There's a fine line between being funny and being a joke. Thankfully, the debut album from Dethklok, the band at the core of Adult Swim's hit animated series Metalocalypse lands squarely in the former category. Performed by series co-creator Brendon Small (Tommy Blacha is Small's creative partner)--with a lot of help from metal drum legend Gene Hoglan (Death Angel, Strapping Young Lad)--songs such as "Birthday Dethday," "Face Fisted," and "Awaken" tap into the unapologetic musical brutality of death metal, while highlighting the often confusing ambiguity of the genre's lyrics. Progressive taxes ("Detharmonic"), the disappointment and seemingly endless cycle of higher education ("Go Forth and Die"), and the obligatory kiss-off to moist-palmed computer geeks who spew vitriol from the safety of Internet chat rooms ("Fansong"), provide the fodder for Small's hilarious, subtle, intelligent and highly quotable lyrics. Make no mistake: The Dethalbum isn't going to supplant your favorite At the Gates or Slayer recordings, but it will provide hours of amusement and joy--perhaps the very enemy of death metal itself, perhaps the very thing that makes Metalocalypse one of the funniest shows on cartoon TV these days and Dethklok the truest rock band since Spinal Tap. --Jedd Beaudoin

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