Various Artists - Metal Evolution

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.

Metal morning in America begins with the clank of cars and guitars and the burning of draft cards, Including the likes of Ted Nugent & The Amboy Dukes, The Frost, Iggy & The Stooges and the explosive MC5 and of course KISS.

The UK wasn't about to cede rock & roll dominance to America continuing with the success of bands that had captivated the U.S. ever since the insanity of The Beatles and the subsequent British Invasion. This documents how early blues-influenced British bands cranked up the amps and used distorted guitars to give the first pre-metal sounds from the likes of Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and of course Black Sabbath who most consider the first ever heavy metal band and are recognized for laying the blueprints of what became an entire genre of music. Although these bands didn't identify themselves with the label of heavy metal, that title was later embraced and given a distinct look and sound by Judas Priest.

After the early metal bands Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Judas Priest had become household names for headbangers, the next major music scene in the UK to emerge was punk in the mid 1970s. This was nothing metal fans wanted to associate with, yet there was still a small but faithful following of the underground metal scene. The movement began to grow and was spearheaded by the likes of Motörhead, Diamond Head and gained even more momentum when Iron Maiden began packing local clubs and later went on to sell millions of albums. The media and record labels could no longer ignore these bands and this became a major force in music that had to be reckoned with and was dubbed as the new wave of British heavy metal. Other notable acts which were part of this included Saxon, Tygers of Pan Tang, Angel Witch, Raven and Praying Mantis. The candle of NWOBHM began to flicker with the emergence of the glam band scene in the US although Def Leppard thrived in this environment as they had diverged into a more mainstream radio-friendly sound. However, it had a major effect on another movement in heavy metal music that was developing across the sea: Thrash.

Purveyors of glam such as Mötley Crüe's Vince Neil and Michael Anthony of Van Halen, will divulge their side of the story, revealing the attitudes, influences and decisions which guided them during those heady days of rampant excess on L.A.'s storied Sunset Strip. Contemporary musicians like Scott Ian from Anthrax and Slash from Guns N' Roses will discuss the reasons behind the vilification of glam—the notion that glam reduced Metal to caricature, drawing on a shallow combination of pop cliché and sophomoric sexual pandering for its inspiration.

A new generation of American metal bands burst out of California and the East Coast. Headed up by Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer and Megadeth they combined influences from classic metal and the NWOBHM and took them to extremes of speed, subject matter and intensity. A few of the bands made platinum status in the early 90s before changing times and an exhausted scene faded away.

On 5 April 1994, [In Episode 7 of Metal Evolution, Sam explores grunge, a.k.a. the Seattle Sound, from a decidedly fresher approach, inspiring two fundamental questions: "Why did grunge polarize the Metal community?" and "What are the true roots of grunge?". The Melvins, Soundgarden, Nirvana, Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam are featured in this episode, as well as post-grunge bands Creed and Nickelback.

If hair metal was the antithesis of heavy metal purists in the eighties, that was delegated to nu metal in the late nineties. Likewise, if the keyboard was an instrument that such purists felt had no place in a heavy metal band, that disdain was now held by the incorporation of the turntable. Early influences came from bands such as Anthrax and their 1991 collaboration with Public Enemy, Faith No More, even thrashers whose riff-driven hooks were described as "groove metal", and Sepultura with their 1996 album Roots are given credit. This spawned the rise of a new genre of music influenced by two seemingly opposing forces: hip hop and hard rock. Nu metal broke ground and gave way to bands like Korn, Deftones, Rage Against the Machine, and Limp Bizkit. At the height of its popularity the show documents the unfortunate events that conspired in Woodstock in 1999 which included performances by Korn, Rage Against the Machine and Limp Bizkit leading to nu metal's decline soon thereafter. Yet the mantle has still been carried on by acts such as Linkin Park and Disturbed, among others.

Unlike any other genre profiled on the show, Shock Rock is defined by its visuals and public image, not by its sound. The genre has roots in Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and Arthur Brown. This episode focuses on metal's impact in pushing the envelope when it came to disturbing and horrific imagery and its place as Public Enemy #1 to conservative America. From its first major figure in Alice Cooper in the 1970s, to early black metal pioneers Venom and Mercyful Fate (featuring the vocal histrionics of lead singer King Diamond) in the 1980s, to Marilyn Manson, who was made a scapegoat for the Columbine High School massacre of 1999. Slipknot and Rammstein are also featured.

Completely alien to the genre, Sam Dunn sets off to find out what it's all about, and why it's so unfamiliar to him. Tracing its roots back to Europe, he analyzes the differences between traditional heavy metal and power metal, and identifies power metal's ties to European classical music and the way in which power metal flourishes with metal festivals such as Germany's Wacken Open Air and Slovenia's Metal Camp. Notable interviews include Yngwie Malmsteen, members of Blind Guardian, HammerFall, Helloween, Rhapsody, Kamelot, DragonForce and the band that took Power Metal to number one on the European charts: Finland's Nightwish (Tuomas Holopainen and former vocalist Tarja Turunen).

The series finale of Metal Evolution features the subgenre progressive metal. Metal was influenced by progressive rock, which used textured sounds and intricate arrangements while incorporating the rock element in its own distinctive way. Modern prog rock most often cites the influences of the percussive guitar-playing of Steve Hackett of Genesis, and the instrumentals of Yes. Meanwhile, King Crimson added much to the development of the genre. Prog rock came to the forefront with the Canadian band Rush which is profiled in one-on-one interviews with the band's 3 members, Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart while on tour in Cleveland, Ohio. The nineties introduced the groundbreaking, innovative sounds of bands like Tool, Queensrÿche, Dream Theater, Mastodon, Meshuggah and The Dillinger Escape Plan.

Since its emergence in the mid-80s, extreme metal has pushed metal to its sonic and aesthetic edge; bands like Death, Morbid Angel, Carcass, Entombed, Darkthrone, Dimmu Borgir, Opeth and many more combined guttural vocals, blast beats and lyrical themes of death and the occult to create metal’s most transgressive offshoot. Though deeply underground, extreme metal is not an obscurity: It is metal’s motor of innovation and continues to thrive today.