Satan rocks

September 16, 2008 3:21 AM

Heavy Metal Jr is an amusing & sweet little documentary about a heavy metal band called Hatred, average age 11.
posted by dydecker (32 comments total)

Man, that was awesome, from dad getting carried away while "demonstrating" the vocals to the lads, to mum misspelling the band name on their jacket patches... Thanks for this dydecker - brought back some memories!
posted by benzo8 at 4:37 AM on September 16, 2008

Good ending. Those kids are players.
posted by softsantear at 4:50 AM on September 16, 2008

"Hatred" is a band name that I'm very surprised wasn't taken a long time ago!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:26 AM on September 16, 2008

What I like about this film is that even though the band is called "Hatred" and the movie is s called "A portrait of pre-teen rebellion", it's not about hatred or rebellion at all because they're too young. Instead it's kinda nostalgic - it catches the age where little accomplishments like playing a crappy gig promise good things to come in the future.

That and the teacher guy = Ricky Gervais
posted by dydecker at 5:42 AM on September 16, 2008

Nice little doco. Thanks for the post!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:42 AM on September 16, 2008

If they can be Hatred at 11, what? All Encompassing Rage by 20?

Still watching, but what's with the two kids that don't want to show their faces?
posted by JaredSeth at 5:44 AM on September 16, 2008

"Hatred" is a band name that I'm very surprised wasn't taken a long time ago!

I was surprised too, but found this [speakers to low], though they don't have anything as good as Satan Rock.

Overbearing dad seemed like a bit of a twat though.
posted by mandal at 5:54 AM on September 16, 2008

At seven minutes in, I'm hoping there's some discussion about why the drummer has taken on the scarf habits of Russell from Fat Albert.
posted by Stewriffic at 6:11 AM on September 16, 2008

BECAUSE HE'S HORRIBLY DISFIGURED YOU INSENSITIVE BASTARD!


Actually no, he just a bit "Townshendesque" as we find out later in film.

I caught this a couple nights ago on real TV and quite enjoyed it...I thought they sounded pretty good by the end. Much better than my 13-year-old-self's band.

I like the idea that Satan would play a flying V.

Keep on Rockin' Hatrid!
posted by Otis at 6:24 AM on September 16, 2008

It's hiding a bumfluff proto-tache
posted by mandal at 6:26 AM on September 16, 2008

That and the teacher guy = Ricky Gervais
I was thinking that... times it was very close to spoof.

Overall, awesome though... the masked drummer totally made it. For me it was a toss up between a bum-fluff 'tache or a Lovecraftian outbreak of acne. Turned out I was half right... SPOILER! looks like a brace as well.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 6:28 AM on September 16, 2008

Fresh from the fires of hell
Satan came out from his shell
Pulled out a flying V
Then rocked as heavy as rock can be

Man, yet again, I am so glad that a) youtube did not exist when I was that age and b) I burnt all my teenage poetry.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 6:30 AM on September 16, 2008

This is fun. Dad's hair is a work of art, and the vocal demonstration is fucking outstanding. I would love to see him in, say, a Broadway adaptation of the Iron Maiden story. The little one's got a nice voice, and if they could convince him to belt, I bet he'd be pretty good. And the kids in the music shop looking for the "heaviest" amp are hilarious.

This reminds me, in many embarrassing ways, of high school. I mean, we were singing about sodomizing Satan, and we were never "metal," but still. Really makes me want to start a silly metal band and just be loud for the sake of being loud.
posted by uncleozzy at 6:30 AM on September 16, 2008

Spinal Tots? They do go to (age) 11...
posted by ericbop at 6:42 AM on September 16, 2008 [2 favorites]

If they can be Hatred at 11, what? All Encompassing Rage by 20?

People Covered in Fish?
posted by marginaliana at 7:08 AM on September 16, 2008

More like Marilyn Hanson. *rimshot*
posted by katillathehun at 7:27 AM on September 16, 2008 [3 favorites]

"A portrait of pre-teen rebellion".

"What are you rebelling against Johnny?"

"What do you got?"

I don't see too much rebellion going on with all that approval and encouragement coming from Mommy and Daddy.

Who equates "Heavy Metal" with rebellion anyway? It's just another club for kids that look alike, dress alike, and act alike. Satan worship is about as edgy as being a Brewers' fan.

Real rebels shouldn't be looking for peer and parental validation. They should be doing Bobby Vinton covers. The ones in Polish. That would drive Daddy insane.
posted by three blind mice at 7:38 AM on September 16, 2008

Hilarious at the end when you can see "HAT RID" on the back of the lead singer's jacket.
posted by [NOT HERMITOSIS-IST] at 8:05 AM on September 16, 2008

Actually no, he just a bit "Townshendesque" as we find out later in film.

Heh. Poor little guy. He's at that awkward age.
posted by Stewriffic at 8:19 AM on September 16, 2008

Bah. My 13-year-old daughter rocked out DC's 9:30 Club last month. And there were some 9-year-olds up there, too.
posted by MrMoonPie at 8:27 AM on September 16, 2008

Wondering if it should be "Satan Rock" or "Satan Rocks". Ah, creative dilemmas as they ought to be.

Also, Bon Jovi dad, heh.
posted by ersatz at 8:54 AM on September 16, 2008

I don't see too much rebellion going on with all that approval and encouragement coming from Mommy and Daddy.

They're eleven years old. Come on.

Who equates "Heavy Metal" with rebellion anyway? It's just another club for kids that look alike, dress alike, and act alike. Satan worship is about as edgy as being a Brewers' fan.

Real rebels shouldn't be looking for peer and parental validation.

Ah, yes, the classic "real rebels should be doing it my way" argument. That's almost as ridiculous as mistaking being "edgy" for authentic rebellion, or mistaking (some degree of) natural agreement in style and ideology for conformity. I mean, which rebels are there, exactly, who totally eschew peer validation? Rebellion does not necessarily equal misanthropy and/or nihilism; when it's sincere, it's generally an attempt to build a space of one's own, for like-minded people, not a knee-jerk, for-its-own-sake reaction against anything and everything anybody else ever liked. Here's a hint: there's nothing less "edgy" than constantly changing your behavior simply because somebody else likes what you like.

Does the true rebel express his rebellion by molesting the true Scotsman's sheep?

Besides, the idea that everyone into metal is "alike" is hilarious... few genres have nearly as many sub-styles, for one thing. Thrash metal isn't death metal isn't black metal isn't doom metal isn't traditional metal, and all of the people involved may or may not even get along, much less "act alike".

At any rate, why don't you fuck off: it's the bottom of the 9th, Prince Fielder is up, and I'm enjoying the game.
posted by vorfeed at 8:55 AM on September 16, 2008 [3 favorites]

erm, vorfeed, don't you think this was ment to be ironic?

"Real rebels shouldn't be looking for peer and parental validation. They should be doing Bobby Vinton covers. The ones in Polish. That would drive Daddy insane."

posted by kolophon at 10:57 AM on September 16, 2008

he just a bit "Townshendesque"

You mean those massive prehistoric stone structures out on the Salisbury plain shaped like smashed guitars?
posted by Herodios at 12:06 PM on September 16, 2008

erm, vorfeed, don't you think this was ment to be ironic?

Sarcastic, maybe, but I didn't read it as ironic. If it was, my apologies for mis-reading it, but it looks more to me like another way of saying "true rebels should be doing things nobody else likes, because being like anyone else just isn't rebellious enough". It assumes that rebellion itself is the point, same as the "lol they dress alike, Satan isn't edgy" part of that comment does.

I'm not much of a fan of "rebellion for rebellion's sake". It's great as a means, but it makes a rather poor end. The point should be to have something to rebel against (or, even better, toward). If you're primarily concerned with rebellion itself, you end up chasing yourself in circles forever, endlessly tearing down other people's values while never establishing any of your own. The Lion is a vital step on the way, but it mustn't be mistaken for the ultimate goal.

IMHO, heavy metal generally values rebellion as a means to an end (usually freedom and/or individualism), not as a magic totem. This is why metal is still about Satan, even though Satan isn't "edgy" anymore -- because "edgy" isn't actually the point, Satan is! While there's certainly some measure of rebellion-as-a-value in metal, I don't think it exists to the extreme degree tbm seems to be expecting.

In short: if you think it's all about "not being alike", you're thinking of hipsters, not metalheads. Try aisle 4.
posted by vorfeed at 12:09 PM on September 16, 2008

"He might not have been the greatest bass player, but he had a good laugh. He had a good laugh."
posted by ignignokt at 12:38 PM on September 16, 2008

OK, forget townshenge -- now I've seen the video, the kid with the turtleneck over his face reminds me Mort from the Bazooka Joe comics.
posted by Herodios at 1:01 PM on September 16, 2008

Seems that he wore the scarf because he was a bit insecure about his braces.
posted by DieHipsterDie at 9:31 PM on September 16, 2008

What a marvelous thing. Thanks for this link.
posted by churl at 9:43 PM on September 16, 2008

Can't see this in Indonesia. Is this the documentary made in Scotland that was shown on English TV a few months ago?
posted by BobsterLobster at 9:48 PM on September 16, 2008

"He might not have been the greatest bass player, but he had a good laugh. He had a good laugh."

I think that was 'he was a good laugh' - British slang for 'he had a good sense of humour' or more generally 'he was a great guy'
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 2:06 AM on September 17, 2008

You are never too young to rock out. Remember the saying goes: if it's too loud, then your too old.
posted by conradsalvador at 1:08 PM on September 18, 2008