Metallica

The story of the making of this remarkable album is told here via exclusive interviews with band members James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Jason Newsted, archive footage and performance, and contributions from producer Bob Rock. Featuring the five singles from the album, Enter Sandman, Sad But True, "The Unforgiven", "Wherever I May Roam" and "Nothing Else Matters", this is the compelling story of one of the biggest selling albums of all time, a true Classic Album.

"The making and continued influence of Metallica's commercial breakthrough (known simply as "the Black Album") is entertainingly recounted in this must for Metallica fanatics, especially those who are interested in the recording of one of hard rock's most sonically breathtaking albums. Drummer Lars Ulrich, singer James Hetfield, and producer Bob Rock take up the lion's share of the interviews, and their reminiscences a decade after the fact include many juicy tidbits (like Ulrich and Rock loathing each other by the time the recording was finished, or that the final mix was nearly ruined by a digital clicking sound on the master tape--luckily, a successful remastering was done). The Dolby 2.0 Stereo sound is appropriately pummeling, even if we are treated to mere excerpts from the songs, videos, and even some of the original demos. Classic Albums: Metallica adroitly summarizes a pivotal moment in hard rock history."

No bells, no whistles...just straight-ahead bludgeoning metal. Playing a vintage style of thrash and groove, Five Finger Death Punch have been pummelling audiences since their inception in 2005. During this 2009 performance at The Metro Theatre, in Sydney, Australia, see why Metal Edge calls Five Finger Death Punch “the sound of violent exhilaration, giving contemporary metal a belligerent shove in an exciting direction.”

When we last saw Stone Sour, the triple-Grammy nominated group was playing sold-out shows around the planet in support of 2006s critically acclaimed Come What(ever) May, a sonic blockbuster that entered Billboards Top 200 Album Chart at No. 4 and went on to sell more than a half-million copies on the strength of three radio hits, including the No. 1 smash single, "Through Glass. Billboard hailed the record as an intense, taut piece of work, Alternative Press called the group masters of ass-kicking, adding, In a better America, Stone Sour would be the face of American rock, and Revolver magazine gave the disc four stars and praised the quintet for demonstrating a dynamic range equaled by few of their peers.

American nu metal heroes Godsmack are taking over the stage at the White River Amphitheatre in Auburn Washington. Completed in 2003, the 98-acre project cost more than $30 million and hosts musical events under an acoustically treated metal roof; it features two 30-by-40-foot video screens on either side of the stage. The band performs hit songs as “Locked and Loaded,” “Keep Away,” “Out of Line,” “Generation Day,” “Cryin' Like a Bitch, ” and many more. Sully Erna's singing style has been stated as "the snarl of James Hetfield", and "composed of dark harmony that sounds a lot like Alice in Chains". Merrill's bass style has been described as "bulldozer bottom with occasional slap-bass reverb". Larkin's drumming is thought to "worship at the twin altars of Neil Peart and John Bonham". And Rombola's guitar playing style has been praised as "guitars that sound like percussion instruments".

Thrash-metal band Lamb of God’s Killadelphia features a set recorded at The Trocadero in 2004 in support of Ashes Of The Wake, along with great candid footage of the group at work and at play, for an exciting all-access portrait.

First coming to prominence as Ozzy Osbourne’s guitarist (a role he still fulfils) Zakk Wylde has now established both his solo credentials and those of his band Black Label Society with a succession of highly acclaimed guitar-driven rock albums. Recorded at Harpo’s in Detroit in September 2002, Boozed, Broozed & Broken Boned sees Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society storm through a set of hard-hitting material with Zakk unleashing his incomparable guitar magic. Stand out tracks include Stronger Than Death and Bleed For Me.

In spring 2005, Mötley Crüe embarked on their first world tour in more than six years, the outrageous and globally successful Red, White and Crüe Tour. Infamous for their visually and intensely live stage shows, Carnival of Sins captures original Crüe members Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx, Mick Mars and Tommy Lee in a stage show that sets a new standard for music BDs. Carnival of Sins is a "circus gone bad" concept spectacular taking place under a huge circus tent stage set with pyrotechnics that are excessive, a fire-breathing midget, seductive aerialists and demonic clowns that will keep you roaring for more.

In November 2014 KISS brought their legendary live show to The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino for a Las Vegas residency. KISS Rocks Vegas captures the event in all its pyrotechnical glory as the band power through hit after hit in front of the adoring KISS Army. Nobody delivers a live concert spectacle like KISS and this concert film finds them in peak form.

Deep Purples Machine Head is one of the definitive rock albums of the 70s. Recorded in 1972 it features the classic Deep Purple line up of Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord and Ian Paice at the very peak of their creative powers and became their most commercially successful album worldwide.The story of the albums creation, in the rooms and corridors of the Grand Hotel in Montreux following a fire which burnt down the Casino where they were planning to record, was immortalized in their all time classic track Smoke On The Water.This latest addition to the Classic Albums series features exclusive interviews with all the members of the band plus Martin Birch, the albums engineer, and renowned rock journalist Chris Welch. Alongside the interviews there is archive footage of the band performing tracks from the album in concert. Bonus features include very rare American footage of the band performing Smoke On The Water and the original 1972 promo film for Never Before.

Def Leppard is a British hard rock band formed in 1977. The success of their albums Pyromania and Hysteria, promoted by the singles Photograph and Pour Some Sugar on Me, made the band one of rock's best-sellers in the 80s. In this episode of the CLASSIC ALBUMS series, the surviving members of Def Leppard discuss the making of "Hysteria" as they sort through and explain the original multi-track tapes. In addition, some impromptu acoustic performances and musical demonstrations further dissect this classic album.

New York thrash quartet Overkill was formed in 1984 by vocalist Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth and guitarist Bobby Gustafson, also including bassist D.D. Verni and drummer Sid Falck. The band garnered a reputation for brutal, pounding speed and technique, but lacked the musical diversity to compete with heavy hitters like Metallica; still, they built up a strong following in the metal underground with albums like 1985's Taking Over and 1988's Under the Influence.

Volbeat is a heavy metal band from Denmark, founded in 2001. They released their first album, The Strength/The Sound/The Songs, in 2005 and the follow up, Rock the Rebel/Metal the Devil, was released in Denmark on February 19, 2007, and in the rest of Europe on February 26, 2007. In March 2007, it topped the Danish album chart as the best selling album, the first metal album ever to do so.

The second album by Black Sabbath, released in 1970, has long attained classic status. Paranoid not only changed the face of rock music, but also defined the sound and style of heavy metal more than any other record in rock history. The result of a magic chemistry which had been discovered between four English musicians, it put Black Sabbath firmly on the road to world domination.

This programme tells the story behind the writing, recording and success of the album. Despite vilification from the Christian and moral right and all the harsh criticism that the music press could hurl at them, Paranoid catapulted Sabbath into the rock stratosphere.

Using exclusive interviews, musical demonstration, archive footage and a return to the multi-tracks with engineer Tom Allom, the film reveals how Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward created their frighteningly dark, heavy and ear-shatteringly loud sound.

Additional comments from Phil Alexander (MOJO & Kerrang! editor), Geoff Barton (Classic Rock editor), Henry Rollins (writer/musician) and Jim Simpson (original manager) add insight to the creation of this all-time classic.

"Live In London" is the documentation of a dream that long-time die-hard Testament fans have been waiting for: the reuniting of the bands "classic" lineup. Featuring vocalist Chuck Billy, guitar virtuosos Eric Peterson and Alex Skolnick, bassist Greg Christian, and original drummer Louie Clemente (along with Testament & White Zombie alumnus John Tempesta as a second drummer), the band rips through classic Testament fan favorites in this show, shot in London earlier in 2005.
Among the leaders of heavy metal over the past twenty years, Testament have always provided the rock solid proof that great song writing, regardless of genre, will always transcend time. Their crucial contributions to the early thrash metal surge of the mid to late 1980s helped to develop a sound that forever changed the face of heavy music and resonates just as loudly today. With all of their Bay Area peers either calling it a day or drastically altering their sound, Testament has remained a worldwide metal ambassador throughout the 1990s and into the new century.

Ozzy Osbourne is one of the most iconic figures in rock and one of the founding fathers of heavy metal, however to many his “Madman” persona has overshadowed his considerable musical achievements. “God Bless Ozzy Osbourne” tells for the first time the story of his career from the founding of Black Sabbath through to solo stardom and his wider fame beyond. These were the wild days of his prodigious drug and alcohol intake, of biting the head from a dove at a record company meeting and biting into a bat on stage but also of the tragic death of Randy Rhoads and the reality TV show The Osbournes. The film follows Ozzy’s torturous and emotionally fraught journey from excess to sobriety, which Ozzy regards as his greatest accomplishment. Featuring never before seen footage, new interviews with Ozzy himself, his brothers and sisters, his children, his bandmates in Black Sabbath and those who both inspired him and were inspired by him, this is the first film to take viewers inside the mind and psyche of this legendary figure.

In 1980, MOTORHEAD released their fourth album Ace Of Spades. Loud, fast and overwhelmingly heavy, Ace of Spades would propel MOTORHEAD into the ranks of Heavy Metal's elite and 25 years later is still considered a benchmark album in its genre. MOTORHEAD - Ace Of Spades Classic Album sees Lemmy, "Fast" Eddie Clarke and Philip "Philthy Animal" Taylor talk candidly about the writing and recording of the album and the goings on inside the MOTORHEAD camp at the time. Watch "Fast" Eddie as he demonstrates how the riff for Ace Of Spades came about, and see the trio (with the help of modern technology) together on the same stage once again. Also featured are exclusive interviews with the likes of Slash (Guns & Roses, Velvet Revolver), Lars Ulrich (Metallica), Dave Brock (Hawkwind), and many more. At the front of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal is MOTORHEAD. Formed in 1975 by former Hawkwind bassist Lemmy Kilmister, the band endured several lineup changes in its early years, and the revolving door lineup began again, with Lemmy continuing to be the driving force of MOTORHEAD.

“Chile On Hell” was filmed at the Teatro Caupolican in Santiago, Chile on May 10, 2013, and features Anthrax – Joey Belladonna, Scott Ian, Charlie Benante, Frank Bello and Jon Donais. The band performed an extended set that featured songs from Anthrax’s entire catalogue – all the fan-favorites including “I Am The Law,” “Indians,” “Madhouse,” “Caught In A Mosh,” “The Devil You Know,” and “I’m Alive.”

The concert film Megadeth: Countdown to Extinction Live features the heavy-metal legends performing their album Countdown to Extinction in its entirety smack dab in the middle of a ferocious set that also includes renditions of "Trust," "Peace Sells," and "Public Enemy."

Iron Maiden's 1982 breakthrough, The Number of the Beast its first with leather lunged vocalist Bruce Dickinson remains a heavy metal watershed, and this Classic Albums program reunites the major players (including producer Martin Birch) for the undoubted pleasure of longtime Maiden fans. The interviews with band members and rock journalists in the 50 minute program touch on Maiden's early career, then delve into the creation of songs that have become hard-rock classics: the title song came about from a nightmare that bassist-songwriter Steve Harris couldn't shake, "The Prisoner" was inspired by the Patrick McGoohan television series, and the hit "Run to the Hills" made the sort of political statement (about white men's savage treatment of native peoples) that then-Capitol Records exec Don Zimmermann notes most American fans couldn't have cared less about while head-banging.

Beyond being controversial Slayer is an exceptional force in music, highly praised for its trailblazing style of fast, heavy and aggressive music yet bristling with melody. The much-heralded return of Dave Lombardo to the drummer's throne will leave fans gasping for breath as he clobbers the listener on song after song.

These performances were assembled via a global search through the vaults of TV & film studios, record labels and fan archives.The result is the most thorough presentation of AC/DC's journey as a live band from their inception through the present day.

On May 26, 2012, Judas Priest wrapped up their epic "Epitaph" world tour with a storming set at London's Hammersmith Apollo. The band, having announced that this would be their final large-scale world tour, celebrated their last and possibly final show with an incredible career-spanning set list that brought down the house. In addition to performing all their classics “Breaking The Law”, “Living After Midnight” and “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming” the Priest dug deep into their catalog, performing at least one song from each of their albums, which rounded off their 23-song set list. Epitaph captures Priest’s electrifying over the top metal onslaught and is proof they are still at the top of their game after 40 years of headbanging.

Recorded on December 13th 2002 in New York City, this live performance by Dio sees them working their way through a host of hits from their back catalog, fronted as ever by the irrepressible Ronnie James Dio. Tracks include "Holy Diver," "Killing the Dragon," "Stand Up and Shout," "We Rock," and many more.

Arguably the most influential and successful European thrash metal band ever, Germany's Kreator is also by far the most enduring. Like many of their European speed metal brethren, Kreator fused Metallica's thrash innovations with Venom's proto-black metal imagery, sparked it with Motorheads balls-out velocity, and capped it off with the nihilistic outlook typical of heavy metal since the seminal days of Black Sabbath. Kreator's career also mirrored speed metal's rising and waning fortunes: building from strength to strength throughout the 1980s, only to fall on hard times in the 1990s. Now seemingly reborn in their third decade of activity, Kreator are certified worldwide superstars who still tour as widely and frequently as bands half their age -- now that's resilience.