Metal Lords — release date, cast, plot, trailer and everything we know

Metal Lords on Netflix stars Adrian Greensmith and Jaeden Martell.
Metal Lords on Netflix stars Adrian Greensmith and Jaeden Martell. (Image credit: Netflix)

Metal Lords is a teen musical comedy arriving on Netflix which is like School Of Rock but with a thrash metal twist. It's from the Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and DB Weiss, and tells the story of three high school misfits who try to start a heavy metal band.

Following the success of their epic fantasy drama Game Of Thrones, Benioff and Weiss found themselves in huge demand. Then in 2019, the pair signed a $200m deal with Netflix for a number of upcoming projects, with Metal Lords their first one-off film for the streaming service.

Here’s everything you need to know about the hilarious coming-of-age movie Metal Lords

Metal Lords release date

Metal Lords will be released worldwide on Netflix on Friday 8 April, just in time for the Easter holidays.

Metal Lords plot

Metal Lords follows teenagers Hunter (Adrian Greensmith) and Kevin (Jaeden Martell) as they struggle to fit in at their US high school. While their classmates are listening to Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber, Hunter and Kevin and rocking out to heavy metal classics by Black Sabbath and Anthrax.

Music also provides an outlet for Hunter to vent his rage against bullies at school and his disinterested dad. "When you’re 15 years old, you feel confused and not all that powerful," says Weiss, who also wrote the script. "Metal is almost like an armour Hunter wears to keep people away." 

Together, the boys form a group to take part in a Battle of the Bands contest, recruiting talented cellist Emily (Isis Hainsworth) as bass player. Can they convince their fellow students that metal is cool?

A scary persona in Metal Lords.

From pupil to scary thrash metal performer in Metal Lords. (Image credit: Netflix)

Metal Lords cast — who’s starring

In Metal Lords, newcomer Adrian Greensmith stars as Hunter, who suffers from a dysfunctional family life but hides his emotions behind his one true passion, heavy metal. Meanwhile, Jaeden Martell (Defending Jacob) plays Hunter’s best mate Kevin, a marching band drummer who Hunter persuades to become a metal drummer instead! Completing the trio is Isis Hainsworth (Emma) as shy Emily, who plays the cello and is the only real musician in the band. But her relationship with Kevin ends up causing conflict with Hunter. Take a look at the main three actors in the tweet below.

Isis Hainsworth as cellist Emily in Metal Lords.

Isis Hainsworth as shy cellist Emily in Metal Lords. (Image credit: Netflix)

Is there a Metal Lords trailer?

Yes, a full trailer for Metal Lords has been released by Netflix and is shows the one-off film is just as wild as we thought it would be! Take a look at all the high school fun below...

Metal Lords soundtrack

The coming-of-age comedy Metal Lords features a soundtrack selected by Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello, who worked as executive music producer on the project.

"Metal Lords is a story of kids trying to get their first band together and having a dream, but perhaps not having the technical ability or the artistic vision to make that dream real — or do they?" says Morello.

The New York-born guitarist says he completely identified with the storyline. "I grew up in a small, cloistered, conservative suburb where my musical tastes ran against the grain of almost everybody else in school and certainly all of the teachers, so this is something I can very much relate to," he explains. "For so many kids who are locked in these suburban hells, the key to getting out is an electric guitar or drums. Music shows a way to transcend this stifled daily existence, to try to be something better, be something more authentic than what’s handed to you by your surroundings."

Nicholas Cannon
TV Content Director on TV Times, What's On TV and TV & Satellite Week

I'm a huge fan of television so I really have found the perfect job, as I've been writing about TV shows, films and interviewing major television, film and sports stars for over 25 years. I'm currently TV Content Director on What's On TV, TV Times, TV and Satellite Week magazines plus Whattowatch.com. I previously worked on Woman and Woman's Own in the 1990s. Outside of work I swim every morning, support Charlton Athletic football club and get nostalgic about TV shows Cagney & Lacey, I Claudius, Dallas and Tenko. I'm totally on top of everything good coming up too.