Metal bands can be ridiculous, self-absorbed and even downright outrageous. Sometimes, the genre needs to be reminded to have a sense of humor and not take itself so seriously. Sometimes, a band like San Jose’s Metallingus comes along and does just that.

Metallingus came about in 1991, when Rocci Cirone (who was in local punk band Nasal Sex at the time with his brother Joe) was drunk enough to talk to Chris Wilder about his idea for a band.

“I was glomming onto his back and saying, ‘You know, we gotta do a metal band to get all this metal out of our system,’” remembers Rocci. He said, ‘How about Metallica’s first album done by Spinal Tap?’”

Thus Metallingus was born, taking the absurdity, indulgence and decadence of metal and mixing it with thrash. But make no mistake, even with a sense of humor behind the music, they’re no slouches when it comes to playing. Guitarist Steve Corral owns 37 guitars and Wilder played with San Francisco hardcore punk band M.D.C. for 1991 to 1995, until he received an “honorable discharge.”

“There are three ways to leave M.D.C. – honorable discharge, dishonorable discharge, or you die,” Wilder says.