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Dethklok: The Dethalbum (Deluxe Edition) Death Metal Williams Street September 25th, 2007
- Dethklok is the name of the fictiional death metal band in the Adult Swim program Metalocalypse. - There is an actual Dethklok band,, but the members play live behind a screen that plays videos of the cartoon band characters. - Dethalbum is comprised of materiaal from the first season of Metalocalypse. Originally posted on October 3rd, 2009 | |||||
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Review
Released around the same time as the Metalocalypse Season One DVD Set hit shelves, the special edition of The Dethalbum by Dethklok was one of the most sought after Death Metal albums in years, perhaps since Cannibal Corpse broke into the Billboard Top 200 charts, and that says a lot. The label didn't expect the high demand, and this album was being scalped for up to and over $100 each, and several weeks later another pressing was made of the album. So, perhaps the real question is: Are we baring witness to the Death Metal version of The Monkees? Whether you consider the band fake, or not, since this album is done by a group of people (a band) but hide behind the personas of a cartoon character (think back to the days of The Monkees and the success that came about with that), The Dethalbum is a slow, solid death metal album that fans of the style have been anxiously waiting for from the real life bands they enjoy. While there are some faster paced songs, such as "Awaken", "Fansong", and "Hatredcopter" (which features the band member's drummer Pickles on background vocals as well), much of the album on here is of a slower to mid tempo paced with some nice, catchy guitar work throughout, save for the rather impressive technical guitar solos. There really aren't any filler tracks on this release at all. The only probablems, really, deal with how the vocals on some songs are lower, as if they were just ripped from the show and then made to sound like they were recorded during the session The Dethalbum was produced at, as well as an internal argument as to whether the openning tracks should be switched. While having "Murmaider" kick things off does work out well due to the sound of the opening of that track being very fitting to the title, and the fact that, according to the tv series, this album was intended for fish audiences only. However, "Go Into The Water" has all the makings of being the first track due to it's extended intro music before the vocals kick in, and, looking at the titles and lyrics in chronological order, it would have made more sense since this was about going to the ocean, and then having a track about murdering mermaids. And "Dethharmonic" makes for a great send off track to the album, but it's kind of ruined when the "Untitled Track" kicks in, and it winds up being the theme song, killing the slower, darkened mood brought on by this orchestral backed metal track. SPECIAL EDITION: Fans of the series will be happy to have tracked this version down as well, due to the bonus material found on this disc. Not only do you get the catchy as hell, and always a good chuckle, "Duncan Hills Coffee Jingle", you get the pounding "Blood Ocean", blues influenced death metal track "Murdertrain A Comin'", as well as the delightful "Hatredy". The only real let downs are "Pickles Intro", which is just a spoken word segment of the band's drummer, Pickles, talking to Nathan, the vocalist, about doing vocals on "Kill You" since it's a ladies metal song, which winds up being a Glam Rock and Death Metal fused track. The song really isn't that bad, it's just that the vocals are a little too light and irritating. However, if you want a good laugh that you can't find anywhere else, the final track on the bonus CD, "Dethklok Gets In Tune" is hysterical as Skwizgar tries to tune his guitar, and then, one by one, every member of the band goes in to try to tune what guitars remain. Granted this isn't worth the hefty bounty hunter price of $100 US or more, these songs, with the exception of "Pickles Intro" and, for most, "Kill You", are worth it for the die hard fans who must have these tracks in their collection, but it's probably easier to find these tracks on a retail MP3 web site by now. The Dethalbum by Dethklok is a very solid death metal album that many will overlook simply because this acts more as a soundtrack to a show that, some, feel only enhance the negative stereotypes about metal. While, no, this show is not as deep to show how wrong stereotypes can be as some episodes of South Park could be, the music is what it's really all about, and these full length cuts of the congs are enough to make you bang your head and want to mosh wherever you're at. Easily one of the best Death Metal releases in a while.
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