Have you been tuning into season 3 of Adult Swim’s Metalocalypse? Like the first two seasons, the series is being produced at Titmouse Inc in Hollywood, and they’ve begin to add more elaborate animation. Here’s a clip from a recent episode:

via Drew Newman

Titmouse Inc’s Edward Artinian directed and animated this spot below, which promotes the new Brutal Legend video game from Electronic Arts. The heavy-metal game features the voice and likeness of Jack Black, who plays a roadie charged with saving the world, and here he joins the cast of Metalocalypse. The spot was created to play during the Dethklok Tour 2009, which wound down last week. Most of the scenes in the spot were animated in Flash, while lighting was handled in After Effects.

If you’re a death metal fan, you probably already know that Metalocalypse, the Flash-animated series on Adult Swim, has spawned a physical, meat-space tour. Deth Tour 2008 is selling out at venues like New York’s Nokia Theater Time Square and The Fillmore in Philly, which hosts the show tonight. My pal Greg Grabianski (writer on Beavis and Butt-Head, SuperNews!, Skunk Fu!) took this inset photo at the LA show earlier this month, of which he said “I’ve never seen anything like it… the crowd was RABID — head banging in unison, mosh pits, it was a frenzy.” I’ve watched several YouTube videos and seen that Flash-animated clips (animated at Titmouse) play throughout the event, including custom shorts like this, which instructs fans on optimum moshing techniques.

Coincidentally, that video was shot by Sarah Gencarelli, a Flash-animator who has worked at studios like Two Animators! and World LEaders Entertainment.

As we all breathlessly away the arrival of Death Clock Metalocalypse on August 6th on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, we now have something to keep our eyes busy. It’s the official, extended teaser – of this Flash animated show being produced by LA-based Titmouse Studios.

Last week I swung by Hollywood-based Titmouse Studios to have lunch with Shannon and Chris Prynoski, or Chris P as he’s known in animation circles. You know his work from ‘MTV’s Downtown’ and ‘Megas XLR’ and the awe inspiring hallucination sequence from ‘Beavis and Butthead Do America.’ You’ve also seen Chris’ stamp on Velvet Revolver’s recent music video and in ‘The Osbournes’ title sequence. And now he and his wife Shannon have added Flash into their production pipeline.

Their expansive, still-being-fleshed-out studio is now home to Brendon Small’s (‘Home Movies’) Adult Swim show – ‘DETHKLOK: Metalocalypse The Prophesy Of Metal A Metal Dynasty Operation Metal,’ as it’s tentatively titled. The show was co-created by Tommy Blacha, who wrote for ‘Conan O’Brien.’ Adult Swim is touting it as “Spinal Tap meets Scooby Doo meets Norway.” Yeesh! Talk about formula. All kidding aside, from what I saw while touring Titmouse, ‘Dethklok’ looks hysterical and abundantly metal.

Chris and Shannon seem to have built their studio for exactly this type of project. They’ve got a brand new recording studio, a comfortable Final Cut editing suite and some of the best Flash talent in the city. It’s this type of all-under-one-roof method of production that allows Titmouse to keep the animation state-side on a 20-episode series.

Beyond animation, Titmouse is also about breakin’ shit. If you’ve ever attended a Titmouse Smashing Party, you know of what I speak. It’s random destruction as an excuse to have a party, and the video from last October’s event says it all. And I also have it on good authority that the Prynoski duo are planning an Animation Studio Ping Pong league. The plan is to pit LA animation shops against eachother in a battle for the coveted Titmouse Table Tennis Trophy. Okay, I made up that last part, but it sounds like a perfect excuse for a t-shirt competition.

If you’re interested in more ‘Dethklok’ info – check out Brendon Small’s MySpace site, his metal MP3’s, the Film Force article and an article in the Daily Nebraskan where Small breaks it down.

If you’re in the market, Titmouse is actually looking for Flash animators. Email Keith@titmouse.net for more info.