Pagan Metal-A Documentary is brought to you by Bill-Zebub Productions and MVD Visual, a fun look at the ever expanding genre called Pagan Metal, also sometimes known as Viking Metal or Folk Metal, which has its roots in Scandinavian Black Metal. The DVD takes a look at quite a few bands that have risen to popularity over the last decade, specifically Korpiklaani, Finntroll, Leaves' Eyes, Turisas, Tyr, Ensiferum, and the mighty Primordial. Things are set up here with a mixing of live footage, backstage antics, and interview segments, though if you are interested in checking out full songs from any of these bands you are going to be disappointed, as much of what is included here are live snippets, though the Primordial clips are worth the price of admission alone. The interview segments are well done and fun, though I'm not sure how much historical significance the drunken conversations will hold five years from now, but it's cool to hear the bands talk about the genre, their history, and fellow acts playing similar styes. There seems to be a kinship among many of these groups that comes across when hearing them speak about each other, but I think that's simply a 'metal' thing, which always is about one big happy family. In many cases, the interviews were conducted on tour buses or backstage dressing rooms, so you'll feel like you were right there in the mix as the musicians candidly and relaxingly speak about the music they love so much.
Though some of the bands included here are somewhat suspicious (Leaves' Eyes are more of a symphonic metal band, and Korpiklaani a party/folk band), many, including Finntroll, Ensiferum, Turisas, Tyr, and Primordial, really have created a niche for themselves that comes across greatly in the live footage especially. The appearance of Irish legends Primordial, both in interview and the concert footage, make this a worthwhile purchase, and the rest is a nice bonus.