The story begins with a roadie named Eddie Riggs, voiced by Jack Black, who feels he was not born during the right time. During a show, he accidently gets blood on his demon head belt buckle, causing it to come alive and transport him to another world dominated by hard metal. Upon Eddie’s arrival, he learns the world has been taken over by demons while a small band of humans fight for revolution to return metal to the land.

     "Brutal Legends" does a fantastic job of intermixing other eras of metal, like emo and hair metal. Also included are the stereotypical elements of metal, ranging from head-bangers to gothic women to stud wearing bikers.

     The world is enormous and absolutely stunning, making it difficult to concentrate on the storyline without constantly feeling the urge to explore. There are mountains of bones, cliffs made of speakers, and a giant sword thrust into the ground. There is no place in the world that does not portray metal, the inspiration for the game.

     There are countless collectables and other stuff as well. For instance, there are over 100 dragon statues that have been bounded, which Eddie can free and buried statues that, when discovered ,unlock more music that can be played while driving in Eddie’s roadster called the Deuce.

     The characters in the game are also nicely portrayed. Eddie and the others perform a wide array of facial expressions that add to the comedic aspects of the game.

     "Brutal Legends" features voice acting by many of the most famous and well known legends of metal. The Prince of Darkness himself, Ozzy Ozbourne, appears in the game as the Keeper of Metal, who allows Eddie to purchase upgrades for his attacks, equipment., weapons for his car, and much more.

     There are two different forms of gameplay intermixed in "Brutal Legend." The first is basic action, where Eddie has two forms of attacks: the ax which causes melee damage and the guitar which strikes enemies with lightning. In addition, there are 11 solos Eddie learns throughout the game that perform various actions like melting the faces of nearby enemies.

     The second form of gameplay is Real Time Strategy (RTS), which occurs during missions called stage battles. During a stage battle, two sides must fight for control of fountains of fans by building merchandise booths over them, done by playing a guitar solo to impress fans. More fans equal more units, which can be controlled by Eddie as he flies above the battlefield. And yes, Eddie grows wings.

     However, the game is not without its shortcomings. The side missions quickly become boring and the lack of a jump button is irritating. Many may find the last few stage battles a little difficult, confusing and easily capable of lasting over an hour.

     The main campaign is short and can be beat in ten hours easily. On the plus side, players can continue to explore the world of metal after completing the game to finish searching for all the collectables.

     "Brutal Legends" may not be game of the year, but it is worth a play through, especially for fans of metal or Jack Black. All in all, this game is a true tribute to metal.

     Grade: B+