The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (1988)

Directed by

Penelope Spheeris

Genre

music documentary film

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 33m

Rated

R

Rating

6.8 of 10 from 82 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This movie is a documentary about the heavy metal music scene in Los Angeles during the late 1980s. It shows live concert performances and interviews with both famous bands and smaller local acts.

rawgrittyintimatelivelyrevealingunpolishedunflinching

What happens

The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years is a 1988 documentary film directed by Penelope Spheeris. Filmed between August 1987 and February 1988, the film chronicles the late 80s Los Angeles heavy metal scene. It is the second film of a trilogy by Spheeris depicting life in Los Angeles at various points in time as seen through the eyes of struggling up-and-coming musicians. The first film, The Decline of Western Civilization (1981), dealt with the hardcore punk rock scene during 1979–1980. The third film, The Decline of Western Civilization Part III (1998), chronicled the gutter punk lifestyle of homeless teenagers in 1996–1997. The film features a mix of live concert footage and interviews with prominent heavy metal performers such as Alice Cooper, Kiss, Lemmy, Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne, Poison, Megadeth, and W.A.S.P. Several smaller club bands are featured, such as London, Odin and Seduce. Additionally, the film was also originally going to feature Guns N' Roses (who are referenced by name in the film). However, they were replaced at the last minute with Seduce, who had recently been signed to a record label owned by one of the film's production companies. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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