Global Metal
Global Metal
| 20 June 2008 (USA)
Global Metal Trailers

In GLOBAL METAL, directors Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn set out to discover how the West's most maligned musical genre - heavy metal - has impacted the world's cultures beyond Europe and North America. The film follows metal fan and anthropologist Sam Dunn on a whirlwind journey through Asia, South America and the Middle East as he explores the underbelly of the world's emerging extreme music scenes; from Indonesian death metal to Chinese black metal to Iranian thrash metal. GLOBAL METAL reveals a worldwide community of metalheads who aren't just absorbing metal from the West - they're transforming it - creating a new form of cultural expression in societies dominated by conflict, corruption and mass-consumerism.

Reviews
ada the leading man is my tpye
Infamousta brilliant actors, brilliant editing
Nessieldwi Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.
Ariella Broughton It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.
lakamel Loved it. No reason to see any flaws because it makes no claim that it cannot hold up. It's purpose to reveal the metal movement in places that you might be surprised it exists. Very moving, insightful and never overbearing. This is not meant to convert but rather to impress upon the free that there are people that exist that will do anything to have their voice heard, that they feel and express through music. Just happens in this case to be metal. Probably no surprise to most life-long metal fans. I am 42, four children and full-time sales/service. Began my love of metal at about 7 and could never see going away for as long as I live. By appearance you might not expect this from me. For me after a long day, too much stress or to clear my head I choose metal. Give this Doc a look, if nothing else it justifies that lyrics that may seem ridiculous to some but are a way of life to the oppressed.
freddysdead2002 I am appalled at the high rating for this film, especially those claiming this is MORE metal than Dunn's previous effort -- "Metal: A Headbanger's Journey." At least "Headbanger's Journey" had a point. This is documentary film-making at its worst. The thesis of the doc is quickly abandoned by spending 75% of its time on American and European bands. Nothing new is discovered... We spend our time chock full of Maiden, Slayer, Deep Purple. We go to precious few locations and discover in all of South America -- home to legions of awesome death metal -- just ONE band? SEPULTURA!? In Japan, we listen endlessly to Marty Friedman (!?!?). We profile X-Japan, one of the crappiest pop metal bands in existence, and then barely skim over the only EXTREMELY popular Japanese black metal band -- Sigh. Not only do we only see them briefly recording in the studio, we don't even HEAR the actual recording session or talk with them about how they are one of the pioneers of the immense genre. What is this guy out to discover? It's pretty obvious that the filmmakers are not privy to the vast expanse of amazing metal bands, numbering in the hundreds of 1,000's worldwide. We get very little indication of what the music in each country sounds like, and instead, we're subjected to Mr. Dunn walking along famous landmarks with underscores by Slayer and other American metal. Discussions are not probing. Everything in this documentary is simply WRONG.I've visited many of these areas and can attest that there are metal heads out there.. everywhere, bursting at the seams. There are SO many bands out there -- extreme, weird, interesting -- and movements waiting to be discussed. The political nature of these areas is simply glossed over and would've provided a much more in-depth and engrossing piece.This needed to be WAY more full of bands NATIVE to each area, and entire continents are skipped over.It's fairly clear that the filmmakers did most of their miniscule research on the internet (they even state this when they go to China) and didn't even dig deep into sites such as Encyclopaedia Metallum, which illuminates instantly more about this world than this documentary could've ever hoped to achieve.This film is an abomination to metal and should not be pushed onto the public as true information. At least "Metal: A Headbanger's Journey" was a decent primer on the subject. I watched it with my girlfriend at the time, and she instantly understood what I saw in the genre. This film is simple tripe. Under-researched, over-funded, and without substance.
D. B. Global metal is the second Sam Dunn Heavy Metal documentary. The first, 'Heavy Metal: A Headbanger's Journey' is, so far as I know, the standard documentary covering the Heavy Metal scene. It does an excellent job of both detailing the history of Heavy Metal, and explaining its appeal, but it is focused on explaining Heavy Metal to those who do not know much about it, and because of this, might conceivably have less appeal to hardcore metalheads.'Global Metal" by contrast, is probably better calculated to bring new information to the attention of experienced Metal fans, but is not a condensation of extensive knowledge about the global metal scene, and it shows. This is not a bad documentary, but as exploration on Dunn's part, and constituting a light survey, it is not quite so informative as the first.I would further note that this is not a comprehensive documentary on metal throughout the world, but is more a "metal is spreading to exotic places" sort of documentary. This fact is not a criticism, but knowing this is likely to be important to at least some of the people looking up the film on IMDb.A truly comprehensive film covering the history of metal would necessarily be of epic length, considering that this documentary does not cover the US or European Metal scenes in any significant fashion and yet at 93 minutes, the film does not seem to be especially dilute.
fedor8 A distinct improvement over "A Headbanger's Journey", which was merely an introduction for the uninitiated. GM is the perfect film to show to those spoiled, whiny, left-wing metal fans in the West how much they take for granted i.e. how good they have it in their "evil, corrupt democracies". (Like all egotistical, self-absorbed, pasty-faced princesses, Leftists think that the world owes them perfection...) Perhaps useless-yet-political bands like System Of A Down and Green Day could write some songs about the political situation in countries like Iran, Indonesia, or India for a change, instead of bitching like little girls about how supposedly hard it is to live under the "fascist" George Bush. Uninformed, arrogant, populist little PC-ists...That metal musicians all over the world, and not just in the States, are quite dumb - and I mean DUMB (pity I can't type this word any larger) - is proved in form of Indonesia's Tenakorak: an anti-Western, anti-Semitic group. Here's a bunch of losers whose own government oppresses them in their right to listen to their music, and yet they find the energy, the time, and the interest to take up beef with the very distant and oh-so evil America. I quote the self-contradicting singer: "Zionism must be destroyed... It's not the Jewish people we're against... we want Israel eliminated from the map." Meanwhile, this funny-looking metalhead wears a crossed-out swastika on the sleeve of his clownish heavy metal leather jacket. This guy should work as a clown in McDonalds.Japan, although over-saturated with metal tours for decades now, still has a vivacious, fanatical scene, and a fascinating one, too. I think Dunn should make an entire documentary just about the Nipponese scene. There's a hilarious, cute moment when two Japanese girls show the devil-sign and then run away from the cameras giggling. Priceless. Priceless also was getting the latest update on the whereabouts of Marty Friedman. This guy has quite clearly lost his mind. Not because he decided to live in Japan (I would, too, given half a chance), but because he is genuinely excited over the local glam crap such as X-Japan. He even describes their make-up as "beautiful". Could it be that he's in love with the members of the band?... "They play a Barry Manilow-like ballad, and then go straight to an epic metal song! How do they do this??" It's called "being cheesy", Marty...As for Brazil, Sepultura's Max has a few things to say: "We shouldn't have to copy the States. We should have our own identity." Yes, Max, how very nice of you to realize this AFTER THE FACT. Sepultura made their world-wide breakthrough by ripping off Slayer, Testament, Exodus and just about every other major thrash band on their earlier albums, but then, almost a decade later does Max suddenly decide to create a "new, more Brazilian" image/sound for his band. What, sticking a couple of Amazon Indians into a video while playing low-key nu-metal riffs? Is that supposed to make you sound Brazilian? Ironically, their best phase was when they were ripping off American bands... Anyone who has heard true tribal Brazilian music will know how laughably deluded Max and co. must have been to promote "Roots" as some kind of an Indian tribute album.Speaking of Indians, one of the highlights of GM was watching 30,000 Indian fans experience their first major metal concert. Sure, one can do much better than watch those old fogies Iron Maiden, but it's a start. The story behind the evolution of China's underground metal scene and its subsequent struggles provided further highlights.Also very interesting was the Israeli segment, particularly their stance towards Slayer's "Angel Of Death" song. Tom Araya, almost as if wanting to be funny, appears in GM looking like Saddam Hussein of the bunker days. As for the song itself, Slayer have gone on record many times saying that they "neither put down nor glorify" Mengele in AOD. In other words, Slayer are morons. I've always said that it's best to ignore the mostly cretinous metal lyrics and just enjoy the music.I have to applaud Dunn for having the cheek to ask Lars Ulrich the internet question. The greedy dwarf didn't seem too convincing in giving his support for Third World countries downloading Metallica's music for free. This guy would take the last dime out of the pocket of a desperate Iranian metal fan. Watch his face closely as he answers the question. He is: a) angry that Dunn posed it, b) still riled over the beating he took from the media over the Napster fiasco, and c) quite clearly still holds a grudge toward anyone who dares rob Metallica of an extra few bucks.Speaking of "rob", I'd much rather have seen Rob Trujillo in GM than Lars - who simply has to appear in every single metal documentary, as if he were some kind of metal world's answer to Ron Jeremy. "Hi, I've got a few things to say – yet again! Please pay attention to me!" I thought Dunn's "we're all one global tribe" line was a bit hokey.My music-related rants and ravings: http://rateyourmusic.com/~Fedor8. Read 'em and weep, ya whiny little gits...