Inside Metal: Pioneers Of L.A. Hard Rock And Metal

Metalrock Films
2015

Please listen up friends, fans and all of my fellow collectors as I have something truly fresh and original to share with you today! This highly-recommended DVD is the first in a series of Grade A documentaries that are dedicated to L.A.'s legendary hard & heavy scene and let me just state the obvious right off the bat: This is a must-have film if you consider yourself a fan of all things hard rock and heavy metal (especially that of the top-tier variety!). Originally financed through crowdfunding, "Inside Metal: Pioneers Of L.A. Hard Rock And Metal" was directed by Bob Nalbandian and this in-depth and jam-packed documentary is the first film in what will ultimately be a trilogy. Filled with fun facts and even funnier insider stories, "Inside Metal: Pioneers Of L.A. Hard Rock And Metal" has a total run-time of 80 minutes. That's 80 whole minutes (as in over one full hour PLUS!!!!) of L.A. hard rock and heavy metal history that has to be witnessed in order to fully appreciate everything that this scene had to offer! Even as someone who was alive and kicking during a lot of this time period I will be the first to admit that much of this fascinating story was new to me. While I knew of and loved the music of L.A.as both a teenager and adult I never knew the origin of the scene so thankfully this history lesson takes you w-a-y back to the roots of the Sunset Strip! In order to set the stage this loving tribute takes you back to the days of bands like The Doors and Led Zeppelin before bringing you up to speed with the arrival of the one and only Van Halen! You'll see some rare and truly wonderful photos of some of your favorite L.A.bands and hear plenty of great stories from a who's who cast of characters! Among countless others there are exclusive and very cool interviews with the likes of Lars Ulrich (Metallica), Stephen Pearcy (Ratt), Carlos Cavazo (Quiet Riot, Ratt, Snow), Jack Russell (Great White, Dante Fox), Don Dokken (Dokken), Dave Meniketti (Y&T), Joey Vera (Armored Saint), Roger Romeo (Legs Diamond), Chris Holmes (W.A.S.P.), Frank Dimino (Angel), Ann Boleyn (Hellion), Michael DesBarres (Silverhead, Detective) and Steve Plunkett (Autograph, Wolfgang). What's more, "Inside Metal: Pioneers Of L.A. Hard Rock And Metal" will likely introduce you a few bands that you were not familiar with! For me that was the band Snow, but if you are quite a bit younger then this documentary might just be the first time that you've heard of such cool bands as Angel and Legs Diamond! That's the great thing about this documentary. While "Inside Metal: Pioneers Of L.A. Hard Rock And Metal" is a must-have for hard rock and heavy metal collectors it's also the perfect gift for those who are new to the L.A.hard & heavy scene. As informative as it is, "Inside Metal: Pioneers Of L.A. Hard Rock And Metal" is very affordable. Online sites like Amazon have it marked at under $10.00 and it is well-worth it at that low price! With "Inside Metal: Pioneers Of L.A. Hard Rock And Metal 2" due to drop in June this first part of the L.A. heavy metal story is something that many of us never thought was humanly possible. I'm talking about a near-perfect hard rock and heavy metal documentary that properly tells the story of one of the most important scenes of all time! Hopefully part 2 will be every bit as good as part 1 is so be sure to keep an eye out as I hope to cover it in the next week or so.

Inside Metal: Pioneers Of L.A. Rock And Metal II

Metalrock Films
2015

First things first. I'm really late with this review and for that I'd like to apologize. And it's not just to Metalrock Films I might add, but to all of you-our faithful readers and fellow metal fanatics. Blame it on summer and time just slipping away or just blame it on my old age and forgetfulness(!), but whatever the case I'm late to this party and that is nothing short of unacceptable! Still, it is what it is and here we are so let's just cut to the chase and throw out the one true (obvious) observation here. This is the follow-up to part one and (no big surprise here) it is just as essential as the original "Inside Metal: Pioneers Of L.A. Rock And Metal"! Part II picks up the ball and runs it in for a touchdown! Every-bit as good as Part I, "Inside Metal: Pioneers Of L.A. Rock And Metal II" adds further credence to the importance of L.A.'s hard & heavy scene and does it alongside interviews with the folks who were actual there to witness it all! There's far too many names to name, but let's just say that these musicians were and still are the real deal! Whether you were there the first time around or you are new to L.A.'s scene you'll learn something new and interesting and it's all seen through the eyes of people who loved the music and the city! As much an homage to a time and place that will never be forgotten as it is a top-notch music documentary this spectacular DVD is assembled in such a way that you can almost picture yourself back in the club days along with all of the other crazy fans. Credit must go to everyone involved with the creation of this series as it truly does a great job of presenting the scene for what it really was. As it's priced under $10 (at least on Amazon) it's a small investment for what will ultimately prove to be one of the best heavy metal documentaries of all time!! In fact it's a steal at that price when you take into account all the goodness that is packed into this 95 minute documentary! With Part III due out sometime in the (hopefully near!) future the only thing that could be better than having these wicked cool docs in your collection would be soundtracks! I'd love it if they could put together a CD package with rare music from L.A.'s early hard rock and heavy metal scene, but maybe that's just not possible? I don't know. What I do know is how you can pick up not only these two DVDs from Metalrock Film's official page, but t-shirts and even a hat! There is even a nifty deal where you can get a signed theatrical release poster of Inside Metal (signed by director Bob Nalbandian!), both DVDs (also signed), a Inside Metal hat and Inside Metal XL shirt, and Metalrock and Inside Metal stickers (coolness!) for $99 plus $3 shipping! Even though I already have both DVDs I might have to go for that deal myself! After all I am a fan first and foremost! 

The Distorted Island: Heavy Metal and Community in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico Heavy Metal Studies
2015

Over the past couple of years I've been able to share such documentaries as "Madder Than A Full Moon Dog" and the "Inside Metal: Pioneers Of L.A. Hard Rock And Metal" series with our readers. Now it's my extreme pleasure to present "The Distorted Island: Heavy Metal and Community in Puerto Rico" to all of you. As the title clearly suggests this highly-informative (and downright entertaining!) documentary delves into the deep history of heavy metal in Puerto Rico and in turn it pulls back the curtain in order to show you the struggle and ultimately determination of metal-minded musicians. Cleverly filmed in black and white (which all but gives the film a wonderfully gritty/underground vibe) and featuring English subtitles, "The Distorted Island: Heavy Metal and Community in Puerto Rico" was directed by Osvaldo Gonzalezby and produced by Dr. Nelson Varas-Díaz, Eliut Rivera-Segarra, and Sigrid Mendoza. Dr. Nelson Varas-Díaz (who is a long-time heavy metal fan) is a Associate Professor at the University of Puerto Rico and under his direction this documentary traces the ups and downs of a largely overlook scene. Until now Puerto Rico's contributions to the fields of heavy metal, thrash and death metal have been tragically glossed over. Thankfully "The Distorted Island: Heavy Metal and Community in Puerto Rico" looks to right such a wrong and it does it in a manor that not only hits all the right notes (thrash metal band Cardinal Sin being one of many!), but actually covers a unexpected area that far too many critics and fans skip over and/or generally mock. And that would be Christian metal. Yes, that is correct. Amazingly "The Distorted Island: Heavy Metal and Community in Puerto Rico" not only acknowledges how Christian heavy metal in Puerto Rico helped out the early scene, but (rightfully so) praises their hard work and musical ability! It's weird to see a documentary that actually talks about Christian metal in such a positive light and for that I say kudos to all who were involved with this awesome documentary! My only complain in that area would be how this full-length feature film (by way of interviews with it's members) made me interested in the Christian thrash metal band Xacrosaint when I can't find any of their music online! Sure, there are videos of lives shows, but I'm dying to know if this band released any demos or what not! Any help in that department would be greatly appreciated! But anyway, Cardinal Sin was actually the first true metal/thrash band in Puerto Rico of note and it makes sense that this documentary starts with this overlooked gem of an act. Influenced by bands like Iron Maiden and the emerging thrash metal scene in the U.S. and South American, Cardinal Sin started the ball rolling with dreams of becoming the next  Metallica or Sepultura.When Cardinal Sin formed there were no clubs to play in and no real scene to speak of so this band (which incidentally formed in 1984 and released only to demos during their time together) had to make their own. Despite this the band would go on to achieve a great deal of local success with their first demo, "Infanticide" (1989), eventually influencing a generation to come! Said demo can be found on the excellent (and highly-recommended!) compilation album "Resurrection" and their song "Against the Waterfall" opens up the first CD of this DVD/2CD set. What? I didn't mention the two CDs that come with this killer documentary? How could I forget that? In addition to this informative documentaries must-see DVD (for which it's obvious a hell of a lot of research went into it's creation!) "The Distorted Island: Heavy Metal and Community in Puerto Rico" comes with two jam packed compilation CDs which cover material from the early eighties to 2014! Both CDs feature 15 different tracks from 15 different artists and with a run-time that is over 140 minutes you simply cannot go wrong with this collection! I mean we're talking 30(!) Puerto Rican metal bands which is kind of fitting as this documentary covers 30 years worth of metal! As it covers not only the music, but also the culture of Puerto Rico there is so much to love about this set and I highly-recommend it to everyone reading this review. Realistically-speaking there just isn't enough time for me to go into everything that this black and white film has to offer or even the amazing amount of information that it covers. But I will say that just between the interviews and live footage there is so much going on so you almost have to watch this one a couple of times through just to try to get a grasp on everything that "The Distorted Island: Heavy Metal and Community in Puerto Rico" tackles! For more information on this amazing (MUST-OWN!!!!) DVD/2CD set be sure to head over to the documentaries official Facebook page here.  Meanwhile be sure to check out the official trailer for "The Distorted Island: Heavy Metal Music And Community In Puerto Rico" below. While it gives you a tiny hint at to what's in store for you you'll just have to trust me here when I say that this documentary absolutely shreds!