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Title: Metal.
Artist: Dee Christopher
Producers: Titanas
Link: http://mindlapse.net/
Retail Price: £23.00
Learning Difficulty: Moderate
Length of DVD: 1 Hour
Notes: You will need to purchase, in addition to the DVD, spoons to practice and perform with. Available in Instant Download or DVD format.
Features:
• Quick Silver
• HDFCK
• Sin
• Loki

Dee Christopher takes you step by step through his metal bending work, and shows you the inner secrets that will take you from beginner to pro in as little time as possible with regard to the art of metal bending. Dee shows you his handling for his killer close up metal bending routines that deliver maximum impact while consuming as little storage space on your person or magic case as possible. Welcome to Metal.

The big problem I have with DVD’s and instructional books on the subject of metal bending is it’s hard to find something new to add to the art that Banacheck hasn’t already taught, and taught well in his Psychokinetic silverware video. Therefore I cringed when I opened this DVD up, just the same way I did when I reviewed Morgan Strebler’s Liquid Metal, and as before, I loved D’s work with Metal.!

The product that I reviewed is the instant download version of the DVD, though I’m sure the quality in the two is identical. However for the purpose of this review please know that I am speaking directly about the instant download version. The product comes with three main tricks on the subject of metal bending and one additional bonus effect unrelated to the subject. While I’ll discuss the merits of each chapter in a minute please at first allow me to comment on the annoying problem that seems to plague most instant downloads of material otherwise available on DVD format. Unlike a DVD, your instant download of this product does not come equipped with a chapter select option. That means you can’t skip forward, or rewind through the video to go to specific sections that you want to review. Instead your forced to either watch it all the way through or guesstimate by sliding the video progression bar along the play timeline to the point where you think the material you want to see is. For such a minor little authoring detail it presents a very large annoyance when you’re trying to learn new material from the product your watching.

The product teaches four effects. Quick Silver, HDFCK, Sin, and Loki, and all four have their merits for what they are. Quick Silver is Dee’s presentation of the classic two spoon bend typical of most spoon bending routines. Dee doesn’t release theory here, he gives you his working act wrapped up in a nice little bow. Dee demonstrates, and then teaches you how to bend a spoon with a wicked cork screw in it, and then make the other spoon bend over at a near 90 degree angle before the spectators very eyes.

Dee’s next effect is an effect he calls HDFCK. What on earth those letters stand for is beyond me, but I suspect a letter or two has been edited out for content. Jokes aside, Dee presents us with an interesting take to the corkscrew bend. Instead of handing the spectator a corkscrewed spoon, you very visually warp the metal in front of their very eyes. It’s a nice alternative.

Sin is the third effect taught on the video, and it is a coin bend. You will need something extra to set up. Pliers or the Superman Coin Bend are recommended. The presentation is visual, and practical. I liked it so much I have to say; I don’t do coin bends in my normal act, but I would find a way to work this in.

The last effect is called Loki. As bonus effects go, they rarely are something worthwhile. Usually you get some extra added thought, plot, or move that the author just couldn’t find a way to incorporate it any other way, or it isn’t strong enough to stand alone as its own product. Loki is a pleasant switch from that norm. Loki is a brilliant mentalism piece that allows a spectator to select and pocket to three locations poker chips of their own choice. You then accurately tell them what pocket which chip is located in! What I love about this the most is the method is a utility method, the props can easily been changed out for coins, small objects, or whatever else you want to use that still stays within the working method.

All the effects taught on Metal. is practical. There is no false hype here. What you learn you can take it out on the streets, into the restaurants, or bars, and blow people’s minds clean out of their heads! The setup is minimal, packs small, and plays big. This could become your reputation maker if you use it correctly. There is some skill involved when it comes to metal bending, so expect to spend some time mastering it, but once you get it, the sky’s the limit

Dee does a good job teaching the material, the video is good, and the sound isn’t bad. You get to see the performance, and then the tutorial which helps you put theory into practice. The video has a nice score that plays throughout the entire video, and somehow helps move it along.

When I give my product scores below I am measuring them on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 Being absolute the worst score possible, and 10 being the absolute best, making a score of five average. The four points that I grade upon is Product Quality, Teaching Quality, Sound & Video Quality and Overall Quality.

Product Quality: 8
Practical, packs small, plays big, visual, and fairly priced. This category is made of win.

Teaching Quality: 8
Dee doesn’t do a bad job teaching you the moves, and bonus you get a chap speaking to you in a British accent! This makes me want to go grab a Vodka martini (shaken not stirred) while I watch this video, and that’s not a bad thing.

Video & Sound Quality: 8
Nice background sound track, no camera glitches, or artifacts, sound’s clean, and easily understood.

Overall Quality: 8
It’s hard to find a way to present material on a subject that already has (in my opinion) the definitive work already published on it, however Dee found a way. Dee Christopher’s Metal. will proudly claim a space on my shelf right next to Psychokinetic Silverware and Liquid Metal. Go out, and get your copy today!

Can those effects be performed impromptu or is a setup or gimmick required?