The Show
Try to imagine The Monkees on crystal meth (not that we condone that kind of thing) and you'll start to get an idea what the animated series Metalocalypse, airing as part of Cartoon Network's late-night [adult swim] block of programming, is all about. It follows the adventures of Dethklok, a death-metal band so ludicrously popular that the entire global economy hinges upon the announcement of each new album or live concert.
Not surprisingly, they are rather greedy, shallow and self-absorbed, living a life--all together in a floating palace--that few could even dream of. The recently completed Season Three brings more of the bad behavior and loud music that their fans (both real and within the context of the show) have been waiting for, with running subplots about the return of their dead manager and the comeback of the lascivious, washed-up star Dr. Rockso.
Be warned, these ten episodes are most definitely uncensored, with words and images you've probably never heard or seen animated before, and possibly not even in real life, come to think of it.
The Picture
Preserving the show's 1.78:1 aspect ratio, this high-def presentation shows strong colors throughout, but most notably in the flashback hues surrounding Dr. Rockso. There is some fine detail, in the faux textures and the fizzing of a glass of champagne and such, but the video also suffers from an unwelcome twitch in fine lines during camera moves, and a ringing in what should be smooth transitions of light, as well as a bit of stair-stepping.
The Sound
The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix is subtle but smart, not merely shifting some front-channel audio to the rears but using all five speakers and the subwoofer together to create a discrete pleasingly unified soundfield. There's a well-produced "live" metal performance in every episode, interesting use of the rears for haunting voices, and instances of impressive directionality, as when a truck drives from front to back. Not exactly demo quality but certainly better than expected.
The Extras
There are more than a dozen deleted scenes, although strangely not indicated as such, just listed by the title of each. The video quality varies but they appear to be finished animation, with two-channel Linear PCM audio. There are also complete music videos for five different Dethklok songs, all in HD, again in Linear PCM stereo. Each of the songs is preceded by cautionary text calling out the flashing images within which might pose a hazard to some viewers. The thought of the band's music triggering an epileptic seizure is horrible, and yet very much in keeping with Dethklok's badass reputation.
Final Thoughts
Metalocalypse is a musical, it's a comedy, but the only thing it has in common with Glee is the creators' dedication to the tunes as well as the laughs, for a debauchery-filled party that plays well on Blu-ray.
Product Details
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