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I grew up in the 1980s and as a young 13-year-old boy I was drawn into the world of metal’s most extreme genre of the time, thrash metal. Initially, it was the spread of bootleg tapes, that changed my worldview from listening to Iron Maiden, Kiss, AC/DC, and Dio to something new, exciting and darker. I was handed a tape of Metallica recorded live at the Old Waldorf, and recommended to listen to their cover of Diamond Head’s "Am I Evil". One listen was enough to hook me in, I needed more, Exodus, Slayer, Anthrax, Overkill, Megadeth, Possessed, Kreator, Sodom, Destruction and a host of other bands followed. I’d found my place in the world of music.

Imagine the joy I felt upon hearing about the impending release of Murder in the Front Row, directed by celebrated rock doc director Adam Dubin who was responsible for Metallica’s A Year in the Life of…, as well as Metallica’s "Nothing Else Matters" promo video and a couple of Beastie Boys promos. Murder in the Front Row is everything I want from a documentary dealing with the early days of the San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal scene. It features pretty much everyone who was involved in the scene, as well as others who would be invited in to play alongside the likes of Metallica and Exodus. The list of contributors is like a who’s who of my record collection, interviews with members of Metallica, Exodus, Megadeth, Possessed, Vio-lence, Death Angel, Dark Angel, Anthrax, Slayer, Testament, and a host of others alongside the people who ran local labels, record stores and venues, the list is exhaustive and covers all of the real movers and shakers of the San Francisco thrash metal scene.  As someone who immersed myself in the scene during my teenage years, I already knew many of the stories within this documentary but the whole thing is put together in such a stylish way you remain hooked in, and to be fair Dubin manages to dig up a fair few stories that are new to me. It’s also really nice to see the doc delve into the tape trading scene that was integral to the spread of the thrash metal phenomena outside of California and throughout the rest of the world, as well as providing a lot of background on those figures who allowed the scene to flourish. The documentary features some early footage of bands performing live and some great early interview segments with the formative Exodus and Metallica, it’s also really nice to see Ray Burton, father of Cliff Burton talking candidly about his son and his time in Metallica.

Overall, this is a great documentary for those new to the world of thrash metal, as well as those like myself who have been listening since the early days. The DVD comes with a host of excellent bonus materials, including extra interviews and footage from the scene. The DVD package also includes a couple of posters and a sticker to round things out. A brilliant package for a brilliant reminder of what will always be one of my favorite periods in musical history. See you in the front row!.