Actually the Power Metal show is the funniest one of the bunch. For those of us in the United States who are probably (like Dunn) not very familiar with this strain, think of (the band) Europe’s “The Final Countdown.” He goes to a Power Metal festival somewhere in Europe (the continent) where this stuff is a big deal. All the groups seem to be big muscle-bound guys dressed up like Thor, and playing the most god-awful dreck imaginable. Frightening.
I like the fact that he has gone all the way with this though, even if for all intents and purposes most of what passes for metal since the early '90s does not really qualify in my book. Still, when do you cut it off? Was Metallica’s black album the biggest metal record of all time, or the end of the genre? To his credit, Dunn takes no sides, although his credibility as a die-hard fan is never in question.
One thing is certain, the willingness of artists to participate in this series is impressive. Over the course of the 11-episodes he interviews over 300 people, be they artists, journalists, managers, or what have you - which allows for a very broad range of opinions on the various topics. Metal Evolution originally aired on VH1 Classic in winter 2011, and has just been released as a three-DVD set. The lone bonus feature is an interview with Dunn on the program That Metal Show with Eddie Trunk.
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