Prelude / Metal Madness
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"Prelude / Metal Madness" (or simply "Metal Madness") is the first track from Act 1 of The Residents' "modern opera" and concept album Doctor Dark, released February 28th 2025 via Cherry Red Records, MVD Audio and New Ralph Too.
Like much of the opera's first act, "Metal Madness" is styled as a heavy metal song. The track introduces the listener to the protagonist Mark and his best friend Maggot, two troubled teenagers who release their emotions through their shared love of heavy metal music. On the album, "Metal Madness" is preceded by a short orchestral prelude arranged by Edwin Outwater, using themes that recur throughout the rest of the opera.
In advance of the release of the album, "Prelude / Metal Madness" premiered on January 7th 2025 on Australian independent radio station 2BOB Radio, and later aired on London radio station Resonance FM on January 19th.
A rough demo of the track, recorded in 2023, was released as part of a digital mini-album, DDDEMMMOOO, released free with the August 2025 issue of the Cherry Red Residents mailing list newsletter, and later released on the Doctor Dark's Demos album, exclusive to streaming services.
This track (and the rest of the first act of Doctor Dark) inspired a short film, Metal Madness, directed by Edwin Brienen, which premiered on September 5th 2025 on the streaming video platform Night Flight Plus.
Libretto
Two teenagers, Maggot and Mark, are smoking pot, drinking beer and listening to heavy metal in Mark's bedroom. Each lost in their own reverie, Maggot screams while Mark sits on his bed, quiet and withdrawn. A lull reveals Maggot thinking of her mother, staring at a Magritte painting, until the metal madness returns, heavier than ever. Another interlude reveals Mark's thoughts, as he struggles to enter a vague religious reverie fueled by pressure from his stepmother. But the hypnotic power of drugs, alcohol, heavy metal and Maggot's screeching voice is too strong to resist...
I hate them! They hate me! I hate you, too! I hate them! They hate me! I hate you, too! I hate them! They hate me! I hate you, too! I hate me. I hate me. I hate me, too.
List of releases
- Doctor Dark (2025) [Version 1]
- DDDEMMMOOO (2025) [Version 2]
- Doctor Dark's Demos (2025) [Version 2]
List of versions
See also
- Metal Madness (short film)
- Doctor Dark CD edition at Cherry Red Records (UK/EU)
- Doctor Dark vinyl edition at Cherry Red Records (UK/EU)
- Doctor Dark CD edition at MVD Shop (US)
- Doctor Dark vinyl edition at MVD Shop (US)
Listen online
- "Prelude / Metal Madness" on Spotify
- "Prelude / Metal Madness" on Apple Music
- "Metal Madness (Demo)" on Spotify
- "Metal Madness (Demo)" on Apple Music