Lords of Chaos



Director - Jonas Akerlund (Polar, Metallica: ManUNkind)
Starring - Rory Culkin (Signs, Scream 4), Emory Cohen (Detour, The Gambler), and Jack Kilmer (The Nice Guys, The Stanford Prison Experiment)
Release Date - 2018
Genre - Horror/Drama
Tagline - "Let the party begin!"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

 

 

     I've been into metal and rock for as long as I remember.  I can remember the day I first heard it.  I was with my older brother and he showed me Motorhead.  From that moment forward I was into anything dark, heavy, and fast.  My taste had changed over the years but my favorite bands always remained my favorite.  In high school I became friends with a guy that liked Norwegian black metal.  I had listened to Mayhem before and heard about the crazy shit that surrounded them but I wouldn't call them my favorite band like most people claimed when the movie Lords of Chaos was announced.  I thought it had some interesting casting so I wanted to check it out.  I was lucky enough to get a review copy from my friends over at MVD.  Thanks guys!. 

     The film follows Norwegian teen Euronymous (Culkin) who is fond of the dark side of life.  He is anti-religion and self-proclaimed Satanist who wants to form a band that is embodies all their beliefs.  He does so and soon befriends a Swedish vocalist that goes by the name of Dead.  They play some shows and release an album that sparks a movement in Norway.  Sadly, Dead is haunted by his own demons and kills himself.  Euronymous uses his death as a way to move Mayhem further while pushing his own agenda.  He opens a record store and his own label where he releases the one man band Burzurm.  Burzurm's Varg (Cohen) wants to be apart of the black metal movement and before long finds his way into Euronymous' black metal circle after he burns down a church to impress him.  Things go south from there when the two struggle for which direction they need to take the black metal movement which leads to the death of Euronymous. 

     My review will only speak for the film.  I don't know enough about the band Mayhem to comment on what is real, myth, and lie.  I do know that I fucking loved this movie and if you can separate yourself from the politics of Mayhem you could enjoy this one too.  The acting in this is fucking fantastic.  Rory Culkin and Emory Cohen were fantastic.  You know how the film is going to end so you become sympathetic to Euronymous and Culkin does a fantastic job.  As the film progresses you can't help but hope the movie ends differently but it doesn't and you are left heartbroken.  Emory Cohen is spectacular as well.  You will hate him and that is the brilliance of his performance.  They make the film so much fun.  The story for this one is told from Euronymous' point of view and we get those notorious legends about the band.  The movie does make note that some of this is facts and others are lies.  With that being said, I was glued to the TV.  I couldn't look away.  Just when the movie gets to a slow point we are hit with something that we was not expecting that moves us right back to our toes.  I loved how drastic the scenes would turn and you never knew what to expect.  Even if you knew something was going to happen based on the history of the band you never knew when it was coming.  Finally, this film has several brutal death scenes.  Some have top notch practical effects that you can actually enjoy.  The film takes these death very seriously and you get to enjoy every one.  Some of the deaths are more emotional than brutal and you get pulled into them just as much as the story.  You find yourself emotionally invested in them.  Overall, Lords of Chaos is one hell of a watch.  This is one of my favorite movies of the year so far and I see many more spins of this disc very soon.  Check it out now!