Blackhearts is a fascinating documentary film on a seldom-covered sub-genre of heavy metal – black metal. The shaggy, unloved dog of the rock ‘n’ roll world, heavy metal gets little love from critics, but over the decades the genre has built up a dedicated following of loyal fans. Birthed in Europe during the early ‘80s by bands like England’s Venom, Sweden’s Bathory, and Denmark’s Mercyful Fate, the aggressive sound of black metal found sympathetic ears with Norwegian fans, and the northern tundra soon became home to its very own brand of influential dark-hued heavy metal.
Differing from most music documentaries, Blackhearts tells the tale of three hardcore black metal fans from three very different parts of the world – Sina, Hector, and Kaiadas. The three young men journey to Norway, the home of their fascination; the film captures the three fans’ personal stories as they risk death or imprisonment to follow their dream. Sina is the only active black metal artist in the Moslem country of Iran, which carries severe risks, while Hector…a practicing Satanist…puts together a satanic ritual to help his cause. Kaiadas represents the far-right Golden Dawn political party in the Greek Parliament and fronts black metal band Naer Mataron; he is also facing a lengthy prison term after being arrested for association with a criminal organization.
Blackhearts still features a lot of black metal, including music by bands like Burzum, Gorgoroth, Naer Mataron, Luciferian, and others. The film’s unique perspective on the music has earned it widespread critical acclaim, including the “Best International Documentary” award at the 2016 Sound On Screen Film Festival. Blackhearts will be released on DVD, digitally, and on VOD on April 11th, 2017 by our friends at MVD Entertainment. Aside from the film itself, the DVD also includes bonus material like White Metal Ministry, a short documentary on Christian black metal, and interviews with Nocturno Culto of Darkthrone and Obsidian C of Keep of Kalessin.
Buy the DVD from Amazon.com: Blackhearts
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