Metal Underground.com

After two very successful seasons on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, two albums of music, and real tours in support of the releases, creators Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha have given the world a third season of Metalocalypse on DVD. Constantly breaking ground in television programming, animated death metal band Dethklok is back and pushing the boundaries on everything: wild ways to accidentally kill fans, brutal interior design, and making death metal heavier.

The past two seasons saw Dethklok endorsing coffee, hosting a demolition derby, hosting a violently disastrous fashion show, and getting band therapy, among other things. This season, the boys are doing everything from making a European ad for Pentuplemint Gum to joining their own tribute band, putting on a Christmas special, suing each other, exploring new concert technology, sponsoring Dr. Rockzo’s band Zazz Blammymatazz’s reunion, and nearly starting World War III by double-booking a show in Israel and Syria. Charles Offdensen, the band manager, is back, as well as producer Dick Knubbler, Dr. Rockzo the Rock n Roll Clown, psychologist John Twinkletits, and the cryptic war counsel constantly watching over the band.

In previous seasons, voice talents were occasionally supplied by real metal bands for some of the characters. This season, notable voice actors are the Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl, actor Mark Hamill, guitarists Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, Kiss’s Ace Frehley, Slash, actor Malcolm McDowell, Anthrax’s Scott Ian, Mastodon, Enslaved, and Metallica’s Kirk Hammett. Comedian Brian Posehn also co-writes with Brendon Small on an episode. Creators Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha are still men of a million voices, doing most of the character voices themselves.

The abundance of new Dethklok songs written for this season is very impressive, with more than ten songs. The tracks include an epic three-part suite in an episode dedicated to Pickles’ experience with forced rehab and being replaced by an occasionally violently self-aware drum machine. The lyrics cover such things as neutering pets, Murderface’s rant about why life should be easy, and Skwisgaar’s identity crisis over whether he’s a man or a god. Toki’s bizarre psychedelic music videos are also in full effect, with a techno-trance ode to his cat and a modern pop song about the lady of his dreams (complete with a parody of auto-tuning.) The band travels to places like St. Necrophagist hospital, Hotel Suffocation, Iced Earth skating rink, Immortal Records, and the fan favorite Dimmu Burger, and plays shows in Mozambique and Tokyo.

The storylines are given room to expand and the characters to develop in the show’s new half-hour format. This season, we see how Toki developed his attachment for clowns and fear of bicentennial quarters, why Pickles started drinking, Skwisgaar’s life as an ordinary Swedish lumberjack, how Skwisgaar became a guitar god, and just how many projects Murderface can fail at. Among these projects is a short-lived attempt at managing rap metal band “Get Thee Hence” on Murdertooth Records with Toki after getting kicked out of Dethklok.

Season III really dives into the character of Dr. Rockzo as we experience firsthand his history of pedophilia while with the band “Zazz Blammymatazz,” his times in jail as the bitch of his cellmate, and his love for Skwisgaar’s mother, Sirfetta Skwigelf. To commemorate the pedophilia incident that started Rockzo’s descent into drugs, we get to hear a song about “Dori McCleen, And She Only Fourteen.” He still does cocaine – as well as coffee creamer.

“Season III: The Dead Man,” gives Dethklok fans more of what they love to see, and still manages to be accessible to new audiences by blending inside jokes with real story and character development that any metalhead can relate to. The world’s most brutal death metal band just got even more brutal, and is now available in Blu-Ray format with a slew of bonus features and music videos. Some of the bonus features are useless, but fun, just like past seasons when we got to see Pickles drunk-dialing room service after a night of drinking, drugs, and sex with groupies. This season, you can find Pickles drunk at an amusement park, Nathan Explosion and Skwisgaar ordering food from a drive-thru, Toki making snacks, Murderface calling an escort, and a tour of the backgrounds used in Metalocalypse with your guide, Facebones.