Dethrecord

"Dethrecord" is the eighteenth episode of the second season of Metalocalypse, thirty-eighth overall. It aired on August 31, 2008.

Synopsis
Terrorists threaten to blow up a massive atomic bomb if Dethklok doesn't announce a new album soon. The band rushes to complete the new record, and make it just in time, eating a whole lot of French toast in the process.

Plot
A TV announcer gives the news that fans are becoming restless for Dethklok's new album. An insurgent group of fans stole a nuclear device and threatened to detonate if they don't hear news of the new album being made. Other fans vandalized Mt. Rushmore and wrote "when?" on the side. The tension is thick and world violence could erupt in expectation for the announcement. It would be disastrous if Dethklok failed to meet the deadline they promised. The news ticket reads: "South America has been ruled out as possible Dethklok concert site. Search continues for possible underwater locations. Government officials express grave concern over the fact that Dethklok fans have obtained a ten megaton nuclear warhead. No urban megastructure in the world can withstand an explosion of this size, not eve-"

60 days left
At the Mordhaus recording studio Pickles is drumming with passion but Knubbler asks tells him there was a buzz so they didn't record it right and they have to do it over. Pickles starts again but Nathan interrupts him to say something sounds off and to do it better. Pickles angrily replies that he'd like to smash Nathan's face in and the vocalist responds that's the right attitude. Jean Pierre brings French toast for the band and Knubbler and they start eating without Pickles, Nathan telling him he'll get some when they're done recording. Pickles wants to get it done, but Knubbler says the microphone placement is wrong. Pickles threatens to kill Knubbler and the music engineers says that no one else is complaining like he is, and the rest of the band is shown eating French toast contentedly.

The next person to record is Skwisgaar and the odd buzzing is still happening. Knubbler deduces that for some reason the buzzing only happens when Skwisgaar touches his guitar with his feet on the ground, but when other people touch the guitar or Skwisgaar jumps the buzzing stops. Skwisgaar thinks there is no way to record his parts but Knubbler says he has a solution. Meanwhile, Nathan is lying on the couch trying to think of concepts and lyrics, including "murder squirter" and "mur-ter". A klokateer informs his that a package has arrived from England, with the return address as "Camelot". Nathan gets excited and says that he can finally start recording.

Outside of Mordhaus Murderface tries to conspire with Toki to complain about being shut out of the writing process again while Toki plays with a portable console. He says that him and Toki could save the band since they're brimming with idea while Nathan is struggling with writer's block. Toki asks him what they're going to write about and Murderface gives examples like food, taking it easy and taking a sh*t. Toki says "there are no songs about takin' it easy" and this gives Murderface an idea.

Nathan tries to record his songs while wearing a full suit of medieval armor and Knubbler interrupts the recording to say that the clanking is interfering with the song. Nathan tells him to edit out the sound of his armor but Knubbler can't so he tries to convince Nathan to take off the armor or stop shaking the mace around. Nathan corrects him on the name of the weapon, saying it's a morningstar and refuses to part with it. He suggests putting the entire band in suits of armor, but Knubbler doesn't seem taken with the idea. Skwisgaar comes in (and the buzzing commences) to do the idea that Knubbler talked about earlier. Nathan thinks they're going to buy food so he says he wants Indian, Toki wants sushi and Pickles wants French toast since he didn't any last time. Skwisgaar says they're not buying food, they're recording his guitar part and it will be the most dangerous thing he's ever done. When Toki worriedly asks him why he would do something dangerous, Skwisgaar answers "Because I ams a tones chaser". Nathan comments it would have been funnier if Skwisgaar said he was a squirrel chaser instead.

The most dangerous recording session
Knubbler and Skwisgaar go high on the Dethkopter and Knubbler instructs Skwisgaar to record his songs on the way down. Skwisgaar jumps and performs impressively, with two klokateers behind him holding the amp. Later Toki is trying to learn how to record on his own and he accidentally deletes Skwisgaar's tracks. In a panic, he tries to record them again himself, but finds them too hard and yells at his fingers for being slow and stupid. When Knubbler and Skwisgaar come back to the studio Skwisgaar wants to hear his tracks again because he's proud of how well it came out. Toki walks in and tries to prevent them from finding out his mistake by inviting them to lunch, but to no avail. Knubbler plays the track and it's immediately obvious that the discordant noise is not what was recorded at all. Skwisgaar glares accusingly at Toki, who breaks down and starts to cry and apologize, pleading to not be kicked out of the band and even offering to fellatio him. This surprised Skwisgaar and he tells Toki to pull himself together. Knubbler also apologizes, saying he should have backed up the session and Toki immediately shifts the blame to him. Knubbler says he would do well to be quiet and tells Skwisgaar they're going to have to record off the helicopter again.

Takin' it easy
At night, Charles informs Pickles, Nathan and Skwisgaar that Murderface and Toki have a song they would like them to look at. He advices them to say something nice even if they don't like it. Murderface tries to butter up his bandmates by serving them coffee and offering them steaming hot towels and make them as comfortable as possible. He asks them to not give any comments until the very end but the three keep asking questions, like how "takin'" is spelled with an apostrophe and who engineered it. Murderface gets mad since he thinks the momentum is broken and tells everyone to shut up and listen to the song.

At the end of the song the three are basically speechless, though Nathan manages to blurt out that it's "great" and Pickles says "you really nailed it". Murderface asks if they want to hear it again and they refuse and then he says that since they obviously liked it is should go on the record. Nathan refuses and Skwisgaar says it doesn't sound like a Dethklok song. Murderface starts insulting them and Toki suggests to quit while they're ahead and still have a chance (Nathan says they have no chance). Murderface starts angrily ranting and then he notices Pickles is recording him on his phone. Pickles apologizes and puts his phone away. Since none of the lead songwriters in Dethklok are interested in Takin' it Easy, Murderface will take it for Planet Piss. Hearing this, Toki asks if this means he is part of Planet Piss, since he co-wrote and engineered the song. Murderface denies it and calls him greedy, prompting Toki to threaten to throw the whole basket of hot towels at him.

After this the recording process goes smoothly and there is a short montage of Dethklok recording interjected with five planets and Mr. Salacia. After two months a TV reporter says that millions of Dethklok fans have gathered outside of Mordhaus, waiting for the smokes in the chimneys to turn from white to black, meaning the new album is complete. The episode ends when the smoke rising turns black.

Songs featured in this episode

 * "Takin' It Easy"

Trivia

 * Camelot is the castle and court associated with King Arthur, and its exact whereabouts have never been confirmed. Though it's possible that Nathan ordered his armor off a medieval fantasy company called Camelot.
 * Nathan is wearing 13th century style plate armor.
 * In actuality, Nathan's weapon is neither a mace nor a morning star, but a flail.
 * Murderface's displeasure at being shut out as a contributor to Dethklok also comes up in Cleanso and Dethsiduals.
 * The music video for Murderface and Toki's "Takin' It Easy" refers to the Nazi German airship LZ 129 that crashed over Lakehurst, New Jersey on May 6, 1937 for unknown reasons as "der Hindenburg". However, the zeppelin is generally considered female in German language and should therefore rather read "die Hindenburg". (Note: 'der' and 'die' are articles in German grammar which i.a. differentiates between male (der), female (die - not the verb) and pretty genderless (das).)
 * Skwisgaar parachute has the Gibson logo, his favourite guitar company (and his sponsors).
 * This episode may have given a first glimpse into Mr. Salacia's place of residence, during the ending montage.
 * Symbolically, the blood moon that Salacia stares up at may have mythological allusions, as it's said to represent ill omens and 'a sign of the beginning of the end times'.
 * People waiting to know news via smoke signal is a reference to the papal conclave, when cardinals in the Vatican elect a new pope. Black smoke means there was no agreement, white smoke means a new pope was elected.