‘Heavy Metal’: one of the greatest animated soundtracks of all time
There’s something about a soundtrack to an animated film that differs from that of a live-action picture. Perhaps it is that through the medium of animation, we are transported to a world very unlike our own, but by using famous tracks from our world, we are able to draw distinctions between the two.
There have been several truly iconic moments in the world of animation that are raised into legendary status because of their soundtrack’s song selection. Take, for instance, Elton John‘s ‘Circle of Life’, which plays as Rafiki lifts Simba up to the heavens in The Lion King, indicating that he is the Prince of the Animal Kingdom.
Equally iconic, whether you admit to liking it or not, are the musical selections in Shrek, including Smash Mouth’s cover of The Monkees’ ‘I’m A Believer’ and their own tunes’ inclusion with ‘All Star’. Whilst these examples are admittedly twee, there is an adult-themed animated film that boasts one of the best soundtracks of all time, particularly if you are a fan of heavy rock music.
Heavy Metal is a 1981 Canadian animation that serves as an anthology of the stories found in the science fiction and fantasy comic book magazine of the same name. All the stories are tied together by an overbearing sense of evil that is found within each of the film’s individual scenarios. The magazine was not ashamed of displaying sexually explicit images, nudity and graphic violence, and the movie followed suit.
The soundtrack to the film was comprised by Irving Azoff, who put together a collection of the popular rock and metal bands and musicians of the 1970s and 1980s, including Sammy Hagar, Devo, Blue Oyster Cult, Black Sabbath, Stevie Nicks, Journey and the Eagles’ Don Felder, who provided the film’s theme song with ‘Heavy Metal (Takin’ a Ride)’.
Blue Oyster Cult also wrote a song specifically to be used in the film entitled ‘Vengeance (The Pact)’, but it was turned down by the film’s producers because it contained lyrics that explained the story of one of the film’s many vignettes’ Taarna’. They opted to use ‘Veteran of the Psychic Wars’ from the band’s 1981 album, Fires of Unknown Origin, instead.
There were also some issues with the film’s home media release because of the track selections. Many of the artists had granted rights for their songs to be used in the theatrical release, but that did not include home distribution. Because of this, Heavy Metal did not make its way into the audience’s homes until 1996, when it was finally released on VHS.
The soundtrack to the film serves as an excellent compilation of the best heavy rock and metal tunes of the 20th Century’s most decadent decade and is well worth a listen, even if you haven’t seen the film.
