Back in the olden days - when I had hair - I spent a portion of my misspent youth wearing leather jackets and ripped jeans, continually watching films like The Crow, liking bands such as Black Sabbath and going to the Monsters of Rock Festival (don’t laugh - I went to art college, and this was all part of the course). So being introduced to this show by one of the guys I work with was like taking a trip down metal memory lane…

For those who you who haven’t seen the show (or indeed heard the insane soundtrack), Metalocalypse is an adult cartoon based on an imaginary death metal band called ‘Dethlok’. Drawn in a similar way as Beavis and Butthead, King of the Hill and the aforementioned Venture Bros, the show which is shown in the states on ‘Adult Swim’ was created by Tommy Blacha and Brendon Small, both of whom are confirmed metal-heads, and whose combined CV has seen the duo work on shows such as WWE, Conan O’Brien and numerous animated skits on SNL.

The show - as you would expect from creators with such a ‘pedigree’ - is aimed directly at a mature-slacker market, Kevin Smith influenced geeks like me who like their trash TV with 101 pop references. The show provides this in spades, poking fun at the heavy metal market and parodying the cults that have surrounded these types of bands.

In the show, Dethlok are the world’s most popular band, making millions from legions of hypnotized and slightly crazy followers (and having the GDP of a super-power nation). Consisting of an insane set of band members which includes the generic death metal front-man Nathan Explosion (who looks uncannily similar to Henry Rollins), Toki Wartooth and Skwisgaar Skwigelf ( two Nordic guitarists who resemble the members of bands like Dragonforce), Pickles (an insane and inbred drummer) and finally William Murderface (a bassist who would not look out of place in Judas Priest or Motorhead).

The band's adventures take the boys from the depths of the ocean floor (to get a heavier bass sound) to outer space to every corner of the globe (in their preferred mode of transport, the ‘Hatred-copter').

Added to all this madness and metal mayhem is the fact that the band themselves are unintentionally the harbingers of a supernatural apocalypse or ‘ Metalocalypse ’, a prophecy that means that whenever they play a gig, the results are usually a bloodbath, and have ranged from legions of fans' faces melting by guitar solos, being unintentionally crushed by collapsing city-sized stage sets, and having hundreds of adoring music lovers being cut to pieces by a laser show that involved industrial-strength lasers.

Even with all this gore and insanity around them, the band's commitment to Metal means they are oblivious to the mayhem they cause, and more interested in producing their unique (well, unique as a death metal band can be) tracks. These include ‘Thunderhorse’, ‘ Murmaider’ and numerous songs that feature metal clichés, such as tales of lost Vikings, blood-letting and Lovecraft-esque sea monsters.

As well as hilariously accurate parodies of these types of band the show also has the hidden benefit of ‘spot the guest voice or guitar solo’, and over its past two seasons the show has had numerous special guests starring in minor parts or contributing in some way to the soundtrack: metal luminaries such as Mike Patton (Faith No More), Kirk Hammett (Metallica) and even legend King Diamond have lent their vocal talents or musical expertise to the show.

Finally - and most impressive of all - the entire ‘band’ have released not only an album (The Dethalbum) but have also gone on tour a la the Gorillaz. The ironic thing is that the album itself is actually a lot better than a lot of death metal bands out there and parodies such ‘popular’ death bands as Amon Amrath, Entombed, and Children of Bodom so well that at times it is very tricky to tell them apart.

So if you like your metal full of brain-dead band members, Viking hordes, ancient Celtic myths, comedic hell-fuelled prophecies and riffs that will make your fingers bleed, check out the series which is available on region 1 DVD.