UMUR "Dethalbum III" is as the title suggests the 3rd full-length studio album by US metal act Dethklok. The album was released through Williams Street Records in October 2012. It´s the successor to "Dethalbum II" from 2009 and continues the virtual band concept of the first two albums (Dethklok is a band in the animated tv-series "Metalocalypse"). The lineup still consists of Brendon Small who performs all vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, voice-overs, and handles production and prolific drummer Gene Hoglan (Dark Angel, Death, Strapping Young Lad, Fear Factory...etc.). Charting at number 10 on the Billboard 200 chart, "Dethalbum III" was a very successful release for Dethklok.

Stylistically the material on "Dethalbum III" continues the melodic death metal style of the predecessor, although Dethklok do try out new musical elements. A track like "Starved" for example features sharp angular riffs and rhythms, and a jazz/fusion style guitar solo, not completely unlike a less complex version of Meshuggah. Dethklok weren´t the most original act to begin with (the cartoon image yes...the music, not so much), so they should be evaluated more for the quality of their output than the uniqueness of said output. And there´s nothing wrong with the quality of the material on "Dethalbum III", which are both well performed, catchy, and powerful. Everything on the album reeks class, including the professional and detailed sound production.

If you enjoyed the first two releases by Dethklok, this is another similar sounding release of an equal quality to add to your collection. This is as good a place as any to be introduced to Dethklok too, and fans of melodic death metal are definitely recommended to take a listen. The album is loaded with melodic harmony guitar parts, powerful drumming, and hard edged riffing, and add to that some well performed effect laden growling vocals, and there´s just so much quality here. A 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.

Warthur With each passing Dethklok release, the cartoon metal band feels less like a parody and more like a credible metal force in its own right. The vocals are still comedic ("I Ejaculate Fire", need I say more?), but at the same time the joke there is wearing thin and I suspect the participants know this, with the instrumental backing exploring a broader range of metal styles. Whilst melodic death metal is still the baseline, excursions into other forms occur - there's some segments of Starved, for instance, where black metal seems to be creeping into the picture. Some metalheads will never take Dethklok seriously, but one thing is for sure: Dethklok certainly take metal seriously.