REVIEW: The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years [1988]

“It doesn’t matter—the size of your pencil. It’s how you write your name.” Director Penelope Spheeris changes the aesthetic and to some extent the goals of her documentary series The Decline of Western Civilization with Part II: The Metal Years. Like its predecessor depicting the contemporary 1980 Los Angeles punk scene, we get a glimpse at obscure metal bands like Odin, London, and Seduce as they traverse the circuit with varying levels of success. Interwoven with them, however, are interviews of the genre’s mostly glam metal pioneers like Steven Tyler…

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REVIEW: Anvil! The Story of Anvil [2009]

“The music lasts forever, and maybe the debt does too” Initially told that Anvil! The Story of Anvil was like a true life This is Spinal Tap!, it didn’t take long to discover the comparison misleading. Anvil is not a bunch of hacks that no one likes; they aren’t a joke of the metal industry. In fact, as told by many of their peers who have gone on to fame and fortune—Lars Ulrich, Slash, Lemmy, and Scott Ian—they were the real deal. It is unknown to everyone why the band…

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