SXSW Movie Review: Breaking A Monster

By Brad Henderson

A couple of years ago while perusing YouTube, I came across an amatuer video of three young black kids playing metal music near a subway station in New York City. Months after that I saw a couple more videos pop up here and there and then they showed up on national TV with even more exposure. They are called Unlocking The Truth and they are fucking amazing.

What makes this trio is so amazing is that they are between the ages of 12-13 and they can play well. Very well. I know a lot of videos show up of young kids playing instruments and a lot of people automatically say they are amazing and that they’re blown away. Well, it’s awesome that they achieved that, but you need to process what they are actually doing.

I once said there are people who can play music and then there are people who know how to play music. There is a big difference. Not knocking any of those kids playing instruments or singing on YouTube videos, but the reality of it has to be put in perspective. You can’t give any kid who can sing or play an musical instrument a record deal. Again, it’s badass that young kids can do such things but all in all, it’s not a huge achievement. They are just quick learners.

This isn’t the case with Unlocking The Truth at all as is shown in a new documentary about their band called Breaking A Monster. At first, you see three cute kids playing a guitar, bass, and drums but you soon hear the unstoppable force behind their music. I’m not going to say their music is amazing (it’s borderline amazing) because I think they have a little ways to go, but they are almost there. You can hear the pure adrenaline behind it and how eager they are to be the best. As artists they are putting the very best out there that they can at the moment, but as they grow they will build on that and become even more accomplished.

There is something about metal music that’s different. These kids aren’t pop singers or doing anything that other kids their age do. They are playing with the big bands and they have some huge shoes to fill, but they will soon achieve that. Breaking A Monster shows them as they grow and get into the business side of things and the hardships they have to face as kids. These are children who want what children want. They don’t want to deal with the grownup bullshit, too, but they have be able to manage both and they have to learn quickly.

Breaking A Monster is not as intimate as it could be but the members of Unlocking The Truth are kids and shouldn’t be exposed more than necessary because they are innocent. The documentary shows the lighter side of their story: their relationship with their manager, their deal with Sony, and the fact that they just want to play music. That’s another reason why they are so good: they are all about the music. They want to play and record and that’s what drives them the most. The money is good as well, but they obviously believe the music is more important.

As a metal fan this doc is pleasing because it gives you all of the behind the scenes stuff as well as the final product. You watch the musical abilities of these kids grow and know that it’s a once in a lifetime chance. Fame could come too quickly and ruin their chance to do what they really want to do, which is perform. Luckily, they have very loving parents and a great manager that only chooses the best for them, which I highly admire. You have to be super careful these days and they are completely aware of this.

Their album isn’t available yet, but it soon will be, and then you can pair the doc and the record together to see how they’ve grown. The doc is especially good because it may not be too intrusive but it’s very detailed about their journey. They speak on certain issues with the kids about the band and their well-being. This was one of the most interesting things in the doc. This could’ve been a publicity piece just about these kids and their skills, but instead it focuses more on their personal lives.

At first people will look and say “Aww, they are cute.” These kids don’t want that response. They want you to listen to them and like them for their music, not because they are kids and not because they are black. One thing I really dug about Breaking The Monster is that they tackle the opinion that because they are young, black kids you have to like them; you can’t say anything bad about them because you’ll be called a racist. Well, you can be honest and I’m sure they would want you to be, but they are aware of this tendency and kind of laugh at it.

Let the music speak for itself.