'Murder In The Front Row' Trailer: San Francisco's Thrash Metal Scene Gets Examined In New Music Doc

For the uninitiated, the world of metal can be intimidating. A subgenre of rock music itself, metal also has various other subgenres, which might sound similar to certain people but are worlds apart to true fans. Death, Black, Sludge, Doom, and Thrash are just several of the many, many varieties of music under the umbrella of metal. One of those subgenres gets examined in the upcoming documentary, “Murder in the Front Row.”

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Thrash metal is a genre that really rose to prominence in the ‘80s San Francisco Bay Area scene, thanks to bands like Metallica, Exodus, Megadeth, and more. “Murder in the Front Row,” based on the novel of the same name, is a documentary that sheds light on this era of Thrash, by interviewing those musicians that helped shape it.

Members of Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax, Testament, Death Angel, and more are interviewed, as they discuss the highs and lows of the scene, including the violent mosh pits, the parties, and yes, the massive success that came to some of the bands.

“Murder in the Front Row” premieres on April 20 in San Francisco, with a larger release presumably coming after.

Here’s the synopsis:

Murder In The Front Row: The San Francisco Bay Area Thrash Metal Story. In the early 1980s, a small group of dedicated Bay Area headbangers shunned the hard rock of MTV and Hollywood hairspray bands in favor of a more dangerous brand of metal that became known as thrash! From the tape trading network to the clubs to the record stores and fanzines, director Adam Dubin reveals how the scene nurtured the music and the music spawned a movement. Murder In The Front Row is told through powerful first-person testimony and stunning animation and photography. The film is a social study of a group of young people defying the odds and building something essential for themselves. Featuring interviews with Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax, Exodus, Testament, Death Angel, Possessed and many more! Narrated by Brian Posehn.