Dethklok : "Dethalbum IV"

 

The funniest thing about Metalocalypse is the premise they exist in  a reality where a knock off of Cannibal Corpse is the biggest band ever. The band that brings Dethklok  to life has Gene Hoglan on the drums, so they sound legit. The show's creator is also the musical mastermind of the band, but 48 year old Brendon Small might not have shown up to the studio as inspired as he did with past releases.  This project has largely run off the gimmick of the show, yet previous releases were  solid death metal with catchy songs.  These guys are not being given a pass due to the fact they are making music for a cartoon, if you released an album it needs to hold up against what other artists in your genre are doing.   For an album that has been ten years in the making the songwriting this time around things feel a little more dialed in and too sonically uniform. Does this touch the new Obituary or Frozen Soul? No by a long shot. There are few guitar melodies that help the songs stand out , but it's pretty color by numbers. 

Cool riffs are mustered up here and there, but the rule  is cool riffs alone do not make a good song. There are bands like Horrendous and Cattle Decapitation  doing death metal better and without the aid of a cartoon. "Bloodbath" provides much of the melodic death metal guitar work that is going to wow people too young or versed in the genre to know any better. It lacks the hooks from the vocals to make this interesting and seems like an obligatory soundtrack. By the time we get to "I am the Beast' this album is already boring the hell out of me. I listen to at least a hundred new death metal albums a year and for as long as these guys have been doing this the fact they are not doing more to stand out from the pack, even for the sake of the characters on the show, tells me they are just punching the clock here. Sure it is well produced and well executed but that should be the bare minimum when it comes to expectations of a professional band. 

"Horse of Fire" might be the first song that I like on this album. It's melodically interesting and everything has a purpose in the song. "DEADFACE" finds them trying to enter into the album's redemptive arc with another song that holds up when weighed against the current state of death metal and being relevant beyond a show. "Satellite Bleeding" also proves it's worth and a great deal falls on how deliberate the vocal delivery is. 'SOS' tries to go for a bigger more epic sound, but it does not hook me in as much as the previous song. The last song which is the third version of "Murmaider" is more deliberate and works well for what they are doing. I will give this album an 8, midway things pick up and the bulk of the worthwhile songs are not until the second half. There is to their credit no questions that they are capable players and this is well crafted album, even it it feels geared to pick up a check that ten years late. .