If you’re a fledgling metal band trying to break into the big time, allowing a movie to be made about your struggles is probably a bad idea.

Remember Acrassicauda? The heavily persecuted Iraqi band pulled on the heart strings of the entire metal world in 2007, and the folks at Vice felt so moved by the band’s plight that they decided to make a documentary about them, Heavy Metal in Baghdad. With Vice’s help, the band finally arrived in the U.S. in 2009, began playing shows, touring, and eventually released a record. It was a great story, a triumph for heavy metal and personal freedoms that surely warmed the hearts of even the most jaded grinches (us included). But where are they now? Once the PR buzz and good will of the film wore off, Acrassicauda were left to make it on their own in an extremely competitive metal marketplace, back to square one (although admittedly way better off in their lives). We haven’t heard very much about them since.

Of course you all know about Anvil, a band whose Real Life Spinal Tap-like film was so touching that its tentacles reached far beyond the metal world and catapulted the band into the international spotlight. But… where are they now?

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A reader whose name I won’t publish in order to spare him some embarrassment e-mailed me this morning with the subject line “Jazara,” a link to this stream on The Gauntlet, and a demand that I “Tell people this exists.” Kinda rude, but whatever. The band is called Janaza, not “Jazara,” so I have to assume the reader is either a small child or a mental midget, because how could anyone be so forcefully passionate about a band whose name they don’t even know? (And don’t say “It could be a typo,” either. The letter “n” and the letter “r” are nowhere near one another on the keyboard.) Either way, no reason to take his blunt tone personally.

ANYWAY, Janaza is, according to the aforementioned Gauntlet, an “anti-Islamic black metal band fronted by a female in Iraq,” known only as “Anahita.” Anahita has to keep her identity a secret, of course, because if found out, her life would be in serious danger. That’s certainly unique to metal (as The Gauntlet points out, even the dudes in Acrassicauda, who certainly overcame their own very intense struggle, at least had the support of one another, whereas Anahita seems to be flying solo), and it makes me wish I could understand the lyrics. It also makes me wish I liked the music, but, hey, you can’t win ‘em all.

But you should check out the stream here and see what you think… actually, I’ll be curious to see what kind of reaction this gets. I’ll also be keeping my fingers crossed that Anahita doesn’t turn out to be a forty-year old American man from Georgia, but that’s another issue altogether.

-AR

There’s no such thing as a free lunch… except when there is.

So take advantage of the incredible good fortune bestowed upon metalheads of the world by Hulu this week and indulge in an entirely free showing of Heavy Metal in Baghdad, the documentary filmed in 2006 about Iraq’s only heavy metal band at the time, the now well-known Acrassicauda.

Nothing’s free forever and we’re not sure for how long Hulu will leave the full film up, so catch it while you can on Hulu or embedded below. You’ll have to sit through a few 30-second commercial breaks, a minor annoyance to watch this acclaimed film for free.

-VN

Thanks: redneckMetal

How much do you love heavy metal? Are you willing to die for it?

Two new excellent documentaries will make you feel like a complete pussy when you realize what some people will do for the love of metal and punk rock.

Heavy Metal in Baghdad and Heavy Load, while very different in feel and execution, portray two groups of metalheads with wildly differing sets of challenges that make their lives’ missions to bang thy head that doesn’t bang.

Baghdad tells the story of Acrassicauda (Black Scorpion), the only heavy metal band in Iraq, who must deal with a lack of venues to play in, laws against headbanging, more laws that require musicians to perform one pro-Saddam Hussein song per set, and, oh yeah, getting their practice pad literally bombed to pieces.

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