Review of Heavy Metal Parking Lot (1986) by Todd J — 17 Jun 2008

Although Turbo is far from Priest's best work, John Heyn and Jeff Krulik capture perhaps the widest range of metal fans in one of the genre's ultimate years (Metallica's Master of Puppets, Megadeth's Peace Sells, Kreator's Pleasure to Kill, and Slayer's Reign in Blood all came out this year).

Watch in wonder as a drugged-out Dokken fan lambasts punk, saying it's all crap, and that metal is his cup of tea. Marvel at the 18 year old guy who unashamedly tells the camera that his girlfriend is 13! Such scum could only rise up to rock out at a metal show between long nights of spats with the police over domestic violence and hurled bottles of Mad Dog.

The gritty camera and generally low production values only add to it. However, as much as the low-fi appeal plays into it, it's really the subjects that make the documentary a must-see. I wish I could have seen all of these hard asses who like thrash mix and meet with fans of "real heavy" bands like Motley Crue or Poison.

Oddly enough, Priest doing "Turbo Lover" manages to bring them all together. An irresistible treasure, Heavy Metal Parking Lot guarantees hours of entertainment, and it's only 20 minutes long! **** out've *****.