On Tuesday, metalheads everywhere were shocked and disappointed to find out the VH1 Classic would not be airing any new episodes of That Metal Show, which had aired on the network since 2008. During its seven-year run, the show featured countless legendary hard rock and metal musicians, along with several more unheralded artists. There was also a lot of passionate discussion about the genre from hosts Eddie Trunk, Jim Florentine, and Don Jameison. Really, it was the only place on TV where metalheads could see there favorite music be appreciated. That’s one of many reasons why this show will be sorely missed.
First off, That Metal Show just worked. The three hosts were all friends in real life, and it showed in the great chemistry they had. The more comedy-minded Florentine and Jameison would often bust Eddie Trunk’s chops, but he always took it in stride, and was never afraid to deliver a zinger of his own. The trio could also get into some serious arguments when debating their favorite music. One of the best parts of the show was the Top 5, where each host made a ranking for a given category (my personal favorite was Best Albums With Bad Cover Art), and would lobby heavily to get their selections on the final list. There was also the Throwdown, where they’d debate topics like Priest or Maiden, and Appetite For Destruction or Hysteria. While the vibe was decidedly light, it was clear the hosts cared deeply about the music they discussed, which is why the show resonated with so many viewers.
Working with the low-budget of VH1 Classic, That Metal Show often had to be creative. In its early years, one of the bigger complaints from viewers was the lack of music on the show. Unfortunately, there was no way to pay royalties necessary for any actual songs to be performed. Happily, the show improvised by having a guest musician from a famous band who would give us some blistering guitar solos going into each commercial break. As the show went on, bassists and drummers occupied this role as well. In the final season, this concept reached its apex when Kirk Hammett and Michael Schenker did a stunning dueling guitars performance. This was something you wouldn’t be able to see on any other show, and it was a fine example of That Metal Show turning a negative into a positive.
Finally, there was the always enjoyable interview segments, where our hosts could be reverential to the guests, but never in a cringe-y way. Rather than have it turn into “The Chris Farley Show”, the conversations were casual yet insightful. One of their best interviews came in 2013, when former Queensryche frontman Geoff Tate appeared on the show shortly after a disastrous performance at Rocklahoma that would ultimately spell the end of the band. Tate was clearly still upset, and wondering what his future would be, and the hosts gave him an opportunity to vent. Other interviewers were more lighthearted, however, like when Matt Nathanson, whose own music is decidedly un-metal, showed up to discuss his appreciation of 80s hard rock with the guys. Pretty much everyone had a good time on That Metal Show, and it was probably the only place where Ted Nugent and Tom Morello were equally at home.
The decision to cancel That Metal Show is downright perplexing. After metal faded out of the pop music world in the 90s and 2000s, it was the only place on TV that actually talked about a genre which has proven (with science!) to have an incredibly faithful fanbase. It was also laid-back and funny enough that even if you were only a casual metal fan, you could still find a lot to enjoy about it. Trunk has stated the show will try to continue on another network, or possibly as an internet series. Hopefully, that will happen. That Metal Show was an incredibly fun show that gave the spotlight to music that the rest of the media refused to cover. It deserves to continue to bring joy to metalheads everywhere, and hopefully someone will give it a chance to.
