Death metal band Impaled Rektum escapes prison to perform at Wacken, Germany’s iconic music festival. Their wild and perilous adventure into the metal music scene challenges the band’s integrity in the sequel to cult classic HEAVY TRIP.
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Video Quality
Heavier Trip comes to Blu-Ray in a 1080p presentation that looks quite splendid. The film is replete with bold colors throughout with numerous moments that radiate off the screen. This film uses lighting in creative ways to bring a bit of dynamic filmmaking to the proceedings, and the efforts pay off well. The highlights are handled without issue, and the deep blacks do not suffer from any banding or compression artifacts. This is a skillfully captured independent feature that presents a fantastic amount of detail within the frame. Viewers can see subtle elements of the costumes and production design clearly at all times. The skin tones and bold makeup look very detailed and natural all around. This presentation delivers on all fronts thanks to Music Box Films.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray disc comes with a DTS-HD 5.1 and 2.0 Master Audio track in the original Finnish (with optional English subtitles) that handles the material effortlessly. The star of the show is the pulsing metal music listened to and produced by the characters. The wall of sound feels massive as it permeates the room with the utmost fidelity. Activity in the low end is handled well when it comes to music and other distinct elements. This is not an action-heavy film, but there is rarely a moment that does not feel buzzing with energy. Dialogue comes through clearly without ever being overshadowed by the sound effects or the score. The sound design keeps all of the sounds positioned just right in the mix. The environmental effects create a kinetic soundscape that believably replicates the world. This is an audacious release that does a nice job with the material.
Special Features
- Behind The Scenes of Heavier Trip: A nearly 24-minute fly-on-the-wall look at the production of the film.
- Interview with Babymetal: A nearly four-minute interview with the iconic group in which they discuss filming their first movie, what drew them to the project, memorable moments during filming, and more.
- Johannes at Fantastic Fest: A three-minute montage of the performer attending Fantastic Fest all by his lonesome, plus his subsequent return home.
- Image Gallery
- Trailer (2:06)
- Teaser #1 (0:18)
- Teaser #2 (0:43)
Final Thoughts
Heavier Trip is another unpredictable adventure with your favorite “symphonic post-apocalyptic reindeer-grinding Christ-abusing extreme war pagan fennoscandian” metal heads. While the original film was not screaming for a sequel, and this outing is admittedly a notch down from the delirious highs of that one, there is still so much fun to be had. Our core members of the band continue to be distinctly hilarious, but the feature also expands the world some to incorporate some valuable new faces. If the journey continues with another installment, we will be the first in line. Music Box Selects has released a Blu-Ray featuring a killer A/V presentation and a decent assortment of special features. If you have not tried this series yet and you need death metal hilarity in your life, run to these movies. Recommended
Heavier Trip is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome/OCN Distribution.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Music Box Selects has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
