SAIGON METALHOOD
“This feature documentary follows three generations of Vietnamese metalheads through the turbulent origins of heavy metal in Vietnam to the current struggles of today’s scene.
Grizzled Saigonese rock legend Trung Thanh Sago got his start as a teen shredding for US soldiers in the old South Vietnam and represents the “past”. He tells his life story, walking us through the origins of rock and metal in Vietnam, and the significant obstacles he and the scene have faced. Now in the latter stages of his life, he speaks about losing his friends to emigration, ongoing health problems, and the scene today.
Characterizing the “present” is the former vanguard of Vietnamese extreme music, the luminary Trung Loki, recently back on the scene after a habitual absence. Initially cautious and brooding, he puffs on cigarettes while opening up about lost love, addiction, harrowing experiences, and the derailment of the scene he was so instrumental in both building and destroying. Now in his thirties and ostracized by many of his old friends, he travels 500km to his hometown to stage a sequel for a legendary gig that happened over a decade before.
The “future” is told through the upstart agency Legacy CO, formed by a young group of friends with the lofty goal of making the Vietnamese metal scene internationally relevant. The boys attempt to make it financially viable to be a metal musician, pushing against an indifferent and sometimes hostile society while balancing their university coursework. They battle against flaky promoters, power cuts, and missing instruments in their struggle to promote the genre they love.”
10 years in, Chinese hardcore band GAIWAER have continued to push through regardless of their never-ending lineup issues. And the band has arrived today with yet ANOTHER full length...
REVIEW: Hong Kong Post-Hardcore Act Wellsaid Release Sophomore Album ‘Lurking’
REVIEW: Hardcore Punk Act SPIT Release Self-Titled Debut Album [Taiwan]
REVIEW: Melodic Death Metal Band Reborn Release EP [Vietnam]
REVIEW: The Most Important Punk Rock Release of 2021 – The Rebel Riot [Myanmar]
REVIEW: Metalcore Band Prompts’ ‘Magenta Smile’ Gets A Full Review [Japan]
Vietnamese Hardcore Punk Band NUCLEAR STOCKPILES Drop 2 Tracks [Vietnam]
DEMO ALERT: China’s Greater Bay Area Unite In New 00s Style Hardcore Act – ANEMOIA
Pop Punk Band THE STATE OF MIND Release Sophomore EP [Singapore]
DEMO ALERT: “Our Vocalist Comes From Shoegaze” Beatdown Band SICARIO47 [Singapore]
YOOOO – Beatdown Fiends Check This. KARBINE Drop Debut Track [Philippines]
Vietnamese Hardcore Punk Band NUCLEAR STOCKPILES Drop 2 Tracks [Vietnam]
Hardcore Band MISPRIZE Drop First Taste of New EP – Music Video Out Now [Indonesia]
Post Hardcore Act UGOSLABIER Come Back On Aggressive New Track ‘Hallucination’ [Thailand]
YOOOO – Beatdown Fiends Check This. KARBINE Drop Debut Track [Philippines]
Vietnamese Hardcore Punk Band NUCLEAR STOCKPILES Drop 2 Tracks [Vietnam]
Hardcore Band MISPRIZE Drop First Taste of New EP – Music Video Out Now [Indonesia]
Copyright © 2024 Unite Asia. Designed and powered by ALT-X Agency.