TENACIOUS D 'The Pick of Destiny' (Sony) RATING: 7.5/10 Buy now

BY GREG MAKI

Listen to “Kickapoo,” the opener of Tenacious D’s The Pick of Destiny, and you hear what sounds like the beginning of a rock opera, an epic tale that bands simply don’t produce in the age of iPods and iTunes. “Kickapoo” tells the story of young JB, a boy with rock in his heart and a Bible-thumping father, portrayed by Meat Loaf, who insists it is the devil’s music. Metal legend Ronnie James Dio comes to his rescue, telling him he must leave his dad to seek fame, fortune and rock in Hollywood .

Unfortunately, the album doesn’t continue in this vein. If you want the full story, you’ll have to see the movie, Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny. The CD is more of a companion piece to the film than an album that stands on its own. Some songs, “Destiny” and “Papagenu (He’s My Sassafras),” for example, are completely nonsensical taken out of context from the movie.

After getting over the excitement of hearing Jack Black, Meat Loaf and Dio in succession on “Kickapoo” and the disappointment that follows, The Pick of Destiny does offer a handful of entertaining songs. Black and lead guitarist Kyle Gass may be actors first, but they know how to rock. “POD” and “Classico” hold their own with anything from the D’s self-titled 2001 album. “History” is a vintage D song from the first episode of their HBO show and fans should be pleased to finally have a recorded version of it.

Maybe spending time with Dio had an effect on the D because the metal influence is strong on The Pick of Destiny. There’s even a song called “The Metal.” There’s also a song called “Beezleboss (The Final Showdown)” featuring Dave Grohl, who plays drums on the entire album, as the devil. The metal overtones are there, too, on songs like “Master Exploder,” “Break In-City (Storm the Gate!)” and “ Car Chase City .”

It might not have anything as unforgettable as “Tribute” or “Wonderboy” and it never fulfills the promise of “Kickapoo,” but The Pick of Destiny is a solid second album for Tenacious D. JB and KG rock better than most bands out there today and they don’t even do this full time.