Metal: A Headbanger's Journey

Anthropologist Sam Dunn sets out to uncover why his beloved metal music has been consistently "stereotyped, dismissed and condemned", but there are problems with his approach: ask any metal fan if they mind being misunderstood by society and their answer is likely to be "hell no man, that's the whole point". Secondly, metal culture is too expansive for one documentary to tackle with satisfying depth. Metal already had an excellent historical overview in 'The Decline of Western Civilisation Part II: The Metal Years', so doesn't need defending by another geeky fan eager to turn academic analysis up to eleven. Predictably, the best moments are when the fans speak for themselves, revealing the hilarious and occasionally touching reasons why Slayer saved their lives. [Caroline Hurley]