Metal Evolution

[lester1/2jr]

Anyone else watching this? It's pretty awesome I think. I like that

1. the guy who does it is a metalhead, not a critic. and

2. stuff like "we were rebelling against society" is replaced with the actual formal "evolution" of the various kinds of metal.

I didn't know for example, that some Motorhead song was the first song to have prominent double bass, or one of the first. The thorny relationship between punk and NWOBHM is handled tactfully. The thrash episode didn't flinch from the kind of end of thrash with the massive anthrax, megadeth, whoever the other one was and whatever the whole thing was called tours (I'm drunk). I found my self nodding my head in agreement often if not every single time. I don't know that metallica's "hit the lights" was the VERY FIRST thrash song. i think punk probably produced that (perhaps the Bad Brains).

Still, all in all this is way better than it could have been and I haven't missed an episode.

[FatFreddysCat]

I've seen bits and pieces of this series but have yet to see an episode in its entirety. At this point I'm gonna wait till all 11 episodes of the show have aired cuz I'm sure VH1 Classic will do a "marathon" of the entire series, and I'll just record the whole thing.

Sam Dunn (director/narrator) knows his stuff. I've enjoyed all of his films that I've seen, esp. "Metal, A Headbanger's Journey" and "Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage."

I hear he has a documentary on Alice Cooper in the works too. Yeeeeeah baby! 

[lester1/2jr]

I saw Headbangers Journey that was really good.

[voltron]

Great show! Sam Dunn sure knows his stuff. I liked the part in "A Headbangers Jouney" where he tries to interview Mayhem, who were drunk as f**k at the time. Sam would ask a question and their only responses were "f**k you". 

[Psycho Circus]

I don't know that metallica's "hit the lights" was the VERY FIRST thrash song. i think punk probably produced that (perhaps the Bad Brains).

That honor goes to the likes of Venom Motorhead and Overkill:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vN-fYtlZvHg

[HappyGilmore]

I liked the thrash episode. Also saw one on grunge.

[lester1/2jr]

circus- violence... ELECTRO VIOLENCE!!

[ChaosTheory]

I hadn't heard of this before; but I see it's available on Hulu. I'll definitely have to check it out.  I love METAL: A HEADBANGER'S JOURNEY   

[Psycho Circus]

circus- violence... ELECTRO VIOLENCE!!

[lester1/2jr]

I can't bring myself to watch the nu metal one.

[HappyGilmore]

I can't bring myself to watch the nu metal one.

It's actually pretty good.  The guy hosting does compliment bands like Korn and Deftones for coming along at the time.  But when it delves into later nu-metal bands like Linkin Park and Limp Bizkit, he talks to different fans at shows and just kinda says "They suck and I don't like them."  But...I don't know.

I grew up in the nu-metal era, so I'm biased.

[66Crush]

I thought the series was excellent, except  for one thing. No Black Metal. I don't believe this was Sam Dunn's fault. I think that powers that be at VH1 were afraid to touch that genre because of it's relation to church burnings and murder. But it could be because Sam covers it pretty well in "A Headbangers Journey," plus there is a short Black Metal doc on the DVD.

[Keir]

I don't know that metallica's "hit the lights" was the VERY FIRST thrash song. i think punk probably produced that (perhaps the Bad Brains).

That honor goes to the likes of Venom Motorhead and Overkill:

I agree that Hit The Lights was not really the first thrash song, but the Overkill demo you posted is from 1983 so Metallica beat them.  How about Metal Church?  Their Red Skies demo came out in 1981 and is quite thrashy.

Anyway, looks like an interesting show.  I have not had a chance to watch it yet, but I did enjoy Sam Dunn's other works that I've seen (Headbanger's Journey and Global Metal).

[Psycho Circus]

I don't know that metallica's "hit the lights" was the VERY FIRST thrash song. i think punk probably produced that (perhaps the Bad Brains).

That honor goes to the likes of Venom Motorhead and Overkill:

I agree that Hit The Lights was not really the first thrash song, but the Overkill demo you posted is from 1983 so Metallica beat them.  How about Metal Church?  Their Red Skies demo came out in 1981 and is quite thrashy.

Overkill did form a year before Metallica though.

[Keir]

Fair enough. :)