Fans of Heavy Metal music tend to be local, provincial and seem to exist in their own little worlds with little or no contact from outside their secret societies.
The 2008 documentary Global Metal takes this seemingly closed subject and opens it up so that we can see the much, much larger picture of Metal music and its unique, passionate and open-minded impact around the world. Stretching across continents (South America, India, Asia) and landing in numerous world-class cities (Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo, Dubai and Mumbai to name but a few) Global Metal examines and explores the journey that the music, and the musicians and bands that play it, has taken as it’s reached across cultures, languages and formed common bonds of headbanging humanity combined with bonds of devotion for their progressive musical form.
The film connects with the fans, the musicians, the promoters and garners an insight into a phenomenon many might at first glance dismiss or look past as a fad or a youthful indulgence to really get at the core of the passion that so many feel for Global Metal and how this music has changed their lives for the good and maybe even sometimes bad.
In this age of the global village with hi-speed connections everywhere and everyone being instantly in touch with everyone else we sometimes forget that music is one of the more human bonds that we all share and can be one of our most significant, and sympathetic, methods in understanding each other and learning about our neighbors lives, no matter how far away those neighbors may happen to be on this beautiful planet of ours.
Global Metal reminds us all once again that reaching out across borders and bearing gifts can be, not only a good thing, but the best gift of them all.