Sunday 31 August 2014

Metal Evolution - Extreme Metal: The Lost Episode Review

Sam Dunn is the anthropologist behind the 2011 VH1 TV series Metal Evolution, eleven episodes that aim to inform an audience on the story behind metal's various subgenres. Unfortunately, only four of the episodes concern metal subgenres (NWoBHM, power metal, thrash metal, progressive metal) with grunge, shock rock and pre-metal among others pointlessly depriving the series of space on a topic that needs more than eleven relevant episodes.

Much like Dunn's 2005 feature length documentary Metal: A Headbanger's Journey, the response from the uninitiated was fairly positive, whereas metalheads were frustrated about the overwhelming amount of inaccurate information and Dunn's ignorance to bands' paramount contributions to their genres (for example, the progressive metal episode unbelievably failed to mention the first prog metal band Fates Warning or latter day successors Opeth). One of the biggest points of contention for metal fans was the absence of any extreme metal genre besides thrash metal. Dunn stated that VH1 were not interested in these genres and went on to crowd-funded a project for this episode. Enter Extreme Metal: The Lost Episode.

The 50+ minute episode is certainly less offensive than other Metal Evolution instalments with fewer mistakes too, although saying France is not known for metal (despite pitching France's Hellfest as the backdrop for his documentary) is certainly a glaring one (Deathspell Omega, Alcest, Peste Noire, Mutiilation, Vlad Tepes, Belenos, Vokreist etc.). Positioning the narrative with Venom and Celtic Frost, Dunn goes on to interview a member or two from Napalm Death, Carcass, Death (although there is no mention of their seismic musical shift) Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, Mayhem, Dimmu Borgir, Emperor, Enslaved and Gojira. The inclusion of the latter two feels nothing more than a sycophantic excuse for Dunn to get some of his favourite bands on camera. Why these two acts were chosen instead of the more influential Opeth is a real glare (possibly because Dunn wrongly considers Opeth goth metal ala his Metal: A Headbanger's Journey flow chart). It also seems astonishing that Possessed are not even name-dropped as the widely accepted first death metal band.

Opening with an appearance at Hellfest, an open air festival in France that covers all kinds of rock and metal music seems to foreshadow the haphazard approach that breathes through the remainder of the episode. Surely a festival that trades exclusively in extreme metal would have been more ideal with equally good interviewees (Party San Open Air, Neurotic Death Fest, NWN! Fest, Under the Black Sun, Hell's Pleasure etc.) but it seems unlikely that Dunn is even aware of festivals like this, much less has any experience at them. Close up shots of generic alternative subcultures at Hellfest is wrongly used to illustrate the physicality of a death or black metal fan.

The impression that Dunn gives is that death metal began to stagnate and Gojira are the saviours of the movement, which is ludicrous - particularly since the creation of technical death and progressive death metal are omitted from the documentary. It is understandable that all the subgenres of death metal and extreme metal cannot be listed due to time restraints but there would definitely be more film left if Dunn stopped referencing his feature length film, spending too much time on questions to bands/journalists that do not contribute to the core of the documentary (Cannibal Corpse's Ace Venture appearance comes to mind) and his idiosyncratic ego masturbation.

The conclusion drawn is incredibly thin and cuts the documentary off too abruptly. There is also a gargantuan contraction; Dunn states Enslaved and Gojira as two bands innovating in an otherwise largely stale extreme music scene but then he wraps the episode by saying that extreme metal is still highly creative.

Once again, Dunn proves his knowledge of the metal scene to be incredibly elementary (despite laughably describing himself a metal expert in the documentary). It appears he does not conduct any research before planning his episodes and thus delivers an episode that does not answer any interesting questions or even questions that have not been asked before. It feels as if Dunn considers himself the best metal authority in existence and nothing else can consolidate his knowledge. This was just another wasted opportunity, particularly considering the high quality production values.