THE BEAST

“Murder In The Front Row: The San Francisco Bay Area Thrash Metal Story”  will premiere on Saturday, April 20 at AMC Kabuki 8 in San Francisco, California at 1 p.m. Directed by  Adam Dubin  ( BEASTIE BOYS ‘  “Fight For Your Right to Party” ,  “No Sleep ’til Brooklyn” ), the film contains over fifty interviews with various metal stalwarts, (including  METALLICA ,  MEGADETH ,  SLAYER ,  ANTH RAX ,  EXODUS ,  TESTAMENT  and  DEATH ANGEL ), telling its tall tales through a mix of first-person interviews, animation and narration by comedian  Brian Posehn .

“These are just good stories, and they are very human stories,” says  Dubin . Narratively,  ‘Murder In The Front Row’  follows the story of a group of young kids in Northern California with a shared passion for heavy rock bands like  UFO ,  IRON MAIDEN  and  MOTÖRHEAD . “All these bands were mainly from England, and they never really toured the West Coast,” says  Dubin . “So these young people started creating their own music, starting their own fanzines, booking clubs and trading tapes. These were people who were adamant about music and the bands, but also each other.”

The documentary is loosely based on a 2012 photo journal of the same name by  Harald Oimoen  and  Brian Lew . “What I loved about the book is that it wasn’t just about  METALLICA ,” says  Dubin . “It was documenting a vibrant scene, where all the bands were equal and there was real camaraderie. The photos captured the sweat of the clubs, the ringing in your ears and the power of young people.  Harald  and  Brian  captured the humanity of it, and they understood that I was somebody who could bring that out in a film.”

Another strength of the film is shedding light on bands who never hit the heights of  METALLICA but certainly cast a wide influence — thrash forefathers  EXODUS  in particular. “There’s a ‘Big Four’ of metal that should really be a ‘Big Five’ and include  EXODUS ,” says  Dubin . “I particularly think the movie will inspire viewers to re-evaluate the contributions of  Kirk Hammett , who founded  EXODUS  in the Bay Area three years before  METALLICA  came to town.  Kirk  was the central mover who put the band together, guided the music and found frontman wild man  Paul Baloff .”

That said, the film isn’t bogged down by music minutiae.  Dubin , who’s directed comedy specials for the likes of  Lewis Black  and  Jim Breuer , brings a lightness to the proceedings. “There are lot of similarities between music and comedy; comedy has a musical timing and a rhythm,” he says. “And there are a lot of laughs in this movie. I leaned into that. This isn’t  ‘Some Kind Of Monster’  — I wasn’t looking for drama.” (One story in particular to watch: A  Bill Graham scolding of  James Hetfield  after a 1985 dressing room trashing.)

The film premiere will be followed by a performance from  METAL ALLEGIANCE , the final stop on their fifth-anniversary tour.  METAL ALLEGIANCE  is  Alex Skolnick  ( TESTAMENT ),  Mike Portnoy  ( DREAM THEATER ),  David Ellefson  ( MEGADETH ) and  Mark Menghi  along with a multitude of metal legends, playing sets that mix in original songs with classic covers. The performance on Saturday, April 20 at The Fillmore will also feature  Gary Holt  of  EXODUS / SLAYER  and other very special guests.

On a personal level,  Dubin  thinks  “Murder In The Front Row”  serves as a natural evolution for him as a filmmaker and storyteller. “If there’s one theme that runs through all my work, from the  BEASTIE BOYS  to  METALLICA  to  ‘Murder In The First Row’ , it’s all an attempt to reveal a central truth of rock ‘n’ roll,” he says. Via Blabbermouth