Metalheads

with Emily Thomas, Tom Goodwin, Carl Williamson, Bill Zebub
Directed by Bill Zebub
(Music Video Distributors)
by Martin Popoff

Any self-respecting headbanger couldn’t look at the cover of this thing and not be curious, what with legendary metal knobbie Bill Zebub writing this tale and starring in it, along with a few well-chosen ‘heads and ‘headettes, many of the latter ending up in (partial) strip teases when the plot tells them so. Bill, for those not gravely metal and geeky enough to know, is the luv ’em/hate ’em mastermonster behind the notorous Grimoire of Exalted Deeds magazine, known for its send-ups of metal guys too serious to take it, as well as those who get the surreal joke that is their lives.

On the cheap, badly acted, repetitive, plagued by horrible audio and all over the place funny, Metalheads is sorta like Seinfeld: Nothing much happens, with the comedy coming in the dialogue and the gestures, the best of it being the unselfconsciously metal stuff (throwing the horns has never been performed with such rapid efficiency or sincerity). Funny bits include Elaine’s acid trip (especially the laughing fit the guys have after she comes out with shampoo still in her hair), “punch me in the stomach,” Bill’s rant about Bumblebee tuna, smoking the winning metal lottery ticket, the sword up the sleeve, and above all, Bill’s Black Mark shirt, which includes a namecheck for Toronto, bringing up fond memories of when our man Ed Balog ran that outpost and Black Mark was putting out an onslaught of great albums, seemingly on a monthly basis.
(www.musicvideodistributors.com)