I first became involved with Canadian anthropologist and metal fiend Sam Dunn when he interviewed me for the acclaimed landmark 2005 documentary Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey. Its success led to an eleven-part series by the same production company, Banger Films, entitled Metal Evolution, which finally aired 2011, and I was lucky enough to feature in a couple of episodes of this project, which dissected metal into subgenres. Despite being the best-informed, most comprehensive treatment of heavy metal ever attempted, the series still felt a little like an unfinished project.

It was. The networks that funded the ambitious series weren’t interested in the final, twelfth episode, focusing on the extreme metal that represents the genre’s creative cutting-edge, feeling it was too potentially controversial. Yet Sam and Metal Evolution’s growing legion of fans felt this was a glaring omission, and set up a crowdsourcing campaign to fund what was now known as the ‘lost’ extreme episode. That campaign’s finally borne fruit, and the episode is now available – for further info and to check it out, click on this page here, where the show is available ABSOLUTELY FREE, as a thank you to the metal fans of the world.

I’m proud to say that I feature in this excellent production too, but don’t let that put you off as I’m in some highly distinguished company. In just under an hour, Sam crams in a comprehensive history of one of music’s most diverse and divisive realms with just enough personal perspective. It’ll undoubtedly trigger controversy and debate – as it should – this is the most turbulent and obsessive extreme of a passionate movement. Taken together with previous parts of Metal Evolution, most notably the thrash episode, the Lost episode presents the definitive look at music’s most disreputable subgenres.