I like most of the shows on Adult Swim. That is why I was looking forward to reviewing Metalocalypse. Though I’d never seen the show before, I had heard good things about it. A show that had the likes of Mark Hamill voicing a character should be okay in my book. Boy was I wrong. I couldn’t get into this show at all! While the show has pretty high review numbers on IMDB and other reviewers seemed to love it, Metalocalypse just didn’t do it for me. I’d rather pass on this cartoon and if it was on television, I disliked it so much, I’d turn something else on just to escape from having to watch this television show.

Release Information:
The first episode of Metalocalypse aired on August 6, 2006. The show is now in its second season. On October 2, 2007, Warner Bros. released a two-disc edition of the first season of Metalocalypse. Season 1 contains 20 episodes. Current audiences are in the middle of watching Season 2 on Adult Swim.

This is the uncensored version merely because the bonus features are uncut and uncensored. The actual episodes were not edited or changed from how they were when they aired originally on Adult Swim. The discs in this two disc set are split up with ten episodes per disc for a total of 20 episodes.

The Metalocalypse Plot:
Life is an adventure when you’re a part of the most popular heavy metal band in the world. The band, Dethklok, has hundreds of minions working for them. They get around the world the safest way they know how, via a gigantic helicopter. When the band isn’t up in the air or busy performing they do what other musicians do. They relax at their private compound, which is known as Mordhaus. If they aren’t playing around at Mordhaus, they are definitely up to no good, causing trouble and making a mess of things in the process.

The show was created by Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha. Both of these men also voice at least two of the characters on Metalocalypse. This five member band has everything they need to be successful. On lyrics and the lead vocals is Nathan Explosion, the drummer is Pickles, and the self proclaimed fastest guitar player in the world is Skwisgaar Skwigelf, all of whom are voiced by Small. These guys are just three of the members of Dethklok. The rest of the band includes the second fastest guitarist, Toki Wartooth, and the bass player, William Murderface, with both of them voiced by Blanca.

Other primary characters in the show include a group of government officials and military personnel who monitor every step Dethklok takes to ensure the group does not become too big of a threat. There is Senator Stampington (Mark Hamill) and General Krosier (Victor Brandt) to name a few. With the government keeping tabs on Dethklok, they usually end up in some kind of danger. This leads to the death of various people including government officials, assassins sent to kill the band members, and even some of the fans of the band. All of the deaths are done in different ways and I’ve been told this is a highlight of this show. Sure, I like gore and what not, but I found all of the violence in this cartoon laughable at best. What is really the point of this cartoon? At this point, it is anyone’s guess.

I should admit while I like both alternative and rock music, I’m not a fan of heavy metal. The music was developed by Brandon Small and while it sounds like typical metal music, I just can’t get into it. I like to be able to at least make out “some” if not all of the lyrics when I listen to music. With heavy metal, you cannot usually do that. I am sure this played a major role in why I couldn’t stand this cartoon. You can only take so much of growly, screeching utterances. This isn’t singing, it’s screaming and making “sounds of death” to sell a record. How anyone could truly enjoy this crap is beyond me. Unfortunately, this puts me at a major disadvantage, because I went into watching this cartoon knowing I didn’t like the musical style, though I was still willing to give the material of the show a chance and try to look past the music.

There were a few episodes in the 20-episode, 2 disc set that were okay. I wouldn’t want to watch them regularly, but they stood out amongst the rest that were offered. There was “Dethtroll” where a troll is released in Finland by Dethklok. This one was semi-humorous, especially when the band had to play without electricity. It is hard to see who is an enemy and who is a friend without lights and playing without amps can be difficult to say the least. The other okay episode was “Performance Klok”. Being in a band can give band members issues. That is why the band hires a shrink (who is rather effeminate if I do say so myself) to help them solve their “problems”. This episode was actually kind of funny, but the rest of the episodes are boring and the music is way too loud and aggressive for my taste.

Note: I’ve been told there are a lot of jokes that have snuck into the writing that refer to heavy metal bands and heavy metal music. If you are a heavy metal fan, you will be more likely to pick up these references then someone like me, who has heard the music, but doesn’t overly enjoy it or know a lot about metal bands in general.

Audio/Visual:
The visual aspect of Metalocalypse was okay. The screen was quite dark, but the show is kind of dark when it airs on television. The transfer is not in anamorphic widescreen like most of the new DVDs seem to be these days. That is why the television appearance is grainier then it should be. Metalocalypse was transferred to DVD at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The video also has the occasional flicker and lines that sometimes appear in cartoons. For a new cartoon, this, to me is unacceptable.

The Dolby Digital 2.0 Sound is decent. It isn’t as good as Dolby Digital 5.1, which is the crème de la crème of the current regular DVD sound world (HD sound is better), but it doesn’t bother the sound quality like mono sound typically does. This is the best part of Metalocalypse, in my opinion. It is clear and crisp enough that the only time I had to turn down the sound was during the musical scenes. For those who want to understand the lyrics, feel free to turn on the subtitles. While the language for the Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack is only in English, subtitles are available in English, Spanish, and French.

Special Features:
There are some special features on the first season box set of Metalocalypse. The special features are hidden as what the DVD world calls “Easter Eggs”. I could be nice and tell you how to find the special features, but what’s the fun in that? I will tell you to play around with the main menu. You never know what might pop up on the screen. Some of the special features include animated band interviews (with each member of Dethklok), a Shakespeare reading by Nathan Explosion, deleted scenes, a kill/death scene reel, a tour of the Dethklok compound, Mordhaus, Murderface’s extended bass solo, uncensored nudity scenes, and an animated guitar lesson. There are a few other extras scattered through the two disc set so keep looking for new extra features. You’ll be sure to find them eventually.

Bottom Line:
I don’t like heavy metal. Though I set out to give this show a try because I like other Adult Swim shows (Moral Orel anyone?), I just couldn’t get into it. If you are a heavy metal fan, I highly recommend Metalocalypse. I’m told it is the greatest show for fans of this genre of music. Warner Bros. normally does well with all their releases so I have nothing to say against them for releasing this. Metalocalypse just wasn’t for me. I suggest you check out Metalocalypse in its second season on Adult Swim. If you like it, you will know if you will want to buy this box set or not.

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