THE BEAST

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DECIBEL MAGAZINE SPOTLIGHTS NEW DOCUMENTARY “DEATH REIGNS” AND THE CONTROVERSY SURROUNDING TENNESSEE’S METAL DEVASTATION MUSIC FEST

Jackson, TN – Decibel Magazine has published a full-length feature review of Death Reigns , the new documentary by filmmaker Randall Holt Kendrick that chronicles the pushback, pearl-clutching, politics, and cultural friction surrounding the Tennessee Metal Devastation Music Fest.

The film dives into the modern incarnation of America’s long-running “devil’s music” panic, rooted in blues history and resurfacing decades later in the Bible Belt with the arrival of an underground metal festival that refused to apologize for existing.

Originally launched in 2022 by Raven Moonla and Zach Moonshine of Metal Devastation Radio and Metal Devastation PR, the festival was immediately met with protests, online hysteria, and religious theatrics accusing the event of being demonic. Death Reigns documents the escalation, the public backlash, and the unexpected outcome: a successful festival that revitalized downtown commerce, sold 3,000 tickets, and demonstrated that heavy music builds community more than it breaks it.

Decibel noted that the festival “exists as a microcosmic event of the macrocosmic ones those normally covered in Decibel,” highlighting the connective tissue between major global metal festivals and their scrappier, underground counterparts shaping their own scenes.

The magazine also underscored the broader cultural takeaway, writing that the success of the fest was “a true case of money talking and bullshit walking,” crediting the event not only for running without incident, but for delivering a measurable financial bump for the city of Jackson and its local businesses.

In addition to its socio-cultural commentary, Death Reigns earned praise for its production values and live footage from festival performers including Casket Robbery, Summoner’s Circle, Quiescent Mantis, and more. Interview segments and storytelling threads center on how metal communities form, how scenes sustain themselves, and how underground art creates belonging for people who often have nowhere else to go.

At its core, the film argues against judging a book by its cover and makes the case that metal doesn’t destroy communities, it knits them together. As Decibel observed, festival footage of fans “from toddlers to the old and withered” sharing the stage speaks volumes to the intergenerational reach of heavy music and the ways scenes become surrogate families for those otherwise isolated or ostracized.

Death Reigns continues to screen for film festivals and metal media outlets, and additional announcements will follow regarding public streaming and distribution.

For more information, visit Metal Devastation Fest online and follow official channels for updates.

Check out the article here:
https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2026/01/08/film-review-death-reigns-shows-that-you-cant-stop-rock-and-roll-even-in-the-bible-belt/

ABOUT METAL DEVASTATION FEST
Metal Devastation Fest is an independent underground metal festival held annually in Jackson, Tennessee. Founded in 2022, the festival features national and international acts spanning extreme metal genres and is committed to strengthening the underground metal community through live music, visibility, and cultural inclusion.

ABOUT THE FILM
Death Reigns is a documentary by filmmaker Randall Holt Kendrick exploring the cultural pushback and controversy surrounding the Metal Devastation Fest, the modern echoes of the Satanic Panic, and the resilience of underground music communities in the American South.

Death Reigns is streaming on Thunderflix here