In the 1980s Colombian youth faced a stark choice: join the army, join the guerrillas or join the narco-traffickers. In Medellin a faction of young people founded a fourth way: a metal scene.
Part concert film, part historical record, South American Hell Part 1: Metal Medallo charts the founding of this scene, its genesis and its impact on the young people yearning for an escape from the brutal reality that surrounded them.
Through interviews with musicians, fans, journalists and historians, as well as unhinged concert footage from the 80s to the present day, Metal Medallo portrays the emancipatory potential of uncompromising artistic expression.