They were one of the smuttiest, most pornographic bands in a genre that often revels in its own filth. They were also one of the heaviest and, often times, funniest bands in the heavy metal hemisphere. The Mentors were notorious by any standards, and now, thanks to Music Video Distributors, they’re coming to a DVD player near you. On April 3, MVD will be releasing El Duce Vita, the first-ever video compilation from this infamous band.

Formed in Seattle in 1977 by guitarist Sickie Wifebeater (Eric Carlson), bassist Dr. Heathen Scum (Steve Broy) and immortal drummer/singer El Duce (Eldon Hoke, sadly RIP), the Mentors were true innovators in the realm of heavy metal. Although the Mentors’ smut-filled songs, backed with a metallic instrumental barrage, seem somewhat quaint by today’s horror-film-and-pop-culture standards, during the ‘80s the band’s notoriety raised the ire of the Parent’s Music Resource Center (PMRC), the “Washington Wives” group founded by Tipper Gore. The PMRC’s attacks quickly made the Mentors the best-known band in the American metal underground.

El Duce Vita contains live performances from the band in its prime, captured onstage in Austin TX and Minneapolis MN. The DVD also includes some of the Mentors’ hilarious concept videos. Among the band’s “greatest hits” featured on the 50-minute DVD compilation are songs like “Golden Showers,” “Sex Slave” and “All Women Are Insane.” Without the Mentors, there never would have been a G.G. Allin or the Dwarves. With El Duce Vita, you can witness the unholy glory of the band that influenced an entire generation of smut-rockers to follow.

(Click on the DVD cover to buy the Mentors at Amazon.com)