Penelope Spheeris’ iconic music documentaries The Decline of Western Civilization have been at the top of fans’ most wanted DVD list for many many years and now thanks to Second Sight Films they are set to get their first ever UK DVD and Blu-ray release.

The Decline of Western Civilization was originally released in 1981 and explores Los Angeles’ burgeoning hardcore punk scene, capturing the intensity of the time, when bands like Black Flag were having their concerts raided by the police and all hell was breaking loose. The film includes interviews and performances from Black Flag, X, Circle Jerks, Fear, The Germs and many more.

The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years followed in 1988 and was filmed at the height of L.A.’s metal scene. The film captures heavy metal bands in all their glory from thrash metal bands such as Motorhead and Megadeth, to rock legends Alice Cooper, Kiss and Aerosmith, and glam-metal stars Poison and Faster Pussycat, in their prime. The film features iconic clips from the hair-metal scene including the legendary Ozzy Osbourne in a leopard print silk robe.

The Decline of Western Civilization Part III followed a decade later and focuses on the lives of Los Angeles ‘gutter punks’ – homeless teenagers who prefer anarchy and chaos to organised society. Coming from abusive homes, many of the film’s subjects have developed drugs and alcohol problems and struggle to survive on the tough LA streets. The film features performances by bands such as Naked Aggression and Final Conflict.

This celebrated and infamous anthology chronicles L.A.’s hardcore punk phenomenon, the hair-metal movement at its pinnacle in the late-eighties and the late-nineties gutter-punk scene and will be released by Second Sight on DVD & Blu-ray on 27th July 2015, Download to own on 13th July 2015 and On Demand on 20th July 2015, as The Decline of Western Civilization Box Set, complete with a slew of superb extras. The 4-disc Blu-ray box set will retail at £39.99, the 4-disc DVD set will be £29.99.

The special features are (deep breath):

The Decline of Western Civilization

• Audio Commentary with director Penelope Spheeris and box set producer Anna Fox

• Audio Commentary by musician/filmmaker Dave Grohl

• Extended interviews with the Bands – Black Flag, Germs, X

• Additional band performances – Fear, Germs, The Gears

• Additional interviews with the Light Bulb Kids

• Henry Rollins interviews Penelope Spheeris

• Extended interview Brendan Mullen, owner of The Masque

• Extended interview with Germs Manager, Nicole

• Theatrical trailer

• And more...

The Decline of Western Civilization Part 2 – The Metal Years

• Audio Commentary director Penelope Spheeris and Nadir D’Priest (London)

• Extended interviews – Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Lemmy, Chris Holmes, Ozzy Osbourne, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and more

• Theatrical trailer

The Decline of Western Civilization 3

• Extended interviews with Flea, Leonard Phillips (The Dickies), Keith Morris, Rick Wilder

• Additional interviews with the Light Bulb Kids

• Sundance Film Festival interview with Penelope Spheeris

• LA County Museum of Art Panel – Decline I and III

• Behind the Scenes

• Theatrical trailer

• And more...

Bonus Disc

• Extended interviews with the bands from Decline II – Megadeth, London, Odin

• Decline I news report

• Decline II cruising the strip

• Decline III panel

• LA County Museum of Art Panel – Decline II

• Tawn Mastrey interviews Penelope Spheeris

• Nadir and Lizzie interview

• Theatrical trailer for Penelope Spheeris’ Suburbia

• Mark Toscano interviews Penelope Spheeris