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STUDIO: Cartoon Network
MSRP: $69.98
RATED: Not Rated
RUNNING TIME: 1200 minutes
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Interviews
Music Videos
Featurettes
The Pitch
The Norsemen perfect metal.
The Humans
Tommy Blacha, Brendon Small, Mark Hamill, Victor Brandt and Malcolm McDowell
The Nutshell
Brendan Small and Tommy Blacha discovered the world of metal after Home Movies ended. Their initial plan was to create a show about a band that was more popular than the Beatles. Somehow, they decided to make it a metal band whose albums determined the socio-economic future of the world. The two showrunners formed a band to back the group and thus Dethklok was born. Behold the Metalocalypse!
The Lowdown
Metal is life. When we meet Dethklok, it’s easy to see most modern metal bands in them. They approach their empire with an aloof grasp of its corporate nature. They know that their music determines how so many people live their lives. There’s an army of masked thugs that follow their every word. But, they’re dedicated to the music. Nothing’s too insane for them to try and no one’s too important to be sacrificed.
Metalocalypse began with the loud boom of Thunderhorse. This leads into the day-to-day life of History’s most famous metal band. Their cooks keep dying, women keep trying to screw with them and there’s a secret Cabal trying to control their every move. Meanwhile, they just want to find the lowest place on Earth. That way they can make the most hardcore metal sounds underwater. There’s something very Herzog about all of it.
What makes this show work is that you are brought into Dethklok’s world. When Dr. Rockso appears, he feels like some cocaine addled Krusty the Clown. A guy with history that has spent the past few decades snorting lines and boning groupies. When the members tour the world’s religions, we get to see that the sense of development goes beyond the supporting cast. These are people responding to a world that has yet to fully embrace the metal. Plus, it’s the most realistic depiction of the Church of Satan offered on American television.
The first season comes to DVD in a window-boxed format. The later seasons were presented in true widescreen with slightly sharper A/V Quality. I don’t know what factors into that, but it can’t be the runtime. Season 2 was also presented at the shorter 15 minute block, but the visual quality was much better. I hope that Adult Swim revisits this release, but I doubt it. They would’ve fixed the transfer issue on the first try. They’re usually pretty good about that.
The Package
The
DVD for the first season contains a top secret tour of the Dethklok lair dubbed Mordhaus. There’s a bunch of outtakes and deleted scenes. Plus, you get to take a look at the Murder Reel. The only way that the package could’ve been better is if an isolated score track was available for all of the episodes. This is probably the best release in the larger Adult Swim in a Box.