After forty one years of silence, lawsuits gardening accidents, and vanishing relevance Spinal Tap is back. Yes, those clueless legends of British loudness are crawling out of the crypt for one final shot at glory. And Chern and I are here for it!

Spinal Tap II The End Continues hits cinemas on September 12 2025 and it is exactly what you would expect from a bunch of geriatrics who once opened for a puppet show and lost a drummer to spontaneous combustion. It is chaotic funny self aware and absolutely refusing to die with dignity.

The Plot That Should Never Work But Somehow Does

So what happens in this unholy sequel? The band is long broken up and each member has descended into their own brand of madness. Nigel Tufnel is selling artisanal Irish cheese at farmer’s markets while noodling guitar solos in minor scales that only he understands.

David St Hubbins is playing mariachi gigs in weird bars that smell like tequila and regret. And Derek Smalls is deep into crypto podcasts and philosophical monologues about the shape of bass tones. Yes, it is absurd…

Enter Marty Di Bergi the forever suffering director played again by Rob Reiner who convinces these washed up dinosaurs to reunite for one final performance in New Orleans. A city known for jazz funerals and wild chaos. Fitting right?! Who are we to talk though Chern and I can’t even record a proper album. The result is part documentary part meltdown and fully soaked in aging rock star delusion.

The Cast That Refuses To Let Go

The original trio is back because somehow none of them died for real. Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer return as Nigel David and Derek with the kind of chemistry that only happens when three men have been sharing a joke for over four decades.

Rob Reiner does double duty behind the camera and in front as the clueless yet passionate documentarian. He still looks like a man trying to herd cats with a camera crew.

They are joined by some old favorites and a smattering of new faces. Fran Drescher is back as Bobbi Flekman now upgraded to a corporate legacy branding consultant with a voice like a circular saw on helium. The film also ropes in John Michael Higgins, Chris Addison, Nina Conti, Griffin Matthews, and more weirdos all playing eccentric music industry parasites.

The Cameos That Make This A Fever Dream

This is where things go from brilliant to totally unhinged. Paul McCartney shows up and delivers a heartfelt guest spot on a revamped version of “Cups and Cakes.” Elton John blesses us with a completely over the top version of “Stonehenge” that finally includes a proper eighteen foot monument instead of the tragic eighteen inch garden stone from the original film.

Questlove, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Lars Ulrich, and Chad Smith all make appearances just to remind you that this is both a joke and somehow one of the most star studded rock films of the decade.

There’s an Album Too!

Released on the same day as the film the album The End Continues is an actual studio album and not just a throwaway gag. If you’ve been following these guys like we at The Heavy Metal Citadel have, you’ll know these guys can play! Sure the lyrics are still hilariously stupid but the riffs are tasty the bass is thunderous and the drumming only occasionally explodes.

Highlights include the new and improved “Stonehenge” with Elton John belting like the fate of middle earth depends on it. McCartney croons beautifully on “Cups and Cakes” and Garth Brooks lends his twang to an unhinged country metal remix of “Big Bottom.” There are also new tracks like “Rockin In The Urn” “Blood To Let” and the soon to be cult classic “The Devil Is Just Not Getting Old.”

This is the band’s fourth real album by the way, following up their 1984 debut and two others that somehow exist because reality is weird and Spinal Tap refuses to fade quietly into obscurity.

A Legacy Drenched In Leather Spandex And Glory

The original This Is Spinal Tap is not just a cult classic. It is a cornerstone of both comedy and rock culture. It gave us some of the most quoted lines in music history. “These go to eleven.” “Shit Sandwich.” “What’s wrong with being sexy?.” It inspired real bands to take themselves less seriously and it introduced an entire generation to the art of the rockumentary. The fact that it was preserved by the US National Film Registry says everything you need to know. It mattered. And it still does.

This sequel understands that. It leans into the legacy while refusing to let it rot. It pokes fun at aging irrelevance and the horrifying truth that everyone eventually becomes their own tribute act. But it does so with love. Dirty sweaty amplifier buzzing love.

Real Musicians, Fake Band, Timeless Chaos

Here is the thing that makes Spinal Tap so good. Guest, McKean, and Shearer are not just funny. They are legitimately talented musicians who play their instruments better than half the real bands on the road today. The comedy works because the performances are harmonious and improvised much of the time. The band is bad on purpose. The lyrics are bad on purpose. But the music is fantastic and the timing is perfect. That takes actual skill.

They toured as Spinal Tap. They recorded albums. They did interviews in character. They lived this thing like it was real and because of that it became real to us. The sequel only works because they still believe in the joke and they still know how to deliver it with perfect deadpan precision.

Why This Should Be On Every Metalhead’s Radar

Because it is loud. Because it is stupid in the smartest way possible. Because it skewers the ego and excess of rock and roll while also celebrating it with both fists raised in the air. Because it HOPEFULLY is actually funny which is more than you can say about most reboots or sequels today. Because it appears to know exactly what it is and never once pretends to be something deeper or more artistic.

If you grew up with Spinal Tap this will hit you like a blast of hot Marshall stack feedback. If you are new to the chaos then welcome to the cult.

September 12 2025. That is the date you write on your wall in permanent marker. That is the day you turn your speakers to eleven crank the new album and prepare for one last glorious encore from the most dysfunctional fictional band in rock history.

And if they die on stage this time so be it. That is how legends go out.

Written by: Chort the Crop Infestor

“Hi, I’m Chort I infest crops and listen to Black Metal!”

Spinal Tap II The End Continues: The Metal Mockumentary Reborn