Artist:  Various
   Title:  Bang Your Head Festival
   Label:  E-M-S Music

If I were to say ... 'Bang Your Head' ... what would be the first thing to pop into your head?  Most probably ... 'Metal Health Will Drive You Mad'.  Well you'd not be wrong, a true love of all things Metal (or Rock) can indeed drive you mad, especially these days when it seems almost any band can pass itself off to the popular press as a Rock or Metal band.

Well fear not comrades as E-M-S Music have released this rather superb double DVD to help renew your faith in 'proper' metal.  The sort that comes in the shape of tight black leather pants and denim jackets, the sort that comes with long haired blokes who don't look like the tramps down in the local park.  Yes we're talking the glory days of metal with some absolutely astounding bands to back it up.

It's hard to believe that Germany's favourite festival is celebrating it's 10th anniversary.  From humble beginning back in 1996 where the then indoor festival managed to rustle up a mere 600 hardened rockers and metalheads to attend, over the years the festival has stepped outside into the fresh air and the numbers swelled into their tens of thousands.  

Taking a look at the best of the bands that have graced the stages of this festival between the years 2001 - 2005 this compilation DVD has something for everyone.  Treading the boards the line-ups have included such timeless legends as U.D.O., Saxon, Magnum, Dio, Motorhead and the metal goddess herself Doro.

If you like your metal on the heavier side then how does Death Angel, Annihilator, Overkill and Sodom hit you?  Taking a walk on the slighter more rockier side we have Mike Tramp's White Lion, Sebastian Bach, Pink Cream 69, Y&T, Bonfire and Uriah Heap all ready and waiting for your viewing pleasure.

The DVD insert for this compilation is actually one of the coolest I've come across in a long time, with information not only on each of the bands present, but actual information on how they came to be on the various festival line-ups over the years and what the crowds reaction was to them being on it.  A fascinating insight into what actually took place at the time these performances were recorded.

All performances are well shot and the sound quality is very good and consistent throughout.  Something that always takes my breath away is the crowd shots that show what the bands look out on when they are doing their shows.  The amazing number of fans singing along to all their words and really digging the music they are performing, what an adrenalin rush that must be, but also how terrifying it must be if you're not used to it.

All in all this is excellent value for money and is sure to warm the cockles of your metal clad hearts.  Check it out!

All content copyright of The Mayfair Mall Zine unless otherwise stated.