Dig Magazine

Issue date: 11/3/09 Section: Music

Dethklok are the fictional metal band that rule the world on Adult Swim's hit cartoon "Metalocalypse"

It was like a sea of longhaired lunatics, squished like sardines in a can, squirming eagerly to see their heroes in Dethklok, the world's biggest heavy metal band.

As the venue packed in more and more heavy metal fanatics, the group finally appeared on a huge metal landing strip, crushing and killing many in the crowd. But to those left standing, the blood soaked carnage didn't matter. All that mattered was that Dethklok arrived, and could begin their concert for fans that survived the massacre.

Dethklok are a force not to be reckoned with. Aside from getting away with murder, the band has the world's seventh largest economy due to its massive fan base and global popularity, and vows to dominate the world, one concert at a time, as they decimate ear drums across America on their current co-headlining tour with Mastodon.

Of course, Dethklok is a fictional death metal band featured in "Metalocalypse," an animated series that exploded onto the scene in 2006 on Adult Swim alongside such hits as "Family Guy," "Robot Chicken" and "Aqua Teen Hunger Force." This is a show that brings metal to the masses.

Created by 34-year-old stand up comedian Brendon Small with the help of fellow comedy writer Tommy Blancha, the cult like cartoon series took on a life of its own, with the real life incarnation of the band including Small on guitar and vocals, Gene Hoglan on drums, bass player Bryan Beller and guitarist Mike Keneally.
Recently, the band's latest album, "Dethalbum II" sold nearly 45,000 copies in its first week, landing them at number 15 on the Billboard's Top 200 Artist list, a complete surprise to Small.

"Basically I was just into metal, and would find myself at literally every metal show in town," explained Small during a recent phone interview from Louisiana, on a day off from the band's current tour, which also features stoner-metal favorites High on Fire and hardcore-heroes Converge. "A friend of mine told me to make a show about metal since it was all I ever talked about. So I contacted my friend Tommy and we began writing, and a few days later we had a show put together."

The cartoon is a mesh of demented humor, heavy metal trivia and voice over cameos from some of metal's top names, along with plot lines involving drugs, sex and other forms of debauchery, and a shadowy secret society known as the Council, who are afraid of the band's ever growing power.

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