Spotlight: Mastodon and Dethklok

Friday: Mastodon (above) makes a hard case for metal to be taken more seriously as an art form. Dethklok, on the other hand, is part of the best spoof on the genre since "This Is Spinal Tap." These two unlikely co-conspirators make for perfectly matched co-headliners on their fall tour. Mastodon's sold-out Fine Line show in April demonstrated how the band has upped its video/lights production to match the fantastical qualities of concept albums such as the new "Crack the Skye." Conversely, Dethklok started out purely as a visual act: It's made up of the real-life musicians who create the music for the fictitious group adored by millions and feared by the government on the wickedly popular Adult Swim cartoon "Metalocalypse." You will still see Nathan Explosion (above) and the other animated characters on a giant screen over the live band. Maybe that's how Kiss should do things nowadays. High on Fire and Converge open. (7 p.m. Fri. $34.50-$37. Roy Wilkins Auditorium, 175 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul. 1-800-982-2787. www.ticketmaster.com.)