Imagine a metal band so famous they ruled the world.
That is Metalocalypse’s Dethklok for you.
For those of you who do not know Metalocalypse, it is an animated show (a cartoon) about the most brutal band alive – Dethklok. Dethklok is portrayed as the richest and most insanely prominent band ever to exist, dominating the world, with fans risking their lives in numerous ways just to see them. The government fears the band’s influence so they set out to destroy the band using hidden means. The band is clueless offstage and can’t do anything right which makes the show quite amusing. The funny thing is they are oblivious to what is happening around them, often not aware of the destruction they cause and the secret forces out to get them. The episodes are basically about the band’s everyday life and the misadventures that come along with it. Metalocalypse uses exaggeration and comedy, mostly of the satirical form, making it all the more enjoyable.
The band consists of 5 members:
Vocalist: Nathan Explosion, raised in Florida, who is said to depict aspects of Cannibal Corpse vocalist George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher.
Lead Guitarist: Skwisgaar Skwigelf, who is Swedish and somewhat self-absorbed with himself and his guitar playing. He is said to resemble Yngwie Malmsteen in a way.
Rhythm Guitarist/Keyboardist: Toki Wartooth, from Norway, who is said to share some characteristics with Mikael Akerfeldt (of Opeth and Bloodbath).
Drummer: Pickles, from Wisconsin, who has a Midwestern accent (a Yooper dialect). He regards himself to be somewhat Irish.
Bassist: William Murderface, who has a lisp and an ability to play his bass using his “private body part”.
Although the band consists of 5 members, the band members are voiced by only 2 people: Tommy Blacha and Brendon Small.
Dethklok is also a real band, brought together to play live the songs composed for the show. Although the band members differ completely from the virtual band, Brendon Small is part of the real band’s line up. They released 2 albums (The Dethalbum and Dethalbum II) which include the songs made for the television series in addition to other tracks. The genre is mostly melodic death metal. They have toured with Chimaira, Mastodon and Converge, as well as other bands.
Okay so back to the show:
There are 3 seasons so far (2 completed and one still running).
The first 2 seasons consist of 40 episodes in total. The episodes are relatively short running around 11 minutes each. The third season consists of 21 minute episodes.
Notable are brief cartoon appearances on the shows by musicians such as Michael Amott, King Diamond, Kirk Hammett, Ihsahn and many others.
A lot of people like the show but are not fans of the music, so you can still enjoy the show even if you are not a fan of Dethklok’s music.
All in all, I think it’s a good show. I would personally give it a rating of 7/10. It might not appeal to the masses but some clips are quite amusing and I recommend it for any metal fanatic who enjoys a bit of exaggerated comedy.
