Heavy music and film have always had close ties: Black Sabbath got their name from an old Boris Karloff creeper. Since then, cinema has provided endless inspiration in metal for everything from intros to lyrics to entire concept albums. This is mostly a one-way street; movies are much more prominent in metal than vice versa. But every once in a while filmmakers embrace their inner horn-thrower and match a great scene with a great song. Here are some favorites.
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Manhunter — Iron Butterfly
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Some might argue that Iron Butterfly isn’t really “metal,” but it’s hard to argue the brilliance and timing of this scene. Manhunter, the first movie featuring Hannibal Lecter, is overshadowed by Silence of the Lambs but is an incredible film in its own right. There is an undercurrent of high tension running through its narrative, and it all culminates in the coda of “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” (at 4:24), literally the “breaking point” of the movie’s arc.
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Gummo — Sleep
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Gummo had huge potential but ended up being a disheveled, oddball mess. Ostensibly it’s about kids in a tornado-ravaged Ohio town sniffing glue and killing cats, but it’s really director Harmony Korine attempting to be an “auteur” and failing miserably. I say it had potential because this scene — two delinquents seeking out trouble, set to Sleep’s crushingly heavy “Dragonaut” — promised so much more than the film delivered. Bathory and Burzum are in there too, but it’s practically a waste.
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Gremlins 2 — Slayer
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This is the first time I ever heard Slayer. I didn’t quite know what it was yet — I was a 9 year-old at a sleepover — but it was scary music that excited me. Gremlins 2 is a little more frantic and messy than the original, but you can say the same thing about thrash metal. Revisiting this movie makes me even more thankful I grew up in a pre-CGI era.
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Aqua Teen Hunger Force — Mastodon
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If you don’t watch Aqua Teen Hunger Force, skip the full-length Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters. It’s mostly inside jokes for fans of the show. Its finest moment, however, is not even part of the movie. Mastodon lent their talents to a metal upgrade of the “Let’s Go Out To The Lobby” jingle, playing an evil band of snacks warning audiences about the dangers of movie piracy and bringing your kids to the theater. I still laugh when I watch this.
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Zombieland — Metallica
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I was pleasantly surprised at how good Zombieland was, and it started right at the beginning with this title sequence. Honestly, there is no going wrong with slo-mo zombie attacks set to the sound of glory days Hetfield & co. The fraternity rush/”Master Of Puppets” scene in Old School comes close, but “For Whom the Bell Tolls” is just a bit more appropriate for what’s happening on the screen.
What are your favorite metal moments in movies?
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The Gummo soundtrack could be one of the greatest soundtracks put together ever though. I mean, Spazz does the fucking love theme for it! I remember me and my friends being super excited about the movie based on the soundtrack, but then leaving the theatre confused after we went to see it.
I liked Cannibal Corpse in "Ace Ventura". On the TV version you can see Jim C. being the vocalist and acting like an idiot. It was pretty funny and he's actually a big fan of CC.
Came here to mention Ace Ventura, surprised it wasn't on the list at all. I mean come on, it's a CC clip of a typical show right in one of the funniest movies ever.
Definitely one of the best moments in metal celluloid is when they play "Lethal Tendencies" by Hallows Eve in River's Edge. Keanu still sucks though, why does he always act and talks like a mongoloid?
Not totally on topic, but: amen to the pre-CGI comment! The animatronic shit was so much creepier and more interesting (the Thing, Aliens etc.)
The aforementioned Powermad in a Lynch film bit is worthwhile just for how odd it is.
I remember thinking the Ace Ventura Cannibal Corpse bit was funny at the time too.
River's Edge is definitely up there, brilliant use of metal in a movie.
But for me the choice is easy…W.A.S.P. doing "Tormentor" in Dungeonmaster!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xd36mSbmNcE
I rented that flick back in '85 just to see that part.
White Zombie's cameo in Airheads is priceless. Hell, that entire movie is amazing. They were playing Feed The Gods live. I love that scene where Chris Farley (RIP) rips the guys nipple ring off. Also, the part when Lemmy shouts "I USED TO BE THE EDITOR OF THE SCHOOL MAGAZINE!!!", gave me that affirmation that it was ok to be a nerd who loves metal.
Seem to remember Helmet's performance in the Jerky Boys movie being the only watchable few seconds of that stinking pile.
I don't remember Gummo other than being sickened by the (evidently fake) animal abuse, so this clip reminds me to give it a second chance.
It's not really metal, but the use of industrial (NIN, Marilyn Manson, Rammstein) in Lost Highway was very effective.
Slipknot in Rollerball?
Powermad in David Lynch's Wild At Heart, which culminates in Nic Cage channeling Elvis.
what about the whole Trick or Treat soundtrack!?
bezza
I figured the Ace Ventura/CC clip was already a gold standard, so I went with some others that don't normally get mentioned. Cosmo already had a piece on Powermad in Wild At Heart. I searched high and low for good clips of River's Edge, Repo Man or To Die For (Nailbomb!) but came up empty-handed.
That scene with Master of Puppets in Old School was pretty damn cool.
When I heard it in the theater, I thought the clean vocals in the Aqua Teen movie bit was done by King Diamond – the resemblance is uncanny
Sleep's Dopesmoker (I think?) in Broken Flowers
I've always loved the scene in Dazed and Confused where the annoying 8th graders are walking along the street blowing off steam and relaxing after they think they've successfully avoided the older guys who plan to beat their bottoms with wooden paddles, when all of a sudden the strains of "paranoid" start playing as the older guys' trans-am pulls up out of the darkness behind them.
LOVE the Nicolas Cage/Powermad scene from Wild at Heart too. Great call on that one – I had forgotten about it.
Amen on Manunter. A very underrated movie.
Corrosion of Conformity lends a dope song to Cable Guy during the Medieval Times fight.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1RDwOUfSe4
Even better – Corrosion of Conformity playin Heaven's not Overflowing while Michelle Pfeiffer is looking for George Clooney's daughter in "One Fine Day"! Man, I love that movie… (I know, i know, I'm such a girl…)
Also – Nicole Kidman and Joaquin Phoenix making eye-contact for the first time while Nailbomb are playing "Wasting Away" in Van Sant's "To Die For".
However my all time favorite – everything Queen did in Highlander – surprisingly metal album for a surprisingly metal movie. If I had to chose – introducing Kurgan with the sounds oh his theme – "Gimme Me the Prize" (starting with the famous "I know his name…" line).
Nailbomb in a movie! Y'all are a treasure trove of knowledge. I still have yet to see Cable Guy in its entirety.
Gummo is a masterpiece. There isn't really a central plot; the movie is pure visual poetry like in the scene above.
If you watch Ace Ventura with captions, the vocals for CC come up as' "Grrr grrr grrr!"
Transformers the movie (you know, the REAL one, from the 80s)
when the Decepticons strom the Autobot ship and kill everybody to "instruments of destruction" by. . . . . . who was that?
Google says "N.R.G."
Almost forgot about King Diamond getting a lot of rep from Clerks 2.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psTViUV6Ngk
I loved Suicidal Tendencies in Iron Man. Just fit the scene so well.
Cable Guy sucks dont waste your time.
also I like that Mastodon song better than anything they've done in years!
Just saw Funny Games on dvd the other night. Nice use of Naked City's song "Bonehead" during random parts of the movie.
What About Hammer Smashed Face in Ace Ventura Movie!!!
How about Armored Saint playing the club scene in Hellraiser III?
Cannibal Corpse at the beginning of Paranormal Activity.
And in TV shows, still love Motorhead's appearance on Young Ones is classic and, while not quite so classic, I also recall seing Anthrax being meatheads on Married With Children.
Give Gummo a second chance, it totally deserves it, despite the dodgy "acting."
Even though a lot of people probably don’t know about them, there’s an industrial/electronic metal band from NYC named BILE. They got pretty big for an underground band back in the mid to late 90s. Their best release is “Teknowhore”, but they’re most “famous” album is probably “Sex Reflex”, where the song “In League” can be found. Bile is featured playing the song live during a scene in Dee Snider’s atrociously bad film “Strangeland” (for which a sequel was recently announced for god knows what reason).
Since discovering them 15 years ago, I’ve had a soft spot for these guys. Their music was definitely pretty original, even though it was heavily influenced by the likes of NIN, Skinny Puppy, Ministry, and KMFDM. “Teknowhore” is still one of my favorite albums ever. Their frontman, Krztoff, has also worked extensively with Pigface; he is credited as being the programmer for [post-Cavalera version of Sepultura] “Nation” and also played synth/keys for Ill Nino on “Revolution/Revolucion”.
If anyone is into that type of music, I highly recommend checking them out. They’re still around but the newer stuff isn’t that great.
http://www.myspace.com/bile
I totally remember Bile! They were used CD/bargain bin staples back in the day.