What if refusing to sell out was the real success story?
Tension: 25 Years Underground chronicles the band's rise in popularity and how, even through several line-up changes, they stuck to their guns and refused to bow to the demands of record companies. The film leaves you wondering what would have happened to Tension if they had 'sold out' and made it big, and indeed the common notion of success itself. Marty Friedman and Tommy Gattis cut their teeth in this band, and the film opens a time capsule to reveal vintage video footage and unbridled interviews on subjects like how the PMRC helped and hindered 80s heavy metal music, and how 'hair bands' of the time commercialized the public perception of the genre.
Editing
Vintage footage time-capsuled like a dusty VHS treasure
Production
Unfiltered interviews that reek of cigarette smoke and conviction
Director
Rudy Childs
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Marty Friedman joined Megadeth immediately after his Tension era, making this documentary a fascinating prequel to thrash metal royalty.
The film captures a pivotal moment when 'underground' wasn't a marketing aesthetic but an actual financial and social condition.
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