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Tracing the origins of metal is a phantasmagoric odyssey that traverses cities and countries, oceans and continents. For Sam Dunn, stop #1 on this heavy metal pilgrimage is the birthplace of Metal's indisputable progenitor, rock 'n' roll: namely Memphis, Tennessee, home of Sun Studio.
Detroit Rock City is the home of Ted Nugent & The Amboy Dukes, The Frost, Iggy & The Stooges and the explosive MC5. From New York to San Fran, flower power is declared dead, as darker, heavier music is reflected in the apocalyptic sounds of Steppenwolf, Iron Butterfly and the raucously loud Blue Cheer.
The United Kingdom wasn't about to cede the rock 'n' roll dominance that nation held over America since the insanity of the Beatles and the subsequent British invasion. Bands such as Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Trapeze and Slade were crafting their own loud sounds in response to the bleak industrial environment of Britain's Midlands.
The New Wave Of British Heavy Metal marks no less than the establishment of hard rock's very first heavymetal army. Loud 'n' proud of it, this jean-jacketed legion of headbanging air guitarists snarled back at punk, expressed impatience with prog and purposefully declared a banishment of ballads.
We'll explore glam's androgynous roots, looking back to early Greek myth right up to David Bowie and T.Rex, and we'll discover the reasons behind the present-day perception that glam was, despite its massive popularity in the 1980s, a false and hollow music form that represented a betrayal of the very spirit and ethos of Metal.
When a virulent strain of metal called thrash was born, the likes of Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax wreaked vengeance on hook and melody through a rhythmic discipline.
While grunge was enjoying its meteoric rise, replacing the MTV face of Metal that was glam with its own brand of telegenic, easy to digest "rebellion," diehards within the Metal community struggled to adjust.
In this episode Sam Dunn chronicles the rise and fall of nu metal; starting with its ancestry, Sam considers the impact of pivotal artists like Rage Against The Machine, Faith No More and Tool and their fiery amalgam of hard, heavy distorted rock and post-Prince funk.
We revisit a world of guillotines and gallows, electrocutions and sorcery. We'll then learn how New York City's Kiss dethroned Cooper by taking spectacle one giant leap forward, incorporating a fiendish cocktail of explosive pyrotechnics, Kabuki make-up, and leather and studs, spawning a "Kiss Army" of fans and a legion of terrified and infuriated parents.
Sam investigates Heavy Metal’s most enduring sub-genre, power metal, and asks the questions: “Why is power metal so huge in Europe?,” “What are its roots?” and “Why does it still prosper today?”
Episode 11 looks at the extreme musicianship of these bands, as well as their often extreme literary prowess and conceptual strength, the end result being a rich level of respect and attention such challenging acts have brought upon the world of heavy metal, from a critical community usually dismissive of the form.
Metal Evolution presents 11 episodes based on the much-debated Metal History "family tree" originally shown in Headbanger’s Journey. This 24 sub-genre genealogical chart reveals the vast complex progeny of heavy metal—from Early Metal and Shock Rock to Thrash, from Progressive Metal to Grunge and Nu Metal. Using the chart as his road map, our host, metalhead turned anthropologist Sam Dunn, will crisscross the globe in search of the very essence of Metal, from bars and back alleys to the biggest open air festivals. Sam will visit the pioneers of British and American hard rock who laid metal’s sonic foundation. He’ll cruise the fabled Sunset Strip with glam metal greats and explore the stomping grounds of Bay Area thrash.









