Murder In The Front Row: The San Francisco Bay Area Thrash Metal Story is set to arrive digitally on Friday, April 24 in 4K or HD on most major domestic & international platforms. English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese and Greek subtitles will be available by region.

The documentary will also be available on a special Deluxe Edition DVD that features over 90 minutes of never-before-seen bonus footage, including an interview with Metallica (see below), as well as behind-the-scenes footage taken at the infamous Berkeley venue Ruthie’s Inn (also below).

The DVD will also include a tri-fold cover, two mini-posters, a sticker, director’s commentary, 5.1 + stereo audio,closed captions, and translation subtitles. It will be available to be purchased domestically in the US or by mail internationally. Visit mitfr.com for more info.

Director Adam Dubin shares, "I’m very happy that Murder In The Front Row is coming out on digital and DVD on April 24th. While it was an amazing experience for me to attend screenings around the world and interact with music fans, I’ve always been aware that most people will see the movie online. One of the most interesting things that I observed at screenings was metalhead parents bringing their kids to educate them on what the thrash scene was like back in the day. It was like a shared history lesson. So I’m glad that the movie will continue to educate people around the world. It is an especially poignant time for Murder In The Front Row to be available because live music has been sidelined by safety concerns. Thrash metal as practiced by Metallica, Megadeth, Testament, Exodus and others is a very live experience. The photographs in Murder In The Front Row attest to the energy of the live shows and the bands all built their followings through playing live. So until we can all get back to enjoying music together, it will be fun to relive the history with Murder In The Front Row.”

The documentary premiered in spring 2019 during SF Doc Fest before embarking on a run of screening dates at Alamo Drafthouses, arthouse cinemas, music venues, and film festivals across the US and abroad.

Directed by Adam Dubin (Beastie Boys “Fight For Your Right To Party” & “No Sleep ‘Til Brooklyn”), the film contains over fifty interviews with various metal stalwarts, including Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax, Exodus, Testament, and Death Angel. It tells larger-than-life stories through a mix of first-person interviews, animation, and narration by comedian Brian Posehn.

Narratively, MITFR follows the story of a group of young kids in Northern California with a shared passion for heavy rock bands like UFO, Iron Maiden, and Motorhead. “These are just good stories, and they are very human stories,” Dubin said. “All these bands were mainly from England, and they never really toured the West Coast, so these young people started creating their own music, starting their own fanzines, booking clubs and trading tapes. These were people who were adamant about music and the bands, but also each other.”

During an interview with Rolling Stone, Dubin explained what he hopes viewers will take away from the documentary. “I feel that Murder In The Front Row is a first-hand look at an important music scene on par with the blues explosion in swinging London in the 1960s or New York City punk in the 1970s,” he said. “The film is musical but also historical. One thing that I noticed when I attended screenings of the movie was that parents who had grown up loving metal music brought their kids as a sort of metal history lesson. That’s a great thing! I hope that people will use Murder In The Front Row as a way of connecting with the music and each other. In a way, that’s what the Bay Area scene was all about!”