Recap / Strong Bad Email E 141 Death Metal

Airdate: Monday, January 16, 2006

Sender: Dane, Corvallis OR

Strong Bad: Email, ah ooh, ooh, ooh ah ooh, email.

Dane from Oregon is in a death metal band at school ("You must go to a pretty cool school!! Most schools just have a marching band, or maybe a jazz ensemble. But a death metal band? That's extracurriculariffic!"), and wants to know if Strong Bad has any ideas for words that sound cool "when you scream 'em at the top of your lungs". Strong Bad goes one step further and gives Dane a few overall pointers on death metal.

1. The first factor of being a death metal artist is appearance. If "Dane" really wants to nail the role, he'd better be either ugly or fat. "The gift of death metal does not smile on the good looking. If there's any doubt, go ahead and hot-glue some corn flakes to your face."
2. Next up, nearly all death metal groups have a Nordic background. "I'm no geographist, but I don't think Oregon is anywhere near Scandinavia, which seems to be the only place left where death metal will get you any chicks."
3. Regarding lyrics, screaming at the top of your lungs is more of a hair metal thing, as Strong Bad demonstrates with a brief video chat with Larry Palaroncini. Death metal lyrics should be screamed "from the bowels of your lungs", and involve words like "decay", "deranged", "decrepit", and... "delouse". Pretty much any word that starts with "d-e" works, with a few exceptions:
   (cut to a Teen Girl Squad scene with a band playing on the stage)
   Singer: Dentist!
   Back-Up: Jugga jigga wugga!
   Singer: Deli-style!
   Back-Up: Jugga jigga wugga!
   (cut back to Strong Bad)
   Strong Bad: (in a TGS voice) That was Brainkrieg. They got last place.

After a brief recap ("ugly, Nordic, bowels, d-e words") and a demonstration on posing with Strong Mad ("hunch all up on yourself, pretend you're holding a mystical orb in each hand, and let the evil flow forth!"), Strong Bad shows how it all comes together on "The Half-Hour Death Metal Dungeon Hour", which features a clip from the video for Taranchula's latest song, "The Decoupage":

Strong Bad: Creeping... rusty... meat. Truly the heart and soul of all death metal. Except, now I feel like I really need to brush my teeth. Lookin' at all that rust. And beef. While I'm gone, complete this worksheet I've prepared for you aspiring death metal types. And, uh, careful with the hot-glue gun, Dane.
(Strong Bad heads out via the right side of the screen, while a mimeographed work sheet listing various words and the instructions "Which words would NOT be good death metal lyrics?" appears on screen. The Paper's customary "Click Here to Email Strong Bad" is at the bottom.)

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Tropes

• Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: While listing good "de-" words to use as death metal lyrics, Strong Bad lists "decay, deranged, decrepit, and... um... delouse".
• Brick Joke: Early on, Strong Bad remarks that schools usually have a marching band or jazz ensemble, and suggests hot-gluing cornflakes to your face in order to look like a death metal artist. An Easter egg at the end has Homestar walking into the TV room with cornflakes glued to his face and asking if he can try out for the jazz ensemble.
• Epic Fail: Brainkrieg's attempts at death metal lyrics got them "last place" in the Battle of the Crappy High School Bands.
• Free Prize at the Bottom: The box of "Corn Krunch" cereal Homestar is carrying in an Easter egg boasts "Free full-size alto saxophone inside!"
• Harsh Vocals: According to Strong Bad, death metal lyrics are screamed from the bowels of your lungs, as opposed to the top of your lungs.
• Hidden Depths: An Easter egg shows that Cheerleader is a fan of death metal, much to the surprise of What's-Her-Face.
  Cheerleader: I come for the wuggas, but stay for the jiggy juggas.
• Metal Scream: According to Strong Bad, "Screaming words at the top of your lungs is for people with blond hair. Ya know, words like 'tonite,' 'wooh-mon,' and the name of any street in L.A."
  Larry Palaroncini: Tonite! Wooh-mon! We'll be driving down Sepulveda! With the t-top down!
• Raising the Steaks: The "creeping rusty meat" from Taranchula's latest video is a literal version.
• Shout-Out:
  • Strong Mad's attempt at death metal lyrics is "DeVito! DENIRO! DELUISE!"
  • The video for "The Decoupage" is similar to the video for "Sober" by tool.

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(Homestar walks into the TV room with corn flakes glued to his face, holding a box of "Corn Krunch" cereal)
Homestar: Uh, hello? Is anybody here? I'm, uh, here to try out for the, uh, jazz ensemble.

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Singer: Deli-style!
Back-Up: Jugga jigga wugga!
Singer: De La Soul!
Back-Up: Jugga jigga wugga!
What's Her Face: Cheerleader! Are you here to see Brainkrieg?
Cheerleader: I come for the wuggas, but stay for the jiggy juggas.
Back-Up: Jugga jigga wugga!