Equal parts coming-of-age high school comedy and a celebration of heavy metal music, Metal Lords debuted to great fanfare on Netflix on April 8, 2022. The film follows the likes of Hunter, Kevin, and Emily, a trio of misfits who look to alter the perception of their classmates by winning a Battle of the Bands competition with their metal band Skull Flower.
As such, Metal Lords s a fertile crop of compelling, similarly-themed dramedies that celebrate friendship, outsiders, heavy metal music, the dynamic among band , and the absolute need to express oneself sonically.
Rock 'N' Roll High School - Stream On Fubo
Given its themes and setting, the first film that comes to mind while watching Metal Lords is Rock 'N' Roll High School, Joe Dante's rebellious musical ode to punk rock, hard metal, and the like. Starring the real-life Ramones, the film tracks Riff Randall (P.J. Soles) as she outwits her strict school principal out to burn all rock records on campus.
It's the energy, spirit, and anarchic rock'n'roll vibe that will have Metal Lords fans in stitches watching the droll musical comedy that celebrates outcasts, daring new forms of expression, and culminates in an awesome performance worthy of an encore in one of the best rock 'n' roll movies ever.
Detroit Rock City - Stream On Amazon Prime
Critical reviews be damned, Detroit Rock City is one of the funniest heavy metal movies on record, thanks in no small part to the electric chemistry among its four leads. The story tracks four mischievous metalheads in 1978 hellbent on driving to the motor city to watch their favorite band KISS perform live. The hilarious hijinks that ensue on the road trip with their disco rivals are pure unadulterated bliss.
As Hawk (Edward Furlong), Trip (James DeBello), Jam (Sam Huntington), and Lex (Guiseppe Andrews) pile into a Volvo and race to see their idols, they listen to a shredding soundtrack, skirt the law, and reinforce the anarchy of the music they love just as Skull Flower does.
School Of Rock - Stream On Amazon Prime
If one applied the basic premise of Metal Lords to junior high instead of high school, the PG-13 result would almost certainly be School of Rock, Richard Linklater's rousing crowd-pleaser with a huge heart and even broader appeal. A redemption story for struggling musician turned music teacher Dewey Finn (Jack Black) and a coming-of-age-tale for his young students, both assist each other in profound ways.
Also situated around a final act battle of the bands, the tone, plot structure, and genuinely uplifting finale of School of Rock manage to subvert the inherent cheesiness of the script to become a heartfelt success story the whole family can enjoy.
Sound Of Metal - Stream On Amazon Prime
If School of Rock is the junior equivalent, then Riz Ahmed in one of his best movies, the story imagines what slowly going deaf would do to the livelihood of a heavy metal drummer. It's no stretch to imagine Kevin (Jaeden Martell) experiencing something similar one day.
While the film certainly celebrates heavy metal music, it's also an intimate character study of Ruben (Ahmed), a man devoted to the lifestyle as much as the music, and the profound sense of loss he feels but also the benefits he gains in learning ASL.
Sing Street - Stream On Roku
While its musical inspirations stretch beyond heavy metal (it does have Motorhead on the soundtrack), the sweet-natured musical coming-of-age story in Sing Street is too compelling to omit. The story follows Conor (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo), an Irish boy who forms a band in 1980s Dublin to win the heart of his school crush, much like Kevin does with Emily in Metal Lords.
One of the great aspects of both movies is watching the band assemble, grow closer, rehearse, improve, and show out to a tremendous reception at the end, slowly building their talents and therefore their confidence on and off the stage.
Deathgasm - Stream On Peacock
While an entire subgenre of heavy metal horror exists, none of the titles are all that germane to Metal Lords. However, for those looking for a little supernatural terror to go with their coming-of-age heavy metal comedies, Deathgasm is the one exceptional destination.
With a similar basic plotline, Deathgasm follows two misfit teenagers desperate to escape their painfully normal lives by starting a metal band called Deathgasm. As they plunge into the cryptic world of black magic, they unknowingly unleash The Blind One, an evil entity that threatens all of humanity. To slay the demon, Brodie (Milo Cawthorne) and Zakk (James Joshua Blake) recruit the popular Medina (Kimberley Crossman), leading to a character dynamic similar to Metal Lords.
Heavy Trip - Stream On Kanopy
For another crowd-pleasing heavy metal comedy, tune in to the underrated Norwegian gem Heavy Trip. The film tracks a talented cover band tired of performing safe non-metal music written by others, who find a newfound purpose when a concert gig allows them to create original metal music that harks back to their roots.
Rusty as all get out, honing their craft, writing new material, and rehearsing to perfection leads to a hilarious series of mishaps among the band as they ultimately find their musical voice and reconnect with their childhood love of music. Like Metal Lords, the plot may seem formulaic but the enjoyment level is undeniable.
This Is Spinal Tap - Stream On Spectrum
Despite its groundbreaking satirical mockumentary format, This Is Spinal Tap is firmly entrenched in every must-see heavy metal comedy compilation for good reason. The Rob Reiner film documents the rise and fall of Spinal Tap, a fictional heavy metal band cut from the cloth of Iron Maiden, as they go on tour with a documentary filmmaker.
Eminently quotable, the laugh-a-minute movie led to Christopher Guest's own mockumentaries, while also painting a hilariously unflattering behind-the-scenes portrait of Spinal Tap, a self-centered and egomaniacal band who isn't particularly good as they are loud and bombastic. Simply put, it's hard to imagine Metal Lords existing without This Is Spinal Tap paving the way.
Metalhead - Stream On Kanopy
Ragnar Bragason's Icelandic character drama Metalhead is a grueling exam of Hera (Thora Bjorg Helga), a woman in deep despair following the sudden death of her brother. Finding unlikely solace in the darkness of heavy metal music, her brother's favorite musical genre, Hera's journey of self-healing and discovery is more profound than any this side of Sound of Metal.
With a badass metal soundtrack that includes Megadeth, Judas Priest, Riot, Lizzie Borden, and others mentioned in Metal Lords, Metalhead is the genuine article that proves heavy metal can be just as therapeutic as any musical genre.
