Collector’s Edition Blu-ray packed with extras and exclusive slipcase art and folded poster. After a freak accident, a disturbed priest is transformed into a mutated killing machine on a mission to destroy any and all fans of heavy metal music. It’s up to two reluctant metalheads to send this holy monster straight back to hell.
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Video Quality
Death To Metal debuts on Blu-Ray with a spectacular 1080p presentation in its original aspect ratio from a high definition master that captures the film incredibly well. Despite being fairly low budget, it never fails to impress with how sleek the film looks even with the occasional variances in aesthetics from the different locations. The bright whites do not show off any instances of blooming, and black levels hold up nicely with no crush on display. Objects hold up well in the shadows and retain their outlines. The project has a bold color palette that pops off the screen under certain conditions while showing off an impressive amount of detail and clarity. There may be a hint of slight banding in certain shots, but it is not pervasive throughout. The special effects are executed well considering the limited budget they had to pull it off. Overall, this is a really solid disc that showcases the work well. This presentation is definitely a winner from Wild Eye Releasing.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray disc comes with lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 tracks instead of lossless DTS tracks, which is a bit of a disappointment. While the movie does not sound terrible, there is no doubt it is somewhat hamstrung by the audio limitations. This is a film completely dedicated to the power of metal and its impact on the world, and to not have these tunes blasting through our body with pristine sounds is a misstep. The environmental effects are distinguished nicely with some squishy sounds and ambient noises on display. The dialogue holds up quite nicely, coming though clearly without being stepped on by the music or sound effects. The music may lack a bit of raw power, but it maintains a strong fidelity and comes through the room purposefully. While things could be better, this is a good enough effort. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are provided on this disc.
Special Features
- Behind The Scenes Video: A six-minute collection of videos which seem to be shot for social media in which you get glimpses of various moments from the production including the loading in of props, birthday celebrations and more.
- Death To Metal Drinking Game: A nearly four-minute virtual festival introduction from Tim Connery in which he explains the rules of the “Seven Deadly Sins” drinking game.
- Music Video: Grandma Incinerator – “End Of The Elderly”: The four-minute lyric video is included here.
- Indiegogo Fundraising Videos: A 22-minute collection of videos from Tim Connery and friends which playfully pleads for people to pledge money to help this film get made. There are some really creative moments within this which fans should appreciate.
- Behind The Scenes Image Gallery: A collection of images from the production of the film back by some heavy metal music.
- Trailers: A minute-long trailer is provided here.
Final Thoughts
Death To Metal is a testament to weird and wild independent filmmaking that does not have to answer to corporate overlords. Yes, the performances are more than a bit cheesy and not believable in any sense of the word. Yet, you have to admire the commitment to bad taste and outrageous imagery. The spirit of metal is alive in the creative team, and it smooths over some of the rougher elements of the low budget production. The film will not be for all (or even most) tastes, but those who do vibe with it will have a blast. Wild Eye Releasing has released a Blu-Ray that has a mostly good A/V presentation and some fun special features. If you appreciate a gritty, bad-but-fun independent feature, check this one out.
Death To Metal is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Wild Eye Releasing has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.