Dethklok - Dethalbum III [2LP Colored]

Dethklok, the cartoon band that became a genuine metal force, deliver their heaviest blow on Dethalbum III, the 2012 album here pressed across two colored vinyl LPs.

Created by Brendon Small for Adult Swim's Metalocalypse, Dethklok were always a joke with deadly serious chops. Small writes the songs, sings as frontman Nathan Explosion and plays most of the guitars, with metal heavyweight Gene Hoglan behind the kit. By the third album the line between parody and the real thing had all but vanished, and the record crashed into the top ten of the Billboard 200.

"Crush the Industry" sets the tone with a pummelling, sarcastic swipe at the music business, while "Andromeda" and "The Galaxy" chase the band's love of cosmic, sci-fi sized riffs. Small's guitar work is fast and melodic, Hoglan's drumming is pure precision, and the production, shared between Small and Ulrich Wild, gives everything a huge, polished punch.

There is still plenty of dark humour in the lyrics, but the playing is no gag. This is melodic death metal built to stand up next to anything else on the shelf.

For Metalocalypse fans and metalheads who missed the show, it is a loud, brutal and very good time.