A headbanging film

Allright so a couple of weeks ago I was at a loose end in the library, just looking around as you do when I came across a DVD entitled 'Metal: A Headbangers Journey'. I took it home to watch it thinking it might be helpful to gain an understanding of the metal genre as a whole;I'll be the first to admit that I am almost completely ignorant on the subject. This was a fun way to ease into the study of metal. The documentary is informative, very passionate and quite often absolutely hilarious- although I'm not sure that was always intentional. There is one interview with Gaahl from Gorgoroth, that just makes me cry with laughter every time I see it-I'll see if I can put a link up a bit later. The writer/narrator/interviewer Sam Dunn is a young anthropologist so he specialises in the study of cultures, and the documentary is structured in a way that allows him to apply his skills to the culture of Metal. What is interesting about this is that Sam himself is quite obviously- and he openly admits this at the start of the film- a huge huge metal fan, so he is in effect studying a culture that he is part of. Studying the culture from the inside like this has both pros and cons; I found some of the best parts of the film were when Sam was able to meet and interview his childhood idols, the way his face lit up when he got to talk to Iron Maiden was so sweet! On the other hand the view of Metal that the film offers is often so upbeat that it rings slightly false. I know Metal has gained a negative image that is mostly undeserved, but I'm still not sure if its quite a nice as it is make it out to be here. That being said there has obviously been a great effort made to show both positive and negative aspects of metal culture, a whole section is devoted to the series of Murders and church burnings associated with Norwegian Black Metal and in no way does the film try to explain away or condone the events. Experts or specialists from outside of the Metal world are also consulted throughout the film to give the viewers a better understanding of how and why Metal culture appears so different and often dangerous to those who are not a part of it. Anyway, overall I thought it was a really useful film, no great depth on any particular issue but it covers a lot of metal history and offers an interesting 'Metal is my family' point of view. There is a sequal called 'Global Metal' which was released late last year, it focusses on the Spread of metal around the world to places such as Asia and the Middle East. You can check them both out at www.metalhistory.com

MSTU2000 Pick a subculture or die!

When it was suggested students of MSTU2000 would be best to pick a single subculture to study this semester, I was stumped. Having notoriously broad muscial tastes, I had trouble pinning down the one that I wanted to study for a whole 13 weeks (I know its forever right!). Then a moment of inspiration, I would study the one type of music that I had always steered clear of. The one that used to terrify me as a small child, when my older brother and sister would play it in their bedrooms late at night, the muted screaming slipping into my dreams through the vented heating system. Metal, more specifically Death Metal. It is the perfect fit, I get to study for uni and possibly gain some deeper understanding of my perpetually long haired, black cloaked brother Damian at the same time. Who knows? maybe he isn't really the son of the devil. So over the next couple of weeks I'll be looking around to see what I can find and then reporting back here, sounds fun.
Hannah