Reviewing a Dethklok album is a tricky proposition. On one hand, this is ostensibly a joke. The band are in fact a group of animated cartoon characters and band members, which are the principals in Adult Swim cartoon Metalocalypse, which is about a death metal band that become the most popular musical act in the world. It could be an afterthought, an auxiliary to the show and nothing more, and with song titles like "I Ejaculate Fire" it would be easy to dismiss it out of turn. However, this would ignore the fact that Metalocalypse mastermind Brendon Small is incredibly musically talented and that the production and recording of the album (co-produced by Ulrich Wild, with art by Antonia Canobbio) is intelligent, professional and entirely serious. The result is a record that mocks itself relentlessly, poking fun at everything from the genre to the music business as a whole, as on "Crush The Industry." It's a smart and self-aware kind of humour that succeeds brilliantly because the music is also absolutely solid. The relentless double-kick can't help but energize the listener, and the infectiously catchy and melodic riffing recalls the best and most theatrical of Cradle of Filth or Children of Bodom. While fans of the show will certainly get extra layers of inference out of Dethalbum III, the most amazing thing about it is, all on its own, it stands as a hilarious and skilful example of the genre. (Williams Street)
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