Summer Concert Series: Decline of Western Civilization Part 2: The Metal Years (1988)

Penelope Spheeris' 2nd entry into her incredible rock and roll documentary trilogy, turns the focus to heavy metal.

Like how the first movie was the ultimate punk rock film, this is the ultimate heavy metal movie. Like the first entry this sequel covers not only the music but the lifestyle. Once again the lifestyle is neither condoned or condemned. It is simply shown in full and complete honesty. To get the full feeling of the lifestyle, both huge name artists (Aerosmith, Ozzy Ozzborne, Alice Cooper, Poison) to smaller time artists that have bands you probably have never heard of are interviewed. Tales of drugs, rock and roll and especially sex fill this movie to the brim. The way many of the artists talk about sex is revealing and at times uncomfortable. The people interviewed often go into detail about the sexual experiences and talk about them with complete pride. While this can feel strange and off-putting to those of us who don't think about sex 24/7, I appreciate this movie's honesty when it comes to the subject. The gender politics of the genre are also discussed and can be rather sad to hear even if they are well known at times. Sadly there is a heavy metal image and unfortunately often women don't fit into it, despite that they have again and again proven they can rock as hard as the women. As well as musicians talking about how much they love heavy metal, there are also interviews with a woman who supports and practices what she calls "de-meatal-azation," a process of getting young people away from heavy metal music and the lifestyle it is believed to represent. Again what is great about this movie is that it does not take sides, it simply shows what it sees in full honesty.

The music is an excellent look at late 80's metal, showing everything that made the music so popular. There is such a pure level of energy and excitement to the music that is performed here. As much time as is spent interviewing huge names, the performances are often by lesser known artists like London, Seduce and Odin (though Megadeath does perform here as well). While this may disappoint those who want to hear Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Kiss or Poison, there is nothing wrong with the music that is heard here.

This is in many ways this is the definitive heavy metal movie and a must watch for both those who are into the music and those who aren't

-Michael J. Ruhland