Rez Metal: Inside the Navajo Nation Heavy Metal Scene - Paperback

by Ashkan Soltani Stone (Author), Natale A. Zappia (Author)

Rez Metal captures the creative energy of Indigenous youth culture in the twenty-first century. Bridging communities from disparate corners of Indian Country and across generations, heavy metal has touched a collective nerve on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona in particular. Many cultural leaders--including former Navajo president Russell Begaye--have begun to recognize heavy metal's ability to inspire Navajo communities facing chronic challenges such as poverty, depression, and addiction. Heavy metal music speaks to the frustrations, fears, trials, and hopes of living in Indian Country.

Author Biography

Ashkan Soltani Stone is the founding director of the Film Studies Program at Weber State University. He is a documentary filmmaker and producer and director of the films Rez Metal, Rock behind the Wall, I Know You Well, and King Coal. Natale A. Zappia, associate professor of history and director of the Institute for Sustainability at California State University, Northridge, is the author of Traders and Raiders: The Indigenous World of the Colorado Basin, 1540-1859.