Metalocalypse-Season 3 (Blu-ray) (2006) |
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Metalocalypse-Season 3 (Blu-ray) (2006) |
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| BUY IT |
| General | Extras | ||
| Category | Animation |
Deleted Scenes-Deleted and Extended Scenes Music Video-Music Videos Easter Egg-Easter Eggs |
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| Rating |
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| Year Of Production | 2006 | ||
| Running Time | 217:00 | ||
| RSDL / Flipper | No/No | Cast & Crew | |
| Start Up | Menu | ||
| Region Coding | 4 | Directed By |
Jon Schnepp Chris Prynoski Mark Brooks Tommy Blacha |
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Studio
Distributor |
 Madman Entertainment |
Starring |
Brendon Small Tommy Blacha |
| Case | ? | ||
| RPI | $39.95 | Music |
Brendon Small Felipe Salazar Damon P. Yoches |
| Video | Audio | ||
| Pan & Scan/Full Frame | Full Frame | English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (448Kb/s) | |
| Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 1.85:1 | ||
| 16x9 Enhancement |
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| Video Format | 1080p | ||
| Original Aspect Ratio | 1.85:1 | Miscellaneous | |
| Jacket Pictures | No | ||
| Subtitles | None | Smoking | Yes |
| Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
| Action In or After Credits | Yes | ||
Now having run for over three years, Metalocalypse sustains its absurdist humor and potent over-the-top parody but feels frustratingly lacking across this season; questions about the underlying plot - of which the main characters are oblivious to - are not answered, especially that of their manager (which the title of this set "The Dead Man" refers to) who is a part of a grand conspiracy and series of events which we see only glimpses of but nothing more. The lack of development of this mythology is unsatisfying, especially after the triumphant end of Season 2, and makes the wearing antics of the band even more tiresome. Episodes that reprise characters' annoying behavior or background offer little new, but make the better episodes - such as the late season Rockzo-focused Deathzazz or tribute-band satiring Tributeklok - more notable.
The best episode in the set is the finale, Doublebookedklok aka "The Dead Man", which is equally as enjoyable as it is frustrating; the phenomenal suggestion that the band members are all as messed up as they are because of a lack of father figures, and their subsequent dependence on their manager, is brought into centre stage when their idiotic antics nearly cause World War III. It's a great mix of the humor, music and character that we expect from the series but still doesn't go far enough in nailing the psychology of the band members, nor of showing us behind the scenes with Charles Offdensen, or delivering upon the intriguing mythology that the show has established over the years. Its cliffhanger scene is fascinating but aggravating, answering none of the big questions posed.
This BD set offers the entire third season on one disc completely uncensored, again a mixed blessing. The complete and uninterrupted opening and closing sequences for each episode are great, but the lack of censorship on the swearing and the surprising graphic nudity doesn't really enhance the experience. Nathan's constant bleeping is much better for comedic effect, as is never having to have seen Murderface's genitals. Fortunately the audio and video are fantastic, even if the extras are negligible, and for many Australian fans this is the only way they can actually acquire the show to view. Let's just hope that the next season will offer more for fans.
I have never before watched an Adult Swim Blu-ray and was blown away by the quality of the 1080p HD video transfer on display here. Long gone is the washed-out colours and agonising interlacing, with bright flourising images and strong dark tones that make the series a joy to watch.
The only real issue with the transfer quality is that it's maybe too good - you can see all the problems with the cheaper animation used on the show because of the high resolution and quality of the transfer. Also, with this uncensored set, there's so much grotesque nasty that you can see with high detail that the video transfer may occasionally make you sick - but that's all in good fun! As with previous sets there are English subtitles, and they are excellent. Considering how hard it can be to make out some lines of strongly-accented dialogue, as well as the awesome metal lyrics, these are sometimes essential to the viewing experience. You're just not getting the entire metal experience if you don't hear every line that rolls off Skwisgaar Shwigelf's tongue.
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Metalocalypse sounds perfect - this is a flawless mix of music, dialogue and effects, something that is essential for a TV series about musicians, but the quality is a new highbar for me personally. Ideally played loud, LOUD, all of Dethklok's wonderful death metal is given the fan-desired treatment with full surround and thumping bass. Scenes with crowds use the rear speakers well and everything works together to make for a really, really impressive soundtrack, far above that of the Season 1 DVD set I've reviewed previously.
The soundtrack is performed by show creators Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha and features some of the most brutal melodic death metal you'll ever hear, ever - excellent to hear it giving the treatment it deserves here.
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| Overall | |
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
The video and audio transfers are both very exemplary, with the video transfer maybe too good for the source material!
Time-wise there are a lot of extras, though I would have preferred more in the way of commentary and actual behind-the-scenes looks.
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| Review Equipment | |
| DVD | Sony Playstation 3 (HDMI 1.3) with Upscaling, using Component output |
| Display | Philips 47PFL9732D 47-inch LCD . Calibrated with Digital Video Essentials (PAL). This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p. |
| Audio Decoder | Logitech 5500 THX. |
| Amplification | "Onkyo TS-656" |
| Speakers | Logitech 5500 THX |