Well, the holy grail for Saxon fans is once again available, with a proper release. Yes, the once unattainable Heavy Metal Thunder (The Movie) is once again available for consumption. The release came via Cool Head Productions, a few years back, and was basically just a BBC documentary on the band. Cool Head got Saxon's blessing to release it, but the band had no real control over the initial release. The initial release was put out in limited quantities, I believe, to gauge how well it would do. The movie quickly sold out on the Cool Head website, which made it virtually impossible to find. Fast forward a few years, and now the DVD is readily available again. Hallelujah!
Heavy Metal Thunder is a well done biography on one of the founders of The New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. The movie is similar to the Sam Dunn style of film making, but not quite as good. Don't get me wrong, this thing is awesome, but had Sam done this, it might have been incredible. The movie mixes in interview footage of the band, past and present, as well as some choice concert footage. I really enjoyed how in depth that the film dug in to the history of the band. It was interesting to hear the back stories of former members Graham Oliver and Steve Dawson, and what led to their exits from the band. HMT is a must for Saxon fans. It is packaged in a 2 disc set that includes the movie on 1 disc and a ton of extras on the other. The 2nd disc is especially nice, because it includes a full show from the band in 2008 as well as some additional footage including praise from their peers. All in all a solid watch. Go get it, before it sells out again.
Bottom Line: A well done documentary of one of the founders of the NWOBHM movement. Nice to see the band finally getting their due. A great story about one of the most underrated bands in heavy metal history.
-Ragman thinks he hit the lotto. He has been waiting for this film for years!