Metalocalypse is an American animated television series, created by Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha, which premiered on August 6, 2006 on Adult Swim. The television program centers around the larger than life death metal band Dethklok, and often portrays dark and macabre content, including such subjects as violence, death, and the drawbacks of fame, with extremely hyperbolic black humor; which accounts for the cartoon's consistent TV-MA rating. The show can be seen as both a parody and celebration of heavy metal culture. The music, written by guitarist/creator Brendon Small, is credited to the band, and is featured in most of the episodes. The animation is often carefully synced to the music, with the chord positions and fingering of the guitar parts shown in some detail. One of the trademarks of the show is having the usual "bleeps" for extreme profanity replaced by pinch harmonics.