DEATH by MetaL

DEATH isn't the first name in Death Metal for nothing

Key Facts

Country: 🇺🇸

Genre: Documentary

Release Date: 6th July 2018

IMDb Rating: 7.6/10

Director: Felipe Belalcazar

Writer: Felipe Belalcazar

Producers: Felipe Belalcazar, Eric Greif

Main Cast:

Death - The majority of previous members

Chuck Schuldiner - As himself (Archive footage)

Summary (IMDb): Here comes DEATH's probing and pulsing rock doc, DEATH BY METAL, pulling back the palm fronds of DEATH's origins in Altamonte Springs, Florida, and latching a narrative hook into the headstrong Chuck Schuldiner juggernaut for fifteen gratifying if sometimes frustrating years. As the baby steps become giant leaps, the stable of supporting players grows and continually shines in its own devious light. Excitement grows as Schuldiner, his band, and the world around him evolve, and the music grows ever-more outrageous and bombastic. DEATH's threat morphs from simple zombie attack to multi-headed mega-monster hellbent on absorbing entire planets. Then suddenly, Chuck is just gone, and the lights go out. The formula for movies about bands dictates that victory is seized from the jaws of mortality in the final act. This is where things get weird. Chuck Schuldiner perished during the moment of heavy metal's weakest ebb, and possibly the quietest moment of his own career. The drawling guitar demon in the kitty cat shirt will not rise again to tour county fairs, swap one-liners on late-night TV, and jam with Judas Priest at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But this documentary itself joins reissues, partial reunion tours, and an international reawakening as part of a decade-long ascent for DEATH to its proper place of high dominion. As you read these words and watch this film, Chuck Schuldiner and DEATH return to glory, and the legend itself becomes an eternal encore.

Trailer



Review

Rating (out of 10🤘): 🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘

This is a documentary I've been wanting to watch for a considerably long time. As a fairly new-ish fan of Death (I was well aware of them for a while and their impact, but I never really delved in and listened to them until a couple of years ago), as with any new band that I discover, I wanted to know everything I could about the band's history. I knew Death was Chuck Schuldiner's band, but I never realised how much it was his band, if that makes sense. I can only relate it to what I'm doing with Vanaheimr, in the sense that I'm the one that has the overall creative control as it's my creative project. Anyway, I feel like this documentary helped me get to know the real Chuck from the people that were around him throughout. It's fair to say I see a bit of myself in him. 

Overall, the documentary is very well presented and seamless with it's transitions and graphics, with appropriate use of archive footage so Chuck could tell his side of the story posthumously. I think the best thing about it is the fact that it doesn't delve into his personal life too much and stays focused on him and Death, it's all about the music. Despite this, I think it does show Chuck in a bad light, with the cancelled tours and thing. With someone who is that creative, focused, driven and constantly evolving it's nearly impossible to make compromises. As the film states multiple times, Chuck needed "guys around him to fulfil the purpose he needed" (words to that affect), which I don't see as a negative thing as such but I feel like it was made into one. That's purely from an outsider's perspective though, I'll never claim to know the inner workings of the band or how Chuck run it. With that in mind, that's my only critique of the documentary.

One thing DEATH by MetaL certainly is is raw, relenting and demonstrates the decade long rise of Death in all its glory. Even though Chuck wanted to move away from Death metal towards the end, the documentary is a cross-country journey that takes you all over the world. One thing that amazed me about the band is the sheer amount of relocating and travelling they did across the US, and as we all know the US is not a small place! Despite it all Death still managed to work and become the monster of a band that it is still heralded as today. The film also demonstrated how ground bracing Death were (and still are) musically, proving that death metal shouldn't be contained in this singular box of conformity to be classed as death metal. Even though Chuck tried to move away from the death metal label, his brand of technicality has inspired so many and I think he'd be proud of some of the more technical death metal bands around today, with considered and compelling lyrics, not just brutal bloodlust (sorry Cannibal Corpse, I still love you!).

As extreme metal fans we all want to see documentaries made about our favourite bands and we don't get many, so for me, this is a must watch for anyone who wants to know where death metal comes from (if anyone tries to through Possessed's Seven Churches at me, this is not up for debate, Leprosy  and Scream Bloody Gore are way more polished, fact!). Who'd have thought a few guys in a Florida garage would have spawned unleashed the beast that is death metal onto the world with devastating success?