death metal

This article is about the Strong Bad Email. For the genre of music, see Heavy Metal.

Strong Bad Email #141

watch ← high school secret identity →

"...and let the evil flow forth."

Strong Bad instructs viewers on how to make an awesome death metal song.

Cast (in order of appearance): Strong Bad, Larry Palaroncini, Brainkrieg, Strong Mad, Taranchula, Homestar Runner (Easter egg), What's Her Face (Easter egg), Cheerleader (Easter egg), No "I" in Team Boy (Easter egg), A Goblin (Easter egg)

Places: Computer Room, Basement of the Brothers Strong

Computer: Lappy 486

Date: Monday, January 16, 2006

Running Time: 3:48

Page Title: Lappy 486

DVD: strongbad_email.exe Disc Five, Sbemails' 50 Greatest Hits DVD

Transcript

STRONG BAD: Email, ah ooh, ooh, ooh ah ooh, email. {reading}

subject: death metal

Dear Strong Bad,
I'm in this death metal band at my school, and I am in need
of some of your expert lyrical advice: what words sound
really cool when you scream 'em at the top of your lungs?
Dane
Corvallis, OR

{He says "Ding dong, string strong, bing bong" instead of "Dear Strong Bad."}

STRONG BAD: {typing} Whoa! 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! {clears screen} Now let's see, first, you'd better be ugly, Dane. 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. That'll do the trick. Now, 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. {clears screen} As for lyrics, you've got it all wrong! 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. {types "run 'webcam'"} Check it out! {clears screen. A window with a camera shot of Larry Palaroncini pops up.}

LARRY PALARONCINI: {sings the following lines, which appear below the shot under the screen name "ladeezluvlarry71"} tonight! wooh-mon! we'll be drivin' down Sepulveda with the t-top down?

STRONG BAD: {sarcastically} Thanks, Larry.

LARRY PALARONCINI: {the words continue to appear below Larry's image} no prob, Strong Bad. HEY! i'm gonna b online later on playing an MMORPG if you wanna join my guild!

STRONG BAD: Yeah, maybe.

LARRY PALARONCINI: no wait! {the text "you kicked ladeezluvlarry71 offline" appears in red. The window closes.}

STRONG BAD: {typing} So for death metal, you want to scream from the bowels of your lungs. The bowels! Words like, {in a deep, sinister voice, and with the words in green, spooky letters} 'decay,' 'deranged,' 'decrepit,' and um, 'delouse.' In fact, you really can't go wrong with anything that starts with d-e. 'Cept for maybe

{cut to the auditorium from Teen Girl Squad Issue 8, with a singer, bassist, and drummer on stage}

SINGER: Dentist!

BACK-UP: Jugga jigga wugga!

SINGER: Deli-style!

BACK-UP: Jugga jigga wugga!

{cut back to the Lappy}

STRONG BAD: {typing} {in Teen Girl Squad voice} That was Brainkrieg. They got last place. {in normal voice} So let's recap: ugly, Nordic, bowels, d-e words. Now all you gotta do is—

{cut to Strong Mad in the Basement}

STRONG BAD: — hunch all up on yourself, {Strong Mad gets down on his knee} pretend you're holding a mystical orb in each hand {Strong Mad holds out his hands and a circular outline appears in each} and let the evil flow forth.

{The scene darkens. The circular outlines fade away. A drum beat begins.}

STRONG MAD: {bounces up and down} DeVito. DE NIRO! DELUISE!! {cut back to the Lappy}

STRONG BAD: {typing, imitating drum beat} Broodle-broodle-broodle blap-biddle-baddle! Broodle-broodle-broodle blap-biddle-blap! Whoa! Boy, do I ever need a quadruple bass pedal. And now, let's watch how it all comes together on the Half-Hour Death Metal Dungeon Hour!

{Cut to the TV in the basement, on which the text "Half-Hour Death Metal Dungeon [Hour]" is seen. Strong Bad sits on the couch. Taranchula appears on the screen, along with their logo.}

TARANCHULA: {in pseudo-Scandinavian accents} Ja, we are Taranchula!

{logo disappears}

DAVE OLAFTENSTON: You just saw videos from Vinger, Schlaugh-ter and the Winnie Wincent Inwasion.

SCHENKEL MCDOO: Ja, now here's a sneak peek at our new wideo. {lifts tone as if asking a question}

{The TV cuts to the video. We see a screw on some rusty metal. Cut to another scene with rusty metal. Cut to a piece of beef slithering across rusty metal.}

TARANCHULA: You will submit to the decoupage!

{Cut to four screws, one of which moves around quickly.}

TARANCHULA: The death nail! ^[deathknell]
(Death nail!)

{Cut to the beef, which is stabbed by a nail and then bound with metal wires. The beef explodes.}

TARANCHULA: Down with the decoupage!

{Cut to the beef slithering over the rusty metal, this time in the opposite direction. Cut to Strong Bad on the couch.}

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.

{He goes offscreen to the right, while the worksheet floats to the front of the screen. The worksheet includes The Paper's customary "Click here to email Strong Bad" link at the bottom.}

Footnote

1. ^ This line might also be "death knell." A death knell is a church bell rung when somebody dies. The phrase is somewhat of a cliché in songs or poems about death. The phrase "death nail" might also be a pun on "death knell".

Easter Eggs

• Click on "fresh juice" at the end to see Homestar Runner come in looking for try-outs.

{Homestar Runner walks in, holding a box of corn flakes and with corn flakes glued to his face}

HOMESTAR RUNNER: Uh, hello? Is anybody here? I'm, uh, here to try out for the, uh, jazz ensemble.

• Click on "Corn Krunch" during the Easter egg to see a closeup of the cereal box which reads:

  Corn Krunch
  
  Free Full-size
  alto saxophone
  inside!!!

"I come for the wuggas, but stay for the jiggy juggas."

• Click on "deafening" at the end to see an extra Teen Girl Squad scene.

{cut to the auditorium from Teen Girl Squad Issue 8 again, with the singer and back-up on stage}

SINGER: Deli-style!

BACK-UP: Jugga jigga wugga!

SINGER: De La Soul!

BACK-UP: Jugga jigga wugga!

{Cut to What's Her Face and Cheerleader standing in the crowd. What's Her Face seems surprised and pleased to see Cheerleader}

WHAT'S HER FACE: Cheerleader! Are you here to see Brainkrieg?

CHEERLEADER: {wearing a shirt that says "de"} I come for the wuggas, but stay for the jiggy juggas.

BACK-UP: Jugga jigga wugga!

Fun Facts

Explanations

• Scandinavia is a group of countries in Northern Europe, comprising Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Iceland, where many successful Death and Black Metal bands originate from. Examples of accomplished Death Metal bands from the region include Dissection, In Flames and Amon Amarth.
• Sepulveda Boulevard is a major street in Los Angeles.
• MMORPG stands for "Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game", the most prominent examples of which are Everquest and World of Warcraft. Many MMORPGs include the option to create or join an organized team of players, most often referred to as a guild.
• Decoupage is the art of decorating an object by gluing colored paper bits onto it in combination with special paint effects, gold leaf, etc.
• Although there is no such thing as a quadruple bass pedal, a double bass pedal is a device used to play one bass drum with both feet, a technique which is practically mandatory for death metal drummers. In a particularly elaborate kit, such as that played by the drummer of Brainkrieg, there might be two differently-tuned bass drums, each with a double pedal, for a total of four pedals; this could be what Strong Bad means.
• "Krieg" is German for "war", often seen as part of the compound word blitzkrieg.
• A deltoid is a thick triangular muscle covering the shoulder joint, used to raise the arm from the side.
  • The term "deltoid" is also sometimes used to mean a geometric kite.
• To denature is most commonly to render unfit to eat or drink without destroying usefulness in other applications, especially to add methanol to ethyl alcohol.
  • Denaturation also refers to the process by which macromolecules (usually proteins) drastically change in properties, usually caused by change in heat or acidity. As a common example, cooking food is a form of denaturation.
• A "T-top" is an automobile roof with removable panels and a central spine running along the top from the windshield to the aft structure of the car. Notable vehicles that had one either stock or as an option were the Pontiac Firebird and some models of the Chevrolet Corvette.
• Taranchula continuously pronounce W like a V and vice versa, which is common in Scandinavian languages.

Trivia

• This is the first time that Strong Bad has admitted to having teeth.
• When this email first came out, there was no "back" button at the end. This was fixed in a matter of minutes.
• This is one of the few emails to end without The Paper.
• "Brainkrieg", "extracurriculariffic" and "geographist" are portmanteaus.
• The AOL Instant Messenger screen name "ladeezluvlarry71" was registered by a fan after this email came out.
• The death metal worksheet is rendered exclusively in purple ink, suggesting it was produced by a spirit duplicator; this device, commonly called a "ditto machine", was in widespread use in public schools prior to the introduction of photocopiers. The worksheet features two hands on either side flashing the corna and reads:

Death Metal Worksheet
Which words would NOT
be good death metal lyrics?

destruction
decapitation
delicious
demonic
fresh juice
decaying
deafening
deteriorate
deltoid
deity
devastation
denature

click here to email strongbad

• This is the first time that the entire band Taranchula appears, although Dave Bjornborg appeared in the video for "Moving Very Slowly".
• This email marks the fastest that Strong Bad has ever typed, at an average of 240 words per minute, during the quadruple bass pedal segment.
• The YouTube description for this email is "Strong Bad gives lessons in making a death metal song."

Remarks

• If Brainkrieg got last place in the "Battle of the Crappy High School Bands", it could be interpreted to say that they were the best.
• One of the members of Taranchula (Schenkel McDoo) is wearing the exact same pink shirt that Matt Chapman wears in the promo photo for Videlectrix.
• Dave Bjornborg's black hair has various red dots appear in it during his appearance. This is probably a transparency bug.
• Strong Bad uses a similar email greeting when he says "Ding dong dear Strong Bad" in japanese cartoon.
• The space between "strong" and "bad" in Strong Bad's name is omitted on the end worksheet.
• The music that plays while Larry sings begins playing before Strong Bad even finishes typing the "run webcam" command.
• "Mort", as in the name "Mort Dougland", is derived from a Latin word (mors) meaning "death".
• When Strong Bad types the word "de-" words, the outline expanding around each word appears before he finishes typing it.
• When the VCR appears, the blinking "12:00" appears offset to the left with the "REC" symbol next to it. On the Characters page, however, the blinking "12:00" appears in the center.
• This email features a live action segment.
• Strong Bad says that screaming at the top of your lungs is for people with blond hair; however, Scandinavian black metal utilizes this technique frequently.
• While Scandinavia could be seen as the stereotypical place for a death metal band to live, with Sweden having a sizable death metal scene, many of death metal's most popular bands are actually from Florida.

Goofs

• When Strong Bad stands up at the end of the email, his legs are an abnormal gray color. As he walks away, they fluctuate independently between gray and the usual black.

Fixed Glitches

"Ruffle doesn't like my videro content yet."

• When played with an older version of the Ruffle emulator (a post-Flash necessity), the Flash version might not show the webcam footage of Larry Palaroncini, or any of the Half-Hour Death Metal Dungeon Hour footage. This is because they're both embedded in the SWF file as H.263 video data, which Ruffle didn't fully support until August 2021. This issue was finally addressed in January 2022 when the post-Flash site was updated to use a newer build of Ruffle.

Inside References

• Strong Bad's intro song is almost identical to that of mile in the Powered by The Cheat cartoon.
• The Teen Girl Squad Battle of the Crappy High School Bands is similar to the Battle of the Bands in Teen Girl Squad Issue 8.
• The popup title "Video Thyme" is a reference to "Message Thyme" from marzipan.
• The first reference to De la Soul came in 50 emails. Homestar typed it when he was attempting DELETED.
• The name of the director of the Taranchula video, Mort Dougland, is a reference to Teeg Dougland.
• The growling riff that introduces the "Half-Hour Death Metal Dungeon Hour" accompanies the appearance of "Taranchula" in band names.
• Dave Olaftenson is most likely played by Mike Chapman, as he sounds very similar to PBtC Strong Bad in the Strong Bad Email mile.
• Strong Bad says to hunch "all up on" yourself.
• Limozeen previously sang about a street in L.A. in Because, It's Midnite: "Sunset Strip, California, West Hollywood".

Real-World References

• Strong Bad's suggestion of hotglueing cornflakes to one's face is a possible reference to alternative metal band Mudvayne, whose guitarist once glued large triangular cornchips to his already-greasepainted face for a music video.
• The "Video Thyme" parodies video chat functions of instant messenger programs, such as AOL Instant Messenger.
• Singing from "the bowels of your lungs" is a reference to the death growl used in various death metal subgenres. Vocalists are advised to sing from their diaphragm to achieve the sound.
• Two notably popular bands from the death metal genre's infancy, Death and Deicide, both have names beginning with d-e.
• De La Soul is a highly influential eclectic hip hop group, matching activist lyrics with artistic jazz rap backings. Their second album, De La Soul Is Dead, is on Matt Chapman's favorite album list.
• Strong Mad's "d-e" lyrics reference actors Danny DeVito, Robert De Niro, and Dom DeLuise.
• The Half-Hour Death Metal Dungeon Hour parodies several MTV programs:
  • Hard 30: MTV's Headbangers Half Hour and Headbangers Ball centered around airing heavy metal music videos.
  • The name is a play on 1/2 Hour Comedy Hour.
• The three bands featured on Half-Hour Death Metal Dungeon Hour — Winger, Slaughter, and Vinnie Vincent Invasion — are real bands. However, they are glam metal groups, not death metal.
  • Slaughter was founded by former members of Vinnie Vincent Invasion.
  • An unrelated death metal band named Slaughter did exist, although it was much less popular than the unrelated glam metal band.
• Dave Bjornborg's name is likely derived from Swedish tennis player Björn Borg. Borg was also mentioned in Sample of Style.
• The "Decoupage" music video seems to be inspired by the style and imagery of stop-motion animators the Brothers Quay, particularly their short film Street of Crocodiles (which features self-mobile screws, meat, and a similar decrepit industrial setting). It is also reminiscent of a number of videos by the band Tool, most notably for the song "Sober"; Tool guitarist Adam Jones, who created the videos, is strongly influenced by the Quays.

Fast Forward

• Brainkrieg went on to make several more songs, including a ringtone in the Teen Girl Squad minigame of Homestar Ruiner, "If I Don't Get Video Games..." in Hooked On Decemberween, Decomposing Pumpkins, and Trogdor's Fiery Rage.

DVD Version

• The DVD version features hidden creators' commentary. To access it, switch the DVD player's audio language selection while watching.
• Because of Strong Bad's extended email intro, the DVD version running time is 3:51.
• The signing-off sound effect does not play when Strong Bad shuts off Larry's window.
• The sound quality for both Easter eggs is inexplicably the same quality as on the website, rather than enhanced as with the rest of the DVD content. This only applies for strongbad_email.exe Disc Five.

Commentary Transcript

(Commentary by: Strong Bad, Mike Chapman)

STRONG BAD: This is one of my all-time favorite styles, Mike.

MIKE: Uh, I'm not gonna be Mike, I'm gonna pretend to be Matt for this commentary.

STRONG BAD: Okay. That was kind of a very hip hop intro to a death metal email.

MIKE: {pretending to be Matt, sounding nothing like him} Yes it was!

STRONG BAD: Oh, what's up Matt?

MIKE: Not too much, I'm Matt Chapman!

STRONG BAD: Why do you sound like some type of super hero?

MIKE: Well, I think I am!

STRONG BAD: Oh, you think you are?

MIKE: {mumbles} I am!

STRONG BAD: {laughing} You don't sound very sure of yourself.

MIKE: Strong Bad, I like this email a lot.

STRONG BAD: Yeah.

MIKE: {stops pretending to be Matt} All right, I'm gonna stop.

STRONG BAD: Ryan was in the jazz ensemble, at his high school.

MIKE: I wish he was playing some jazz music for us right now.

STRONG BAD: {makes a sound kind of like "baloongalatang"}

MIKE: Baloongalatang.

STRONG BAD: That's my jazz guitar.

MIKE: {laughs}

STRONG BAD: That's the best I could do. Um, I think Lemmy from Motörhead has cornflakes on his face.

MIKE: {laughs during Strong Bad's previous line} Definitely does.

STRONG BAD: Yeah.

MIKE: Do you know what Lemmy's last name is?

STRONG BAD: Uh, Motorhelm.

MIKE: Killmeister.

STRONG BAD: That's right. That's the be— is that true?

MIKE: I don't know. I hope so.

STRONG BAD: That's awesome. If I could have a last name like— how could you not be that guy and be in Motörhead?

MIKE: Yeah, imagine if he was really good looking and a businessman. Named Lemmy Killmeister.

STRONG BAD: Yeah, there's no way he'd be successful.

{Larry Palaroncini appears on Strong Bad's computer screen}

STRONG BAD: Oh, this guy. This guy pops up all the time, on my Video Thyme. And tries to talk to me. He always tries to get me to play massively multiplayer overlord rock play games.

MIKE: You should change your screen name, I've had to do that before.

STRONG BAD: Oh.

MIKE: When people you don't want keep popping up and... yeah.

STRONG BAD: Yeah. Like fourteen-year-old girls?

MIKE: Add a 2005 to your screen name.

STRONG BAD: Ohh.

MIKE: That'll— That'll trick 'em.

STRONG BAD: That's a good idea. {pause} Oh, man, this is the best feature of the Lappy. It knows what I means.

MIKE: And it can change the font and font color accordingly?

STRONG BAD: Yeah, the Compy could do it too, I think.

MIKE: I think it did.

STRONG BAD: It did it with the Kerrek smote the Trogdor smote the Kerrek.

{Brainkrieg appear on screen}

STRONG BAD: The Trog— Oh. These guys. Look at that— their drummer is out of place.

MIKE: {laughs} He's the only one that can play drums.

STRONG BAD: He's too happy. Yeah, clearly that's the only guy they could find. He's just like, "Well, I don't really listen to the music you guys play, but I'll do it! We're gonna be in the battle of the bands?"

MIKE: He's in, like, four bands. He's the only drummer at the school.

STRONG BAD: He looks like Joe "Mama" Besser from Spinal Tap.

MIKE: {laughs} Joe "Mama" Besser didn't make it very far.

STRONG BAD: I don't think he did.

{pause}

{Strong Bad makes surprised sounds}

MIKE: You okay there?

STRONG BAD: No! It's hard to— to resist... the quadruple bass pedal. {pause} This is my favorite show.

MIKE: The Hard 30?

STRONG BAD: The Hard 30. Ozzy Ozzy 'ard 'N' Heavy!

MIKE: Yeah, remember those Hard 'N' Heavy videos?

STRONG BAD: The video magazine.

MIKE: Uh huh.

STRONG BAD: On VHS! {pause} Oh, that's Schenkel McDoo. {Mike laughs} That guy's awesome.

MIKE: What do you think of this video? I like it a lot.

STRONG BAD: Yeah. It looks— it— Eugh! It's disgusting, look at that grease that that beef left on that rusty thing. Uh, rusty pipe.

MIKE: Where'd we get that cookie sheet? That rusty cookie sheet.

STRONG BAD: Uh, I think it was yours.

MIKE: It might have been mine.

STRONG BAD: I think you ha— you had just baked some cookies on it and we were like, "Oh, maybe this will give us diseases." {pause} Yeah, I remember that. Every time I watch that... no, I actually went and gargled with grape soda. After that.

MIKE: Gave yourself a sweet mouth?

STRONG BAD: {laughing} Yeah, definitely. {mumbling} Those things hurt. And the things on your face.

Fun Facts

• "The Kerrek smote the Trogdor smote the Kerrek" refers to a line spoken in interview.
• Lemmy Kilmister, not Killmeister, was the lead singer and bass player of Motörhead. He was previously mentioned in band names.
• Spinal Tap is a fictional rock band from the faux-documentary This is Spinal Tap; the band had several drummers die during their heyday. Joe "Mama" Besser himself died only a few seconds after being introduced.
• Hard 30: MTV's Headbangers Half Hour was an MTV program dedicated to heavy metal music videos.
• Hard 'N' Heavy was a series of videotapes, marketed as "video magazines", collecting music videos, interviews, and other behind-the-scenes footage of metal musicians.
  • "Ozzy Ozzy" refers to Ozzy Osbourne, who appeared on Hard 'N' Heavy.

YouTube Version

• Strong Bad's email intro song is a bit longer: "Email, ah ooh, ooh, ooh ah ooh, email, ah ooh, email, ah ooh, ooh."
• None of the Easter eggs play.

External Links

• watch "death metal"
• watch "death metal" on YouTube
• watch "death metal" on the old Flash site
• view the Flash file for "death metal"
• forum thread re: "death metal"