Genre - Melodic Death Metal
When looking for a good album to start listening to Metal with, you would be surprised to be recommended a band that is labeled as Death Metal. However, Dethklok is not what you would call your average band. In fact, they could be called two bands even. The first band is the "fake" one that is shown on the Cartoon Network TV Show "Metalocalypse". In the show, the band is the world's greatest cultural force and the 7th biggest economy (including countries). The real Dethklok, is and Gene Hoglan (drummer) and one of producers of the show, Brendon Small (everything else when in the studio).
Now, unlike last album review, I won't be revewing every song individually, since there are 15 songs (16 if you count the hidden track, 23 if you get the deluxe bonus disc). Instead I will be describing some of my favourite tracks and the overall feel of the album.
Now when reviewing this album, there are two distinct parts to look at. The music itself, and the lyrics. The lyrics are what show some of the true genius of the writers, bordering on the line of Metal and Parody. With "Mermaider" listing 8 item long lists of weapons multiple times, or in "Fansong" : "You're a bunch of banks | That I like to rob | You're my online cash transactions | You're my future stocks.", it is the musical genius behind these songs has done exactly what he wanted to. And despite what you expect from Metal, the lyrics are not hard to understand (or maybe I just listen to enough Metal to understand them easily). As is expected, the lyrics don't have any real message in them, but it's just their to have a good time, which, assuming you understand the lyrics, is easily delivered.
The music, on the other hand, is what you would expect of Metal. A personal favourite of mine is "Thunderhorse", which some of you will recognize from Guitar Hero II. It combines the right amount of epic without being too repetitive, and most importantly, it doesn't rely just on being loud. This type of musical pattern follows in most of the other songs as well, without being repetitive throughout the whole album, which is always a plus.
Now fans of the show should already have the album, but if you don't, it should be on you Must Get list. A majority of these songs are songs that are either referenced in the show or songs where a small portion of the song is played. This album will not only give you the full version of every song (from Season 1), so downloading it is a must. For those who have not watched the show, I would recommend it as well if you enjoy listening to this album.
Overall - As a jumping off point for Metal, you can't go wrong with this album. In fact, even if you listen to Metal this is a must listen. Strong vocal skills, amazing drums skills, and lyrics that make you laugh on the inside while you listen to them make this a great album. - 9/10
It's also important to note that "The Dethalbum 2" is coming out September 29, so if you at all enjoyed this, picking that up should be a no brainer (or you can wait till I review to make sure it is good).
