In their quest to share the human stories behind music’s most beloved genres, acclaimed filmmakers Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen have flown around the world on Iron Maiden’s custom Boeing 757 tour plane, snagged both Grammy and Peabody awards, and even survived being stranded on the Great Wall of China.But 30 years ago, they were just a couple of die-hard headbangers from Ontario. The pair met when Dunn was playing in a metal band and McFadyen was working as a music promoter, and they quickly found a connection through their shared love of shrieking vocals, power chords, and pyrotechnics.At the time, heavy metal wasn’t exactly hip. The satanic panic, the meteoric rise of grunge, and the polarizing introduction of nu metal made metalheads the butt of late-night jokes — and even outright hostility. Metal fans are famously loyal, however, and anthropologist Dunn wanted the opportunity to highlight the global metal community’s camaraderie and inclusive nature. “I grew up listening to music, playing music, it was in my DNA,” he explains. “I became interested in it as a cultural phenomenon.”So Dunn and McFadyen sent their favorite artists handwritten letters — this was the late ‘90s, remember — inviting them to take part in a film that would study and celebrate metal’s enduring cultural impact. Perhaps charmed by the pair’s enthusiasm and the project’s DIY ethos, Rob Zombie, Dee Snider, Alice Cooper, and countless other rock legends actually agreed. The result was 2005’s Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey, a smash hit documentary that introduced metal culture to a global audience and put Dunn and McFadyen’s newly launched production company, Banger Films, on the map.In the years since, Banger Films has evolved into a music media empire, venturing into new genres like hip hop and K-pop. Their company now produces its own TV network along with VR experiences, live concerts, and even kids programming. “Back when we made our first film, it was almost easier to tell people what we didn’t want to do,” says Dunn. “Sometimes it’s just about recognizing the way things have been done before, and then finding your own path.”In this video, we partnered with Lexus to swap their tour bus for a luxurious SUV. Completely redesigned from the wheels to the roof rails, the fifth-generation Lexus RX embodies the energy of people like Dunn and McFadyen who blaze their own trail and refuse to settle. Watch the video above to hear the pair share stories about Banger Films as they head to their production studio on Toronto’s Sterling Road.
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