally "powerful" sound.
The new wave of British heavy metal was a nationwide musical movement that started in England in the mid-1970s and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. Editor Alan Lewis coined the term for an article by Geoff Barton in a May 1979 issue of the British music newspaper Sounds to describe the emergence of new heavy metal bands in the mid to late 1970s, during the period of punk rock's decline and the dominance of new wave music.
Behind the Music is a documentary television series that initially aired on VH1 and currently streams current episodes on Paramount+. Each episode profiles and interviews a popular musical artist or group. The program examines the beginning of their career, their road to success, and the hardships they may have encountered.
Scott Ian is an American musician, best known as the rhythm guitarist, lyricist and co-founder of the thrash metal band Anthrax, of which he is the sole continuous member. Ian is also the guitarist, lyricist, and a founding member of the crossover thrash band Stormtroopers of Death, and is the rhythm guitarist for the metal bands the Damned Things and Mr. Bungle. He has hosted The Rock Show on VH1 and has appeared on VH1's I Love the... series, Heavy: The Story of Metal, and SuperGroup.
Groove metal, sometimes also called neo-thrash or post-thrash, is a subgenre of heavy metal music that began in the early 1990s. Heavily influenced by thrash metal, groove metal features raspy singing and screaming, down-tuned guitars, heavy guitar riffs, and syncopated rhythms. Groove metal is usually slower than thrash. Pantera are often considered the pioneers of groove metal, and the genre expanded in the 1990s with bands including White Zombie, Machine Head, and Sepultura. Successful groove metal acts of the 2000s include Lamb of God, DevilDriver, and Five Finger Death Punch.
"Heaven and Hell" is the title track of Black Sabbath's ninth studio album. The music was written mainly by guitarist Tony Iommi, but – as with almost all Sabbath albums – credit is given to the entire band. The lyrics were written entirely by newcomer Ronnie James Dio.
The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years is a 1988 documentary film directed by Penelope Spheeris. Filmed between August 1987 and February 1988, the film chronicles the late 80s Los Angeles heavy metal scene. It is the second film of a trilogy by Spheeris depicting life in Los Angeles at various points in time as seen through the eyes of struggling up-and-coming musicians. The first film, The Decline of Western Civilization (1981), dealt with the hardcore punk rock scene during 1979–1980. The third film, The Decline of Western Civilization Part III (1998), would later chronicle the gutter punk lifestyle of homeless teenagers in the late 1990s.
Anvil is a Canadian heavy metal band formed in Toronto, Ontario, in 1978. The band currently consists of founding members Steve "Lips" Kudlow (vocals, guitar and Robb Reiner, along with bassist Chris Robertson who joined in 2014. As of 2022, the band has released nineteen studio albums, and have been cited as having influenced many notable heavy metal groups, including Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax, and Metallica.
"Breaking the Law" is a song by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, originally released on their 1980 album British Steel. The song is one of the band's better known singles, and is readily recognised by its opening guitar riff.
Metal: A Headbanger's Journey is a 2005 documentary film directed by Sam Dunn with Scot McFadyen and Jessica Wise. The film follows 31-year-old Dunn, a Canadian anthropologist, who has been a heavy metal fan since the age of 12. Dunn sets out across the world to uncover the various opinions on heavy metal music, including its origins, culture, controversy, and the reasons it is loved by so many people. The film made its debut at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival, and was released as a two-disc special edition DVD in the US on 19 September 2006.
"You've Got Another Thing Comin'" is a song by English heavy metal band Judas Priest. It was originally released on their 1982 album Screaming for Vengeance and released as a single later that year. In May 2006, VH1 ranked it fifth on their list of the 40 Greatest Metal Songs. It became one of Judas Priest's signature songs along with "Electric Eye" and "Breaking the Law", and a staple of the band's live performances. "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" was first performed on the opening concert of the Vengeance World Tour at the Stabler Center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on 26 August 1982 and had been played a total of 673 times through the 2012 Epitaph Tour.
Since the dawn of rock music in the 1950s and continuing through the 1960s, various artists pushed the boundaries of the genre to emphasize speed, aggression, volume, theatricality, and other elements that became staples of the heavy metal style. In the late 1960s, this experimentation coalesced into various rock subgenres like hard rock, acid rock, and psychedelic rock, which were all influential in the development of heavy metal. These albums would later be retroactively categorised as proto-metal.
"I'm Eighteen" is a song by rock band Alice Cooper, first released as a single in November 1970 backed with "Is It My Body". It was the band's first top-forty success—peaking at number 21—and convinced Warner Bros. that Alice Cooper had the commercial potential to release an album. The song and its B-side feature on the band's first major-label album Love It to Death (1971).
Sam Dunn is a Canadian documentary filmmaker, musician, and anthropologist, best known for his series of documentaries on heavy metal music. He co-owns Toronto-based production company Banger Films with Scot McFadyen. Dunn holds a bachelor's degree in anthropology from the University of Victoria and a master's degree from York University where his thesis work focused on Guatemalan refugees.
Screaming is an extended vocal technique that is popular in "aggressive" music genres such as heavy metal, punk rock, and noise music and others. It is common in the more extreme subgenres of heavy metal, such as death and black metal as well as many other subgenres.
Metal Evolution is a 2011 documentary series directed by anthropologist and filmmaker Sam Dunn and director, producer and music supervisor Scot McFadyen about heavy metal subgenres, with new episodes airing every Friday at 10 pm EST on MuchMore and Saturday at 10pm EST on VH1 Classic. Its origins come from Dunn's first documentary Metal: A Headbanger's Journey, which included the acclaimed "Heavy Metal Family Tree."