Dethklok - Dethalbum IV (2023)^{Release ID: 46915}

Refreshingly Brütal

I didn't realize until I was presented with Dethalbum IV how long it has been since Metalocalypse went off the air. I still have fond memories of the show and alongside video games like Brütal Legend, opened up my world of heavy metal music during my final years of high school.

Then out of nowhere, Brendon Small announced one final hurrah for Metalocalypse, which would include a new soundtrack, which includes some of Dethklok's most brutal death metal of their career.

I know a lot of metal fans today who could not get into Dethklok back in the day because of how corny it was. Well Dethalbum IV is the closest to straightforward melodic death metal than the band has ever sounded. Tracks such as "SOS", "Bloodbath" and "Aortic Desecration" have huge choruses and instrumental backdrops, while never stepping too far outside of the melo-death formula that Dethklok are known for. It still has its cornier moments for sure; the revving up of a lawnmower on the opener "Gardener of Violence" and the closer "Murmaider III" with its slower pace and shout interjections, but they feel fewer and farther between than ever before.

The percussion sounds great and the snare drum provides a big punch as to why these songs hit with authority. Normally the power of the snare drum is overwhelming, but here it seems to be mixed very well, not to mention the very subtle double bass drum that keeps intensity high throughout most of the records runtime.

The record runs short and that works to Dethablum IV's benefit, as nothing feels like filler. Every track serves a purpose and it never feels like songs are stepping beyond the boundaries of their runtime; every song is unique. Even lesser cuts like "DEADFACE" have their own presence in the construction of this album and I really appreciated this. It would be easy for a soundtrack album to mindlessly chug along, but that is far from the case here.

Dethalbum IV sends Dethklok and Metalocalypse off on a high note and proves to me more than anything else that Brendon Small cares very much about the music he makes. What's more important though is that I now have Brendon's name on a list for names to watch out for in the future. And that's pretty brutal.

Best Songs: Aortic Desecration, Mutilation on a Saturday Night, Bloodbath, I am the Beast, SOS