By definition, Humor is an amusing experience. It provokes laughter, especially when applied to a serious situation, creating some of the best scenarios in the Comedy film genre. One subject that has had few times up to bat, but has been a bit overdue in the Comedy world is an over the top film about Heavy Metal. Specifically speaking, the subject of Black Metal, which already possesses an element of comedy overlapped with some very serious rituals and riffs. Any lover of the genre understands that there should not be one without the other. Answering the call is the new film Heavy Trip, or known in Finland and Norway as Hevi reissu.
Initially premiering in Finland back in March, since then the film has made its way to festivals around the world, including screenings at the USA’s famous South by Southwest Film Festival. Now, picked up by indie film distribution company Music Box, Heavy Trip finds it way to limited theaters on Friday, October 5th around the US before landing on DVD and streaming service October 12th.
The work of Jukka Vidgren, Juuso Laatio, Aleksi Puranen, and Jari Olavi Rantala, Heavy Trip comes to the United States with a ton of curiosity among Metal lovers. On the flipside, what seemed to be on the table for the non-metalheads was the question, does Heavy Trip actually have enough appeal to those who have not yet sold their soul to Satan? In Finland, this is not an issue, because it is a smaller population that mostly respects and loves Metal music as much as the next genre and who have every cultural understanding of Black Metal, even if it is not their forte.
All that in mind, the hour and thirty minute long Heavy Trip is the story of a no-name hometown Black Metal band that just want to play one of the best Heavy Metal festivals in Norway. Somehow everyone in the band, except for the singer, is under the false impression they will get to play the festival. As a result, they quickly hunt for a band name, settling on the ever popular Impaled Rektum. Thus the journey to Norway begins and through endless, unexpected, as well consistently hilarious plot twists, Heavy Trip utilizes every Black and Death Metal joke in the book.
As mentioned, there have been few Heavy Metal Comedy films through the years, so there is little to compare to. Regardless of the sample-size, Heavy Trip is one of the most well-crafted, humorous Heavy Metal movies out there that exceeds expectations. Above all, the majority of the movie is subtitled in three languages. The Finnish language, in such an honest portrayal, is as delightful to hear as is the Norwegian. Then, interestingly enough, when the Finnish lads cross to Norway, they communicate with them in English, because that is often a universal language in Europe.
Furthermore, the filming locations, while seemingly simple, are not as easy to capture as one would think because many scenes involve wild creatures and treacherous landscapes. Kudos to Cinematographer Harri Räty for doing an exceptional job. Then there is the music, of course one of the most important parts of a film of this type. Composed by Lauri Porra, the soundtrack is a success, adding exactly what is needed to the film.
As for the lovable cast of band members in Impaled Rektum, they all wear appropriately laughable wigs and costumes to create that stereotypical long haired European Black Metal look. The attractive singer is the one with the girlfriend, the guitarist only wears Megadeth t-shirts, the bassist wears the most sad faced Black Metal face paint with spiked leather attire, and the drummer is of course the glue who keeps the band a family through the wild journey.
Again, it must be reiterated that all jokes in Heavy Trip are strategically placed and not a one is left behind. For anyone who loves any kind of Heavy Metal, or at least has heard, Heavy Trip is a very adorably heavy Comedy about relatable topics.
To put it all into perspective, the actual song Impaled Rektum play, is probably the least funny of all, yet it is still great. This film could easily see a sequel and the band Impaled Rektum could really exist with a crowd to see them! An absolute must see for Metal lovers, no matter what country of origin, CrypticRock gives Heavy Trip 5 out of 5 stars.
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