Bay Area metal documentary coming to town next month
Following premieres this past spring in London and the town where it’s set, ‘Murder in The Front Row: The San Francisco Bay Area Thrash Metal Story’ screening across the country this summer. Regionally, the critically lauded documentary will be playing twice with an Aug. 21 and 22 engagement at the Philadelphia Mausoleum of Contemporary Art (531 N. 12th Street.)
Directed by Adam Dubin, best known for co-directing the Beastie Boys “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party!)” and “No Sleep till Brooklyn” video clips, the film contains over fifty interviews with various metal stalwarts including the members of Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax, Exodus, Testament and Death Angel, telling tales through a mix of first-person interviews, animation and narration by comedian Brian Posehn. Dubin will be on hand for the Aug. 21 screening for a Q&A following the doc at PhilaMOCA.
‘Murder in the Front Row’ follows the story of a group of young kids in Northern California with a shared passion for heavy rock bands like UFO, Iron Maiden and Motorhead. Many of them were inspired to start bands when they couldn’t get their fill of those Europeanbased acts in a live setting, making the Bay Area one of the most fertile regions in the world for metal in the early to mid-80s.
“These are just good stories, and they are very human stories,” Dubin says. “All these bands were mainly from England, and they never really toured the West Coast, so these young people started creating their own music, starting their own fanzines, booking clubs and trading tapes. These were people who were adamant about music and the bands, but also each other.”
The documentary is loosely based on a 2012 photo journal of the same name by Harald Oimoen and Brian Lew.
“What I loved about the book is that it wasn’t just about Metallica,” Dubin says. “It was documenting a vibrant scene, where all the bands were equal and there was real camaraderie. The photos captured the sweat of the clubs, the ringing in your ears and the power of young people. Harald and Brian captured the humanity of it, and they understood that I was somebody who could bring that out in a film.”
Another strength of the film is shedding light on bands who never hit the heights of Metallica, but certainly cast a wide influence, thrash forefathers Exodus in particular. The title ‘Murder in the Front Row’ is taken from the title track to their 1985 debut LP ‘Bonded by Blood.’
“There’s a big four of metal that should really be a big five and include Exodus,” says Dubin. “I particularly think the movie will inspire viewers to reevaluate the contributions of Kirk Hammett, who founded Exodus in the Bay Area three years before Metallica came to town. Kirk was the central mover who put the band together, guided the music and found frontman wild man Paul Baloff.”
Hammett left Exodus in the spring of 1983 when was enlisted by Metallica to fill the vacant slot left by guitarist Dave Mustaine, who was kicked out for his alcohol dependency while the group was recording their debut, ‘Kill ‘Em All,’ in New Jersey. The split resulted in a bitter feud between Mustaine, who went and formed thrash legends Megadeth, and Metallica which lasted for decades.
That said, the film isn’t bogged down too many serious elements. Dubin, who’s directed comedy specials for the likes of Lewis Black and Jim Breuer, brings a lightness to the proceedings.
“There are lot of similarities between music and comedy; comedy has a musical timing and a rhythm,” he said. “And there are a lot of laughs in this movie. I leaned into that. This isn’t (the Metallica documentary) ‘Some Kind of Monster,’ I wasn’t looking for drama.”
Tickets for the Philadelphia screenings of ‘Murder in the Front Row’ are available at philamoca.org.
VINYL OF THE WEEK
Keep an eye on this spot as each week we’ll be looking at new or soon-to-be-released vinyl from a variety of artists. It might be a re-pressing of a landmark recording, special edition or new collection from a legendary band. This week it’s a pair of albums from U2 that came 20 years apart from each other.
‘THE UNFORGETTABLE FIRE’
Released nearly 35 years ago in the fall of 1984, ‘The Unforgettable Fire’ is the fourth studio album from U2. Recorded at Slane Castle and Windmill Lane Studios in Ireland, it was the first U2 album to be produced by Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. The album’s lead single, “Pride (In the Name of Love),” not only delivered the band its biggest hit at that time, it has since become become the most frequently played live number in the band’s repertoire.
‘The Unforgettable Fire’ is hailed these days as U2’s first sonic reinvention and stark departure from their earlier, postpunk sound and remains among the band’s most beloved works with classic cuts “Bad,” “A Sort of Homecoming” and the title track. This new release has been remastered and pressed on 180-gram limited edition “wine colored vinyl,” to match the color of album’s iconic artwork. It also includes a 16-page booklet with lyrics.
‘HOW TO DISMANTLE AN ATOMIC BOMB’
Twenty years after ‘The Unforgettable Fire,’ U2 dropped ‘How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb’ in the fall of 2004. It was the 11th studio album from U2. Recorded in the band’s studio at Hanover Quay, Dublin and in the South of France, it was produced with long-time collaborator Steve Lillywhite, with additional production from Chris Thomas, Flood, Jacknife Lee, Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois, Nellee Hooper and Carl Glanville.
The record topped the charts in over 30 countries around the world, including here in the States, Canada, the UK and Ireland. ‘How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb’ featured the hit singles “Vertigo,” “All Because of You,” “Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own: and “City of Blinding Lights” and was awarded a total of nine Grammy Awards, including the Album of the Year win, which they also won back in 1988 for ‘The Joshua Tree.’ This edition is pressed on 180-gram limited edition red vinyl and also includes a 16-page booklet with lyrics.
Find the limited editions of ‘The Unforgettable Fire’ and ‘How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb’ online and in stores from all respectable retailers who carry vinyl.
To contact music columnist Michael Christopher, send an email to rockmusicmenu@gmail.com. Also, check out his blog at www.thechroniclesofmc.com