Comedy rock duo Tenacious D have released the first chapter of their animated series Post-Apocalypto today on their YouTube channel. Chapter 1 (Hope) is the beginning of a larger six part animated series, that features characters voiced entirely by Tenacious D band members Jack Black and Kyle Gass.
Black drew and animated every frame of the series, which includes new music from the group with features from long time collaborators John Spiker, who also produced the project, on bass and Foo Fighter’s frontman Dave Grohl on drums.
The video features Black and Gass lounging around playing video games before being pestered to pay their rent. Eventually, as the two are driving around in a motorcycle, a nuclear bomb drops causing the pair to escape into a 1950’s-styled refrigerator. A song made specifically for the project is then played detailing the duo’s adventure in this nuclear holocaust. According to Nerdist, “It’s as pure an experience, unfiltered by additional executives and voices, as [Tenacious D] will ever give you.”
In addition to this series, the group will be releasing a follow up album to the project of the same name, which will serve as a soundtrack to this project. This album will be released digitally, on CD and as a limited edition translucent green vinyl.
“We have a new album coming out called Post-Apocalypto. It’s actually a movie that we made and the album is the soundtrack for that,” Black explained in an interview with Jimmy Fallon. “We put out a record every six years and it’s time for us to butterfly again.”
Tenacious D’s last album Rize of The Fenix, was released back in 2012 and was nominated in 2013 for Best Comedy Album at the Grammy’s. Upon release it debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200 Chart, and eventually became the highest selling comedy album of that year.
In addition to his film and comedy career, Black has been featured on other various music projects outside of Tenacious D, joining up with the Gorillaz earlier this year. Black and jazz legend George Benson, were featured in the Gorillaz video for the song “Humility,” which saw the group cruise through Venice beach.
While the group is best known as a comedic act, Black has covered numerous songs by artists outside of the comedy realm including Elliott Smith, and David Bowie. He has stated that their music serves as something beyond just a simple comedy act and that the songs becoming outlandish are just a factor of the band’s song-writing style.
“Well, we never approach any of our songs as comedy songs. We always just write the best songs we can, and it usually ends up being funny – that’s just who we are – but I think all of our songs have a serious edge to them,” Black explained in an interview with TimeOut. “Before we listened to your music, we thought you were a hip hop act. After we listened to your music, we thought you were like a hip hop act in the sense that, well, you sing about intercourse and your genitals a lot.”
Photo Credit: Kalyn Oyer
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