Metalocalypse

Adult Swim has added a number of new shows in the last two years, and people have had all sorts of reactions. Regardless of whatever reaction a person may have to Metalocalypse, you have to admit that it will get your attention once or twice.

Without parroting the same praise others have given the show, I'll say that the reason it's so intensely hilarious is because it takes five very well defined characters illustrative of classic metal personalities and brings them down to earth, readily accessible, and just waiting to screw up horribly in everything else they do. No matter how well or ill intended they are in their non-metal deeds, they invariably amplify the horror of the every day human experience. When we sit down and watch, we're just dying to see what the death-toll will be.

Some people have said that the humor in Metalocalypse is "too simple", or "too tasteless"; I can't really argue much with the latter because gore is a running gag, but I'd hardly dismiss it as "simple". Granted, unless you're aware of metal archetypes and racial stereotypes of Scandinavians, you're going to miss a lot of the "inside jokes" and things may get boring. Nevertheless, if you watch from the beginning and keep each previous episode in mind as you watch the next, it'll all make sense. That's one of the reasons I'm absolutely enamored with Metalocalypse. The prevalent attitude coming from its creators is not smug or exclusive or stuck-up, and it doesn't feel like they're trying too hard to be funny. Everything strikes me as being quite innate and not at all forced or deliberate.

If you ask me, metal itself is a pretty pretentious genre. Like gangsta rap, metal personalities are almost invariably malignant. Luminaries of either genre have always portrayed themselves as infallible gods who know no wrong, and can do no wrong. A quick study of any celebrity culture in any country indicates that so many of these people are terminally narcissistic and histrionic, ready to take full advantage of us little people. Rather than fume while resenting it, we can make fun of them and remind them that they still use toilets and make stupid mistakes.

Many people have compared Metalocalypse to "This Is Spinal Tap", and I can see that. I can sooner see a comparison to "CB4", though. I would've loved it if some genius had managed to make CB4 into a series on Adult Swim. Same concept, slightly different details. Point being, it's a great deal of fun to plot through the "real, dumb lives" of people who believe themselves to be living gods.

In any case, I absolutely love the show and measure my weeks in terms of Fix premieres and Sunday night airings. This is the best new show on the network, and I hope its creators take full license when creating more episodes. There is a host of potential in Metalocalypse because metal itself will never go away, nor will the personalities behind it. If I don't get at least another season or two, I'll just develop dysthymia.

...& a very dark sense of humor. I have not a clue as to how Brendon Small's "Home Movies" went on for 5 years, but apparently, people liked it enough. Metalocalypse is the opposite. Instead of life lessons learned, we usually wind up with lessons on death. Instead of generic characters, we have evil, war like creatures and the most eccentric characters this side of hell. Drugs, decapitations, and much dismemberment is just a slice of what goes on in a typical 11 minute episode of it. It's very adult, and if a 5 year old watches 1 minute of this, they will grow up to kill you. Ha.

Clever writing exists here, as it fills in generous amounts of the life & times of a Death metal band, Dethklok. It's kind of like "This Is Spinal Tap", but with blood, an Illuminati type group that wants to stop them, the coolest manager you have ever seen, clowns and cocaine, & lots and lots of more blood. Likewise, the humor is hard, but absolutely hilarious. Hell, even the music is good. Amid the mesmerizing, sometimes repetitive nature of the visuals, it is like a train wreck that you can't peel away from. Or, more precisely, an airplane that's caught in a storm, loses it's engines and about to crash into a train, somewhere over a gas line, and very close to a very large crowd of people all gathering for some useless cause. That's a lot of death. And that is a very good thing.

First of all, in regards to the comment about how the show sucks....The show doesn't make fun of metal...the writer of the show writes and plays the songs, members of nevermore, arch enemy, and other bands do voice overs, they even got Kind Diamond, the show is supported by Gibson guitars and Krank amps, this show doesn't bash metal, its a fiction show about metal, and how brutal and bad ass this band is, this band is how every metal band wishes they could be, i mean you say the show is all about gore and violence but isn't that what death metal is about? i mean listen to the lyrics of death metal bands like Cannibal Corpse, Necrophagist, Children of Bodom, etc. the lyrics aren't about rainbows and showering the world with puppies. its brutal and about death and hate and isolation and pain. This show captures all that is metal. The songs are amazing, so is the animation, i mean they even make the animated guitar playing accurate to how the song is played in real life, you can't even bash the animation. The songs have awesome riff, good solos, sweet drumming, and killer vocals. This show makes me want to be in a brutal metal band. You can bash it all you want but this show isn't making fun of metal its trying to raise metal up. This show rocks.

Jeeze, where do I even start? This show looks really promising. Metalocalypse follows the adventures of the world's most popular band, Dethklok. The half American, half Scandinavian band is the epitome of metal, so much so that they are pretty much useless in every other facet of life, as the first episode shows. Clearly, Brendon Small (the creator of the show) is a metal-head, and as such there are often little nuances and inside jokes that other metal fans will truly appreciate. It's really a bit like Spinal Tap, if they were black-metal. The Norwegian and Swedish guitar players are hysterical, even though you can hardly understand anything they say, but thats what makes them so funny. Their broken English is a perfect play on almost any guitar player from any death/black metal band you can think of. Cameos from Kirk and James from Metallica leave me wondering what other musicians might do voices in upcoming episodes, and how can you not automatically love a show that has Mark Hamill in a recurring role? The music is also worth mentioning, I dunno who is writing it, or if there's actually a real band working behind-the-scenes, but it's all top notch. I have a good feeling most of Dethklok's songs will end up on my playlist.

Another thing I gotta give the show's creators credit for is the band's Myspace page. Despite being strictly anti-Myspace in almost every respect, I couldn't help but admire how not only the band has a Myspace, but even the band members have their own individual ones, with complete profiles, friend's lists, and descriptions that stay completely in character. Genius. Of course, Dethklok wouldn't say they sold out by signing up for Myspace. Instead, they'd say they are making it metal. Then they'd kill you for questioning their motives. Cause of death? Pure brutal-ness.

This first episode was good, but I see a lot of potential for Metalocalypse to become great. I can't even wait to buy the Season 1 DVD.

My only complaint? That episodes are only 15 mins instead of a full half hour.

Add this to the Venture Bros. and there is only one channel I need come Sunday night.

Playing of the stereotypes of metal musicians, Smalls brings a adrenaline induced "pommellization" of pounding, pulverizing pandemonium with Metalocalypse. If you like the humor in the awesome cult movie, This is Spinal Tap, you'll be stoked for Metalocalypse.

Though be warned of the ultra-violent nature of this cartoon. I wouldn't suggest this to anyone under 12. When Dethklock claims to be "metal", they indeed prove to be "metal" in their disregard for their fans safety while performing the most intense Coffee Jingle ever created.

For what its worth, Metalocalypse doesn't disappoint. With the plethora of fantastic programming on adult swim (no sarcasm intended), Metalocalypse makes staying up late more rewarding, though most of us who play music know that 11:30 PM isn't late.