Metal: A Headbanger's Journey
Seen it?2005 | 91 min | Documentary, Music
Sunday Safe Betearly ratingWhy it’s a Sunday Safe Bet
It earned strong reviews (90% on Rotten Tomatoes), though it had almost no lasting buzz. A safe bet when you want something reliable.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for the curious. If you loved Miss Americana or The Last Waltz, start here. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
- The mood
- Eye-opening.
- The pace
- Moves along nicely, at 1 hr 31 min.
- What might put you off
- Rated R: meant for adults.
- Audiences were cooler on it than critics.
The film discusses the traits and originators of some of metal's many subgenres, including the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, power metal, Nu metal, glam metal, thrash metal, black metal, and death metal. Dunn uses a family-tree-type flowchart to document some of the most popular metal subgenres. The film also explores various aspects of heavy metal culture.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsStrong
90% on Rotten Tomatoes, 73 on Metacritic
- AudiencesSolid
7.6 out of 10
- AwardsNot counted
No major awards or nominations
- Reach & staying powerSolid
Streaming release that reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactWeak
About 19K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Jessica Joy Wise, Scot McFadyen, Sam Dunn
- Sam DunnSelf
- Chris AdlerSelf
- Tom ArayaSelf
- Gavin BaddeleySelf
- BlasphemerSelf
- Randy BlytheSelf
- Alice CooperSelf
- Pamela Des BarresSelf
- Bruce DickinsonSelf
- Ronnie James DioSelf