''Metal Down Under'' is a 2014
documentary directed by Nick Calpakdjian. The film uses interviews, archival footage and animation to trace the history of
heavy metal music in
Australia. Calpakdjian partly funded the film through
crowd-funding
Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and alternative finance. In 2015, over was raised worldwide by crow ...
website Pozible. It was released in Australia on 22 August 2014 with distribution by MGM. On 1 September 2014 it debuted on the
ARIA
In music, an aria ( Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompa ...
Top 40 Music DVDs chart at #4.
Content
''Metal Down Under'' traces the history of heavy metal music in Australia from the early influences of bands such as
Buffalo
Buffalo most commonly refers to:
* Bubalina, including most "Old World" buffalo, such as water buffalo
* Bison, including the American buffalo
* Buffalo, New York
Buffalo or buffaloes may also refer to:
Animals
* Bubalina, a subtribe of the tr ...
,
AC/DC,
The Angels and
Rose Tattoo
Rose Tattoo are an Australian rock and roll band, now led by Angry Anderson, which formed in Sydney in 1976. Their sound is hard rock mixed with blues rock influences, with songs including "Bad Boy for Love", "Rock 'n' Roll Outlaw", "Nice B ...
to present day acts including
Ne Obliviscaris,
King Parrot,
Karnivool
Karnivool is an Australian progressive rock band formed in Perth in 1997. The group currently consists of Ian Kenny on vocals, Drew Goddard and Mark Hosking on guitar, Jon Stockman on bass, and Steve Judd on drums. Karnivool emerged from a band ...
and
Psycroptic
Psycroptic are an Australian technical death metal band formed in Hobart, Australia in 1999. Mainstay members are Dave Haley on drums and his brother Joe Haley on guitar. Their lead vocalist, Jason Peppiatt, joined in 2004. In 2008 they sign ...
. The film is divided into three 55-minute episodes featuring interviews, archival footage and animation sequences with the first episode discussing the early development of metal from hard rock influences to the
thrash
Thrash may refer to:
*Thrashing (computer science), where increasing resources are used to do a decreasing amount of work
* Thrash (surname)
* Thrash, mascot of the Atlanta Thrashers
*'' Thrash Rally'', a top-down perspective rally racing video ga ...
scenes of late 1980s
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...
and
Sydney, in particular
Hobbs' Angel of Death
Hobbs' Angel of Death were an Australian thrash metal band that began in 1987 in Melbourne, and are one of the first Australian groups to perform in that genre. They released two studio albums, ''Hobbs' Angel of Death'' (1988) and ''Inheritance' ...
and
Mortal Sin
A mortal sin ( la, peccatum mortale), in Catholic theology, is a gravely sinful act which can lead to Hell in Christianity#Roman_Catholicism, damnation if a person does not repent of the sin before death. A sin is considered to be "mortal" wh ...
. There is also some examination of the niche record stores Metal For Melbourne and Utopia, ''Hot Metal'' magazine and the influence of
public radio on the spread of the genre. Part two looks at the influence of
Perth
Perth is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the Australian states and territories of Australia, state of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth most populous city in Aust ...
band
Allegiance
An allegiance is a duty of fidelity said to be owed, or freely committed, by the people, subjects or citizens to their state or sovereign.
Etymology
From Middle English ''ligeaunce'' (see medieval Latin ''ligeantia'', "a liegance"). The ''al ...
in the development of a national touring circuit, as well as the
Metal for the Brain
Metal for the Brain was Australia's largest heavy metal music festival. The event was held in Canberra annually, usually towards the end of the year, and featured Australian bands almost exclusively. The festival was established in November 1 ...
festival and the extreme metal bands
Blood Duster
Blood Duster was an Australian extreme metal and stoner rock band from Melbourne. Their name came from the song "Blood Duster" by John Zorn, from the 1989 album '' Naked City''.
History Formation
The band was formed in 1991 by Jason Fuller (a ...
,
Alchemist
Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in China, India, the Muslim world, ...
and
Sadistik Exekution
Sadistik Exekution was an Australian extreme metal band from Sydney. The band formed in 1985, although their main active period was from 1986 until 2004. Known for their outrageous live show antics, notorious behaviour and non conformist atti ...
. The third part looks primarily at several of the more prominent currently active bands with some discussion of the
metalcore
Metalcore (also known as metallic hardcore) is a fusion music genre that combines elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. As with other styles blending metal and hardcore, such as crust punk and grindcore, metalcore is noted for its use ...
scene and the shape of the scene at the present time.
Distribution
''Metal Down Under'' was released on DVD in Australia through MGM Distribution. It was released in the UK and Europe through Plastichead Distribution on 10 November 2014. Its official release date on iTunes is 18 November 2014 worldwide (ex USA).
Reviews
"Nick Calpakdjian has made a funny and engrossing film that finally sheds a light on a part of Australia's popular culture that has been left in the dark for its entire existence, a vital and important document that even people who couldn't care less about heavy metal should see. After spending two years of his life on this, he deserves nothing but respect." Reviewed by Brian Giffin.
"One might even go so far as to say that Metal Down Under is an important piece for the Metal community, as it may well be, itself, a stepping stone to another such feature in the future; and that will hold promise for another time. " Reviewed by Tristan Peterson, Metal Obsession.
Interviews
Non-musicians
*
Andrew Haug, broadcaster
*
Lochlan Watt, broadcaster, writer
* Brad Wesson, co-owner, Soundworks Touring
* Robyn Doreian, journalist, editor ''Hot Metal'' magazine
* Greta Tate, record store manager
* Simon Lukic, broadcaster
* Chris Maric, publicist
* Leigh Wilson, collector who has filmed Australian metal shows since 1981
* Brian Giffin, writer, broadcaster
References
{{Reflist
External links
IMDb page
2014 films
Australian documentary films
Documentary films about heavy metal music and musicians
2014 documentary films
2010s English-language films