Get Thrashed

As a huge fan of Thrash Metal, I can definitely say that "Get Thrashed," represents the genre very well. Most of the time I feel like this sub-genre of Metal is often glossed over in a lot of documentaries, or they will mostly just focus on Metallica or Slayer. But "Get Thrashed," goes beyond the usual crap. It analyzes the culture, the fans, the impact, as well as the music itself without ever seeming too preachy or self indulgent. It helps that the majority of people interviewed are the people who played a big part in it, cause often these documentaries will have maybe a few of the key players then a bunch of journalists. Personally when I want to be informed on something I want to go to the source itself, rather than get someone's testimonial. My only real flaw with it is that it does meander a bit, otherwise it's great.

This was a pretty good documentary. I did however watch it very soon on the back of watching the thrash metal episode of the 'Metal Evolution' series. Comparing the two of them, they both cover similar ground about the beginnings of Metallica and Bay Area thrash, and the rise of the "Big Four".

This documentary differed in that it showed commentary from other lesser-known bands like Overkill and Hirax, that it had some small coverage about the European scene, including interviews with Kreator and Sodom, and that it had some coverage of the "crossover" scene. This and the fact it had some interesting historical footage and photos would be the good points about this documentary.

The problem with this documentary was the preponderance of interviews with people from 90s metal bands like Slipknot, and various journalists and DJs who I would wager were still in kindergarten when thrash was happening. This seemed unnecessary. I did not care for these people's opinions.

Get Thrashed basically serves as a guide to thrash metal. It's a true 'who's who' film that explains in great detail the up and comings of many thrash bands that still exist today. From start to finish it's a fun ride packed with interviews from artists (including Lars Ulrich, Dave Mustaine, Corey Taylor, Lamb of God, Killswitch Engage, Testament, Kreator), DJs, fans, and more.

It begins with a long look at the explosion of thrash metal from L.A. and San Francisco, and gradually progresses to other North American scenes including New York and New Jersey. We hear about the madness of early Exodus shows, the technicality of Megadeth, the blast-beats of Anthrax, and of course the early days of Metallica. We also get a glimpse at the lifestyle of the thrash movement. Everything from touring, playing shows, the fans, and even death is covered here. We learn that thrash metal truly was raw, gritty, and true to its fans.

If you have any interest at all in metal, I would really consider picking this up. It's a detailed guide into a movement which influenced almost all metal bands that exist today. The film is a non-stop riff-shredding feast of music and early footage of kick-ass bands.

Informative to a certain point, had some fun moments, but indeed not living up to the title. Europe gets very few attention and some American bands get way to much attention. Some trash bands got hyped over the top in their own country, but couldn't live up to the hype. See for instance Overkill in the US and UK bands like Acid Reign... Don't hate me for this, they did some nice things, but overall I'm just telling facts. If you really love the music, it's often hard to stay objective. I think this happened here. So be it. I'm happy I finally saw some new footage from bands like Kreator, Death Angel, etc... Maybe I'm spoiled with documentaries like "Metal: A Headbanger's Journey", or "American Hardcore" (that does live up to the title), but I was a little disappointed...

"Get Thrashed" does an excellent job detailing the history of thrash and other offshoots of metal up to the time of its release in 2006. Generally speaking, thrash combined the double bass drumming and complex guitar riffing of NWOBHM bands (including Priest and Maiden) and fused it with the aggression and speed of punk/hardcore along with the technicality of prog bands. The documentary relays all of this in a very energetic fashion, including references to the most prominent bands, along with myriad commentators.

"The Big Four" are, of course, noted at length, but myriad "second tier" bands are acknowledged, like Overkill, Death Angel, Forbidden, Sepultura, Hirax, Kreator, Sodom and Anvil. Hardcore bands are also recognized, like Cro-Mags, as well as the later bands that were heavily influenced by thrash. Of course, there are some omissions, such as Bathory (especially HAMMERHEART, not that early drek), but what's packed-in here is very impressive and entertaining.

Sepultura is fittingly acknowledged and I'm glad that the Derrick Green/Andreas Kisser form of the band is interviewed twice because this is easily the best version of the group, as observed in excellent albums like NATION, A-LEX and MACHINE MESSIAH, et al.

The original drummer of Overkill, Rat Skates (who had a LOT to do with establishing the band up through their first two albums) was heavily involved in the behind-the-scenes production. Meanwhile singer Bobby Blitz Ellsworth appears frequently as a commentator. The original guitarist of their first four albums, Bobby Gustafson, also appears. (I, incidentally, thought Overkill improved after those albums, with excellent releases like THE KILLING KIND, FROM THE UNDERGROUND AND BELOW and KILLBOX 13, even I HEAR BLACK and WFO).

You'll hear a relatively unknown song a couple of times with a chorus that goes "Thrash, thrash, thrash... Thrill, thrill, thrill... Mosh, mosh, mosh." This is by the obscure Swedish band The Law and the song is called "Anthem" (with a 1.5 minutes intro called "Lawman & the Law"). You can hear it on Youtube, if interested. The band independently released the song in 2004 and 2006, which explains how it was available for this 2006 documentary. They included it on their only 2008 full-length album and that's the last anyone's heard of the band, except for two singles in 2010.

The film runs 1 hour, 40 minutes.

GRADE: A.