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| View Larger Image | Heavy Metal in Baghdad | DVDStarring: Eddy Moretti, Suroosh Alvi, Firas al Lateef, Faisal Talal, Marwan Reyad
Directed By: Eddy Moretti;Suroosh Alvi
| List Price: | $19.95 | | Price: | $17.99 | | You Save: | $1.96 (10%) | | | Available: | Usually ships in 24 hours |
| | Binding: | DVD | | Rating: |  | | Run Time: | 148 minutes | | Format: | Collector's Edition, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Surround Sound, Widescreen | | Studio: | Arts Alliance America | | Number of Discs: | 1 | | Aspect Ratio: | 1.78:1 | | Release Date: | June 10, 2008 | | Sales Rank: | 51,913st |
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FEATURES | - In the late summer of 2006, in the middle of the insurgency, filmmakers Eddy Moretti and Suroosh Alvi traveled to Baghdad to meet and interview the only heavy metal band in Iraq, Acrassicauda. "Heavy Metal in Baghdad" is the story of the band and its members, young Iraqis whose lives have been distorted and displaced by years of continual warfare in their homeland. The filmmakers have coll
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EDITORIAL REVIEWS |
Product Description
Heavy Metal in Baghdad is a documentary feature film that follows the Iraqi heavy metal band Acrassicauda (Latin for a deadly black scorpion native to Iraq) from the fall of Saddam Hussein to their escape from Iraq. The band members - Firas (bass), Tony (lead guitar), Marwan (drums) and Faisal (lead vocals and rhythm guitar) - were bred on American heavy metal albums, learning to speak English by listening to Slayer, Metallica and Slipknot. Playing heavy metal in a Muslim country has always been a difficult (if not impossible) proposition, but, after Saddam s regime was toppled, there was a brief moment for the band in which real freedom seemed possible. That hope was quickly dashed as their country fell into a bloody insurgency. Bonus Features include: 45 Minute Featurette: HEAVY METAL IN ISTANBUL - the documentary that picks up where Heavy Metal in Baghdad left off 7 Additional & Deleted Scenes: 30 minutes of extra content including extended interviews with the band plus a meeting with the Iraqi Godfather in Syria 3 Live Performances: Acrassicauda Live! - Original Acrassicauda songs Underworld;King Without A Throne; Message From Baghdad performed in 2006 & 2008 8 Page Booklet: including the original Vice magazine article No War For Heavy Metal Theatrical Trailer |
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 15 reviews)
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Can you handle the truth? by Irfan A. Alvi (Towson, MD USA)  5 Stars
November 22, 2009
Let me start by disclosing that I know one of the directors. In fact, that's how I found out about this documentary, and I watched it because I was curious to see what he came up with. Suroosh, job well done!
To be clear, this documentary is only superficially about heavy metal or the struggles of a band trying to make it. It's really about the everyday consequences that Iraqi citizens face as a result of American occupation of their country (by the way, where are those WMDs again?). And more personally, it's about the struggles young adults face when they're caught between cultures and when their aspirations are constantly undermined by forces over which they have essentially no influence.
This is all illustrated by focusing on a group of young Iraqi men who happen to acquire a love for heavy metal, so they become musicians and try to get a viable band going in Iraq. Their affinity to heavy metal gives them a tie to American culture, but they still see themselves as fundamentally Iraqi, so they surely experience ambivalance about their cultural identity. And as their story unfolds, we find that, like a combination of Sisyphus and Tantalus, they're compelled to perpetually struggle to see their dream come to fruition, but chaotic and dangerous social, economic, and political circumstances always seem to conspire to keep it out of reach.
Yet, despite all this adversity, they maintain a sense of hope, and we're inspired by it. In this, we see another way that they reflect a characteristically American attitude. But at the very end of the documentary, their bitterness about American occupation and the devastation it has wreaked for their country comes out, with their despair becoming painfully palpable. The hope we shared with them is thus dashed, and the documentary ends on this depressing but real note.
Like I said, can you handle the truth? If so, or if you want to try (and have an open mind and at least a sliver of empathy), this documentary offers a uniquely useful window into the true consequences of war and oppression in the everyday lives of ordinary people.
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Not great but interesting by N. Perz (St. Louis)  3 Stars
August 11, 2009
OK, this isn't the best-done "documentary" I've ever seen but it was kind of interesting. There was surprisingly little music in a video about a band (and, from what I can tell, they're not all that good anyway). Still, it was a compelling story; you gotta respect guys who go so far and risk so much to live the dream. At one point, the place where they practiced got hit by a missle and they lost all their gear--how FUBAR is that. Headbanging can get you arrested (or killed)? That's nuts.
From what I understand, they live in New Jersey now and are in the studio working on an album. (I doubt it will be very good but I'll buy it anyway out of curiousity). Actually, the most interesting part of the film was the footage from them just driving around Baghdad; it was wierd to see a non-CNN perspective of the city...
Like I said, HMiB ins't great but I'd recommend in anyway.
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Heavy-handed in Brooklyn. by Robert P. Beveridge (Cleveland, OH) 3 Stars
July 28, 2009
Heavy Metal in Baghdad (Eddy Moretti and Suroosh Alvi, 2007)
For the last five years or thereabouts, Acrassicauda has been the name on the lips of many who keep their ear to the metal underground. Not necessarily because of their relative talent (though the footage here will likely convince you of their talent), but because Acrassicauda are the only metal band to ever emerge from Iraq. In 2007, the guys who run Brooklyn-based Vice magazine, who had been following the Acrassicauda story, released Heavy Metal in Baghdad, an indie doco about the band and the filmmakers' sometimes unsuccessful attempts to get to them--to their shows, to appointments for interviews, the lot. Publicity exploded, and wheels that had been stuck during the entire making of the film got greased. Acrassicauda (who, as we last see them here, are spinning their wheels in Syria) got themselves visas first to Turkey, and then to the U.S., where they now reside. (No jokes about the similarities between Iraq and north Jersey, please.)
While the film does manage to do what it set out to do, get publicity for the band and its story, when looked at as a film (as it must be now that that purpose has been accomplished), it does miss the mark in a number of ways. The biggest is exemplified by the final scene, during which the guys show the band a rough cut of the movie thus far; one of the band members blows up, going on a rant about how we in the west can turn the channel whenever we want, but this is their daily life. He's absolutely right, of course, but in every case we've gotten that feeling during this film, it's been related to us. Ever heard the expression "show, don't tell?" (It should be well-known to metal fans, at least, being the title of a hit by Rush.) This movie doesn't even try, and it's much the worse for that.
Balancing this is the concert footage, which is most likely the only extant footage of the band taken between 2004 and 2006, and is thus invaluable (especially of they end up getting big). Ever watch a movie like Get Thrashed! and wish that you had, say, footage of Exodus and Metallica in their first practice sessions in the very early eighties? That's what you're getting here in Acrassicauda flavor, and it's just plain awesome. You can trace the band's development over the years this movie was filmed, which is extremely cool, and when they're talking music, they know their stuff.
Put it all together and it's an odd mix that ends up working, albeit barely. Worth checking out, especially if you've heard of the band but haven't found anything out about them yet. ** ½
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An Eye-Opening Account Of What It Means To Be Free by Mike (Here and There) 5 Stars
June 12, 2009
Synopsis: Vice Magazine Co-founder Suroosh Alvi goes to Baghdad, Iraq to check out Acrassicauda, which holds the distinction of being the first heavy metal band in Iraq; playing metal in the vein of Slayer, Metallica, and Mayhem. The beginning of the documentary starts off in 2003, nearly immediately after invasion in Iraq. Though the band faces certain dangers (with the surrounding violence due to the war, along with the persecution they face for playing Western-style metal), they're relatively able to perform a show that was well received. The documentary catches up with them again in 2006, where the violence was at it's all-time worst. The band goes through separation, the surrounding violence and the effects on them and their families, as well as going through the destruction of their practice space and equipment. Will these guys get out of Iraq? And if so, will they be able to live in peace?**
First off, if I ever saw these guys, I'd be compelled to give them a hug. This story struck me on a deep and personal level. My friends and I had to move because of the economy in order to support our art. These guys had to move to survive and to finally be able to express their art. But there never was a lineup change; every one of them stood by each other and supported each other no matter how terrible things were.
But while the filmmakers are critical of the U.S. involvement in Iraq, these guys weren't very political about it; they just wanted to be free. They just wanted to be able to do everything that we sometimes take for granted in the Western Culture. Count your blessings that you were able to go see your friends today without fear of being gunned down. Be glad you're able to express who you are freely; you don't always get that everywhere in the world. At the end of the film, you're left hoping for the best for the band, their families, and their future endeavors.
** Side note and possible spoiler alert. Though it wasn't covered in the documentary, all four band members managed to move to the United States by February 2009. They're working ton a new recording now that they're stateside. They're also taking on the actual metal look now that they're free to grow their hair long now and I think that absolutely rules! I couldn't be happier and I hope living the U.S. works out for them. **
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A first-rate documentary...with METAL! by trashcanman (Hanford, CA United States) 5 Stars
April 20, 2009
"Heavy Metal in Baghdad" chronicles a mere three years of the existence of Iraq's only heavy metal band, Acrassicauda (latin for Black Scorpion). It's an eventful three years. The band endured a war, a gunshot wound, gigs played with intermittent electricity, and a destroyed practice space before fleeing their country and learning a lot about the world and the true meaning of metal in the process. And you too will learn more about real musicians and Iraq in this 90 minutes then in 100 years of 24-7 coverage on any mainstream news channel. This is documentary filmmaking at it's very best.
The band began under the rule of Saddam Hussein, whose thugs told them that they could only perform if they wrote and played a tribute song for Hussein in person. Yes, that man really was that full of himself. The band derisively recounts that the tune itself wasn't bad but the lyrics praising the dictator by name were "just a bunch of [...] lies and sh!+". Note that the members of the band "perfected" their English by listening to Slayer albums. But even in this hardcore Islamist climate where wearing a Slipknot shirt is reason enough to be shot on sight, people hunger for the raw energy and catharsis that only heavy metal can provide. The drummer has to fill his instrument with clothing to keep the noise down, and any expression of an art form viewed as evil and American risks their lives, but these people do it anyways. The crowds bang their heads even though they are chastised for it's resemblance to Jewish prayer, they mosh politely on their knees so that they don't obscure the view to the tiny stage, they don Sepultera and Megadeth shirts; like you and me they live for this. The difference between there and here is, they sometimes die for it. Western metal bands sing about death. These guys live it.
One member of Acrassicauda recalls being shot as he drove down the street following America's "Mission Accomplished". With 300 civilian deaths daily, the young man asks if this is our democracy and freedom. "[...] this democracy", he states matter of factly. Looking at his bombed-out neighborhood, it's hard to argue. When the band's practice space is hit by a rocket and destroyed along with their instruments after the extreme pains they took to put together a mere 6 shows in 5 years as the only metal band in Iraq, it's even harder. In a city where the only music store was driven out of business because of death threats, vigilante Islamist militias disguise themselves as the police, and neighbors and friends don't see each other for months because going out in the street is not a risk they are willing to take, it's DAMN hard to feel good about Bush's brand of democracy. Particularly when the media continues to report how pleased the Iraqi citizens are with their new overlords. Acrassicauda's bassist delivers a firey lecture on just how far the news coverage has been from reality. Lots of f-bombs are dropped. He also points out that the whole jihad thing is a myth propagated by the media. The truth: almost all Muslims are indistinguishable from anybody else walking down the street in any city in the world. Seeing real footage of real people in Baghdad, you'd never think it was the same place portrayed in our media.
"Heavy Metal in Baghdad" is a true reality check for both music fans and people who think they can know a damn thing about the world from watching the news. When a bandmember holds up an Iron Maiden album cover and declares "this is what life looks like here", he laughs but he's not joking. Armored humvees fill the streets, Apache helicopters fly by, they can tell which explosions are missiles and which are car bombs. This is real life to these people. When Acrassicauda's formerly non-political singer directs his anger at the audience and accuses that this is the stuff we turn off when it comes on our television, I saw a man who'd grown up a lot. He had previously declared that the band was not political and that he would change the channel when that stuff came on. But three years of watching your country die and being forced to flee to Syria where he was not allowed to travel freely simply because of his nationality taught him a lesson. Life is not fair, and we have no right to treat people as second-class world citizens simply because they were born in the wrong geographical area. The previously non-political band records the first heavy metal album ever in the world's oldest city, Damascus. Among the songs is a bitter, heartfelt view of the war that took his country from him. Now he truly gets what metal is all about.
The band's reunion performance in Damascus is fantastic to watch unfold. At first, a very few people show up and the band declares to the cameras that this will be Acrassicauda's final show. Risking your life to play this music just is not worth it if nobody even shows up to your gigs. The band timidly opens with an 80's hair band cheese classic, having decided that they would stick to covers and try not to frighten away the small crowd they did have. More people show up. The band breaks in something a little heavier: a little Guns n' Roses. The crowd continues growing in both size and excitement. Acrassicauda breaks into Metallica's "Fade to Black". The audience explodes. Soon, the group's ultra-heavy original material is whipping the crowd into a frenzy; guess they won't be breaking up after all. The simple fact is that music is a universal language. Contrary to whatever regime is in power or what the social norms of a region are, there will always be an audience for true, passionate music that speaks to our deepest feelings. It is a global phenomenon and it cannot be suppressed.
"Heavy Metal in Baghdad" speaks to the viewer on many levels and does an amazing job of educating without ever talking down to the audience. It shows us reality when all we get on television is propaganda and lies. It shows us what it really means to have a passion for music; even if it invites your own death. When asked why he would even take the risk of wearing a metal t-shirt, the musician simply states that he believes in his fate whatever it may be and he's ready to die if necessary. How many top-40 fans would say such a thing? Every emo kid who spends more time on his hair then practicing his instrument, every hardcore wannabe who screams venom at the parents who paid for his instruments, every trendchaser looking to make it big because you want to be rich and famous: take a good hard look. Acrassicauda is everything a true band or artist should strive to be. The worst thing that will ever happen in your life is better then these guys' best day and they still carry on doing what they love ONLY because they love doing it. If only we could all have that kind of integrity of character.
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