What do you get when you combine hardcore metal with the Simpsons’ god-fearing neighbourino Ned Flanders?

The answer is Phoenix outfit OKILLY DOKILLY, the world’s first and only ‘Nedal’ band. They’re bespectacled, mustachioed, impeccably costumed in pink, green and grey, and their Facebook bio gets straight to the point: “Most of our songs are direct Ned quotes.”

So how does a Flanders themed metal band start? As lead singer Head Ned (possibly not his real name) explains to ripitup.com.au, inspiration struck while casually shopping at a convenience store that for purposes of this article we’ll just assume is called the Kwik-E-Mart. “Myself and our drummer (Bled Ned) were in line at a grocery store, entertaining ourselves by coming up with really cutesy names for really hardcore, brutal bands,” he says.

“The name Okilly Dokilly came up and was very funny to us,” he says.”We ran with it. I contacted a few friends (Red Ned, Thread Ned and Stead Ned), and here we are. Most of us have played in other bands around our hometown,” he explains. “This is definitely the heaviest sounding project any of us Neds have done.”

You might be wondering where the band fit within the broader genre of Simpsons themed metal. “Not as fast as Bartcore, and a little cleaner than Krusty Punk,” Head Ned says. “Not as heavy as ‘Homer J.ent’ – Nedal is a happy medium in the Simpscene.” Curiously, the guttural metal screams present in the band’s current recorded output bear little resemblance to Ned’s own holler, but as they are only demos there is presumably still room to evolve.

Outside of music, the band’s favourite past times include “watching the Simpsons”, “plenty of Futurama” and “politely asking for the return of our power tools, usually with little success”.

With the band set to play their first hometown show on September 5, can music fans in Arizona expect to see exclusively left-handed instruments at the show? Sadly it’s a no-diddly-o, as not all of the Neds are left handed. “I am,”says Head Ned. “The other Neds aren’t so lucky. It made writing All That Is Left pretty fun,” he continues. “It’s our homage to the Leftorium, and the bridge is entirely left handed puns.”

He also confesses that band’s long-term goals are, like their inspiration, quite humble. “In reality, this is all just an over-the-top attempt at getting Matt Groening’s autograph, even if it comes on a cease and desist letter.” Which, we can all agree, is a noble and probably achievable goal.

Listen to the band’s demo tape here.