Metallica: Through The Never (2013)

Picturehouse

Heavy metal has been looked down upon for 40 years and I’m sure it will still be looked down on 40 years from now. The genre has been called “satanic”, band apparel and albums were banned from establishments and events, its also taken the blame for kids committing suicide after spinning records, and even gun violence. The misunderstanding comes from the fact that its more than just notes played by an instrument and lyrics sung by a vocalist. Many of the great metal bands write songs that transcend words and create a visual for the listener to imagine in their mind as the song plays. Great metal musicians such as Iron Maiden have written songs based on popular literature which add to that visual and tell a story for the listener. Ronnie James Dio’s songs with bands like Rainbow and Black Sabbath used mystical lyrics that could transport the listener to another place and time. Other bands, such as Alice Cooper and KISS, actually went beyond creating an image in the mind of the listener and became a larger than life persona on stage. With Through The Never, Metallica has now stepped into that echelon of heavy metal performers and possibly surpassed them as well.

Just like the genre itself, this movie will be misunderstood too. Heck, I even didn’t know how to make sense of it at first. I had heard that there’s a story based around a roadie but that its also a band performance involving special effects. I was trying to comprehend the loose plot too much because I was viewing it as another movie so I could write a review afterward. It’s really not a movie at all- it IS a concert but each song has visuals to enhance the performance, from tombstones that rise up through the stage to coffins that lower down from above. Metallica has even taken elements from other bands- Alice Cooper’s trademark is being hung onstage, KISS once had a massive Statue of Liberty prop on stage with them, and Iron Maiden has their own mascot named Eddie who marches on stage- and concocted an apocalyptic blend from those assembled parts. Alice Cooper even attempted an electric chair gag that accompanied the stage show for his late 70’s album about a stay in a mental institution, but it never looked this good! So don’t analyze it, just feel it and hang on for the ride. The 3D effects enhance the experience because you’ll swear you can feel the sweat flying and heat from the fireworks. I’m just glad I never had to run for my life when I was delivering Slash’s coffee!