Dethklok
Encyclopedia
Dethklok is both a virtual band
featured in the Adult Swim
animated program Metalocalypse
, as well as a real band created to perform the band's melodic death metal
music in live shows. The band was created by Brendon Small
and Tommy Blacha
. The music heard on Metalocalypse is performed by Brendon Small
, with others as needed. The first official Dethklok album was released on September 25, 2007, entitled The Dethalbum
. The album debuted at number 21 on Billboard Magazine's Top 200
list. The band released Dethalbum II
on September 29, 2009, and toured with Mastodon
, High on Fire
and Converge
. Small and drummer Gene Hoglan
performed on both albums.
series, Dethklok is depicted as an extremely popular and successful death metal band. The band's fan base includes billions of metal fanatics, who frequently endanger themselves to watch the band perform live. With their widespread commercial success and lucrative sponsorship contracts, Dethklok is ranked as the world's seventh largest economy by the end of the second season.
The members of Dethklok are often portrayed as incompetent at almost everything not related to their profession. The band struggles to perform everyday tasks, including shopping for groceries, preparing food, and maintaining proper social relationships. They are often assisted by their manager and lawyer, Charles Foster Ofdensen, who frequently attempts to prevent the band from making poor decisions. The band's actions and uncanny misfortune have caught the attention of an Illuminati
-style council, known as The Tribunal. The Tribunal is portrayed as Dethklok's antagonist throughout the series, and secretly monitors their actions in almost every episode. They describe Dethklok as the "world's greatest cultural force." The leader of The Tribunal (Mr. Selatcia), however, frequently instructs the other members to allow Dethklok to do as they will.
) is the frontman, lead vocalist
and "lyrical visionary
" of Dethklok. Portrayed as a tall, bulky figure, with long black hair, black nails, and green eyes, Nathan speaks with a death growl
even when not singing. He did not speak a word until he was five years old and in high school excelled only in frog
dissection
and football
. According to his dating profile, Nathan describes his ethnicity as "White/Native American". He was raised in New Port Richey, Florida
. He is the lead songwriting force in Dethklok, and uses violent imagery or plot elements when writing and composing song material. Nathan is slightly more sensible than the rest of the band, though he is still incompetent and unintelligent. Despite this, he does seem to have some knowledge in specific areas, such as negotiating a contract, extensive knowledge of rock culture, and a proficiency in French
. He attempts to get his GED in "Go Forth And Die", and only fails in part due to the band's influence, and in "Fatherklok" tells Murderface not to interfere with Skwisgaar's father issues. Nathan sometimes acts in a parental manner towards Toki, and in the first episode insisted that the band never drinks before a show (though they had all been drinking all day.)
In the episode Fatherklok, it was revealed Nathan enjoys an excellent relationship with his father. A brief montage shows Nathan and his father fishing, racing go-karts, and playing Scrabble
. He is the only member of the band who spends time with or likes his father.
Small described Nathan as a "quarterback
", and based his character's appearance and performance style on Cannibal Corpse
vocalist George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher
.
) is Dethklok's lead guitarist. He is described as "a handsome guy who thinks he's the greatest thing in the world". Both his attitude and his technical playing style are compared by the show's creator, Brendon Small
, to Yngwie Malmsteen. He is tall and skinny, with long blond hair, a studded belt
with a skull buckle, and blue eyes, and plays a Gibson Explorer
, which he often carries around even when not playing. Other guitars in his collection include the Gibson
Excaliburtar (a guitar in the shape of a sword), the Swiss Army-tar (a guitar that looks like a Swiss Army Knife, and comes with many different accessories, just as the Swiss Army Knife does), and a guitar made from the wood of Jesus Christ's cross. He is referred to as the fastest guitar player in the world. He is depicted as having extreme sexual prowess and a preference for elderly ladies. Hailing from Sweden
, Skwisgaar has a marked Swedish accent and often makes mistakes when conjugating verbs
. He is responsible for the majority of the arrangement
of Dethklok's songs, writing the guitar lines as well as Murderface's bass lines. Skwisgaar also typically discards and re-records the rhythm guitar parts recorded by Toki Wartooth for Dethklok's albums and frequently belittles him for his guitar playing skills, although he does appear to share something of a codependent relationship with him.
) is Dethklok's current rhythm guitarist. He typically plays a Gibson Flying V
. A native of "an abandoned town near Lillehammer
," Norway
, he has a very muscular build as a result of being forced to constantly perform manual labor by his abusive parents. Toki is the only Dethklok member who's physically fit, as well as the only member with no prior band experience. He has a distinct accent, and often inappropriately pluralizes words, similar to Skwisgaar. He even refers to Pickles as 'Pickle." Visually, he has a distinct whisker-like style of mustache known as the Fu Manchu
, long brown hair, and has very pale blue eyes
. It was also revealed in the first episode of the third season that Toki is not an original band member. A recurring plot point is the death of people Toki grows fond of, including a guitar teacher and his father; the Tribunal has described him as a "god of death". In contrast to the heavy cynicism, grim behaviour, sexuality, and alcohol and drug abuse by the other band members, Toki's character is generally childlike, innocent, and good-natured. He has a boyish bedroom complete with action figures and wall posters, and a prominent hobby of his is building model planes. Toki's personality makes him a reluctant popular icon to children. However, any living thing that gets close to Toki (with the exclusion of Dr. Rockso) tends to die after a period of time.
Small explained Toki's relationship with Skwisgaar as "...Norwegian to Skwisgaar's Swedish, pompous attitude. And, again, a second-class citizen in the same band.", and compared his guitar playing style to that of Iron Maiden.
Mikael Åkerfeldt
of progressive death metal band Opeth
told Ultimate-Guitar.com that he received an email from Toki, which confirmed that his character borrowed Åkerfeldt's likeness.
) is Dethklok's drummer
. He was raised in Tomahawk, Wisconsin
and speaks with a Wisconsin accent
. He refers to himself as "very Irish American
" and has long red hair
, styled into dreadlocks
and a comb-over skullet, and green eyes. He is depicted as having an average build with a slight beer belly and a strong propensity for drugs and alcohol abuse stemming from feelings of resentment towards his family. Pickles is a multi-talented performer, whom IGN Magazine described as "the band's deepest thinker". Pickles is the former front-man of a group called Snakes 'n' Barrels. Brendon Small uses the voice of Pickles to sing the chorus of Hatredcopter, a song from The Dethalbum
. Describing the character, Small said, "I thought the drummer should be able to do a bunch of stuff, like Roger Taylor
in Queen
. Even though it's not based on his personality, it's what he can do in the band and what parts of the songs he does contribute to." Pickles' original design was changed to avoid his looking too close to Devin Townsend
.
) is Dethklok's bassist
. He plays a Gibson Thunderbird Studio 5-string
. He has brown hair, green eyes, a heavy lateral lisp and a diastema
. He has tattoos on the top and bottom parts of his abdomen, the top reading "Pobody's Nerfect", and the bottom saying "This Mess Is A Place". Murderface's father killed his wife (Murderface's mother) with a chainsaw before turning it upon himself in front of Murderface in a grisly murder-suicide
when he was a baby, leaving him to be raised by his grandparents. Murderface is "a self-hating bass player who's always trying to act like he's more important than he is," in part because his bass playing is usually mixed out completely. Although Murderface's musical ability is apparently completely redundant, Dethklok realizes when they expel him from the band in "Dethsiduals" that he imposes a mentality of negativity and hatred upon the band that is crucial to their songwriting.
Brendon Small describes Murderface as "thin-skinned and incredibly sensitive and just wants to be accepted constantly but can’t get that because he’s such a dick and pushes people away". He is sensitive about his weight and appearance, which his bandmates often obliviously exacerbate. Murderface's voice was originally achieved by Tommy Blacha putting paper towels inside his mouth when voicing the character, but he has since refined his technique to avoid the paper towels.
Studio members
Live members
, guitarist Mike Keneally
, bassist Bryan Beller
and drummer Gene Hoglan
. Tour information was made available on Adult Swim's promotional site, http://www.adultswimpresents.com . In an interview with Ultimate Guitar, Brendon Small described the tour as being "like Gorillaz
, with the animated characters" with Small's ensemble of musicians performing visibly.
In a February 2008 interview on California radio station Indie 103.1 with Full Metal Jackie
, plans for a summer 2008 tour were announced. Brendon Small described the tour as being like "a Disney ride but with murder." Dethklok toured the U.S. in June and early July with Chimaira
and Soilent Green
. 27 dates were released in April 2008.
During the June 5th show at The Fillmore
in San Francisco, CA., an electrical fire broke out during Soilent Green
's set. Attendees were hesitant to leave the building thinking that it was part of the show which created a dangerous situation, but they soon realized that the fire was real and evacuated and the concert was rescheduled.
A third tour for Dethalbum II
started in October 2009 with Mastodon
, Converge
and High on Fire
.
Dethklok played in San Bernardino on July 9, 2011 at the Mayhem Festival
in place of Megadeth
.
Golden God Awards. A clip of the band's acceptance speech was played after they were announced as the recipients. They were presented the award by Chuck Billy
, best known for his work as the vocalist for the thrash metal band Testament
.
At the 2010 Golden God Awards, creator Brendon Small performed with Brian Posehn
's All Star Band, and he introduced Fear Factory
which features Dethklok drummer Gene Hoglan.
Virtual band
In music, a virtual band is any group whose members are not corporeal musicians, but animated characters...
featured in the Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
animated program Metalocalypse
Metalocalypse
Metalocalypse is an American animated television series, created by Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha, which premiered on August 6, 2006 on Adult Swim...
, as well as a real band created to perform the band's melodic death metal
Melodic death metal
Melodic death metal is a heavy metal music style that combines elements from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal with elements of death metal. The style was developed during the early and mid-1990s, primarily in England and Scandinavia...
music in live shows. The band was created by Brendon Small
Brendon Small
Brendon Small is an American sitcom writer/producer, actor, comedian, voice actor, composer, and musician...
and Tommy Blacha
Tommy Blacha
Thomas "Tommy" Blacha is an American comedy writer, working for shows such as Da Ali G Show and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Tommy is currently working on Metalocalypse as co-creator and voice actor with Brendon Small....
. The music heard on Metalocalypse is performed by Brendon Small
Brendon Small
Brendon Small is an American sitcom writer/producer, actor, comedian, voice actor, composer, and musician...
, with others as needed. The first official Dethklok album was released on September 25, 2007, entitled The Dethalbum
The Dethalbum
The Dethalbum is the debut album by virtual band Dethklok, from American animated sitcom Metalocalypse. It was released on September 25, 2007. The album features full length songs from the TV series, as well as previously unreleased tracks...
. The album debuted at number 21 on Billboard Magazine's Top 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
list. The band released Dethalbum II
Dethalbum II
The album peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200 chart and sold 45,000 copies in its first week of release.-Track listing:-Virtual personnel from Metalocalypse:* Nathan Explosion – vocals, lyricist* Pickles the Drummer – drums, backup vocals...
on September 29, 2009, and toured with Mastodon
Mastodon (band)
Mastodon is an American heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 1999. The band is composed of bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders, guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds, guitarist Bill Kelliher and drummer/vocalist Brann Dailor...
, High on Fire
High on Fire
High on Fire is a stoner metal band from Oakland, California, that was formed in 1998. Matt Pike, the band's frontman and founder, previously played guitar for the influential stoner doom band Sleep.-History:...
and Converge
Converge (band)
Converge is an American band from Salem, Massachusetts. Playing a blend of hardcore punk and metal since 1990, Converge has helped to define many of the elements of the metalcore genre.-Description:...
. Small and drummer Gene Hoglan
Gene Hoglan
Eugene "Gene" Victor Hoglan II is an American drummer. He is acclaimed for his creativity in drum arrangements, including usage of odd devices for percussion effects and his trademark lengthy double-kick drum rhythms...
performed on both albums.
Fictional background
In the MetalocalypseMetalocalypse
Metalocalypse is an American animated television series, created by Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha, which premiered on August 6, 2006 on Adult Swim...
series, Dethklok is depicted as an extremely popular and successful death metal band. The band's fan base includes billions of metal fanatics, who frequently endanger themselves to watch the band perform live. With their widespread commercial success and lucrative sponsorship contracts, Dethklok is ranked as the world's seventh largest economy by the end of the second season.
The members of Dethklok are often portrayed as incompetent at almost everything not related to their profession. The band struggles to perform everyday tasks, including shopping for groceries, preparing food, and maintaining proper social relationships. They are often assisted by their manager and lawyer, Charles Foster Ofdensen, who frequently attempts to prevent the band from making poor decisions. The band's actions and uncanny misfortune have caught the attention of an Illuminati
Illuminati
The Illuminati is a name given to several groups, both real and fictitious. Historically the name refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on May 1, 1776...
-style council, known as The Tribunal. The Tribunal is portrayed as Dethklok's antagonist throughout the series, and secretly monitors their actions in almost every episode. They describe Dethklok as the "world's greatest cultural force." The leader of The Tribunal (Mr. Selatcia), however, frequently instructs the other members to allow Dethklok to do as they will.
Nathan Explosion
Nathan Explosion (voiced by Brendon SmallBrendon Small
Brendon Small is an American sitcom writer/producer, actor, comedian, voice actor, composer, and musician...
) is the frontman, lead vocalist
Lead vocalist
The lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
and "lyrical visionary
Lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...
" of Dethklok. Portrayed as a tall, bulky figure, with long black hair, black nails, and green eyes, Nathan speaks with a death growl
Death growl
A death growl, also known as death metal vocals, guttural vocals, death grunts, and harsh vocals among other names, is a vocalisation style usually employed by vocalists of the death metal and black metal music genre, but also used in a variety of heavy metal and hardcore punk subgenres.Death...
even when not singing. He did not speak a word until he was five years old and in high school excelled only in frog
Frog
Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
dissection
Dissection
Dissection is usually the process of disassembling and observing something to determine its internal structure and as an aid to discerning the functions and relationships of its components....
and football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
. According to his dating profile, Nathan describes his ethnicity as "White/Native American". He was raised in New Port Richey, Florida
New Port Richey, Florida
New Port Richey is a city in Pasco County, Florida, United States. It is a suburban city included in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. He is the lead songwriting force in Dethklok, and uses violent imagery or plot elements when writing and composing song material. Nathan is slightly more sensible than the rest of the band, though he is still incompetent and unintelligent. Despite this, he does seem to have some knowledge in specific areas, such as negotiating a contract, extensive knowledge of rock culture, and a proficiency in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. He attempts to get his GED in "Go Forth And Die", and only fails in part due to the band's influence, and in "Fatherklok" tells Murderface not to interfere with Skwisgaar's father issues. Nathan sometimes acts in a parental manner towards Toki, and in the first episode insisted that the band never drinks before a show (though they had all been drinking all day.)
In the episode Fatherklok, it was revealed Nathan enjoys an excellent relationship with his father. A brief montage shows Nathan and his father fishing, racing go-karts, and playing Scrabble
Scrabble
Scrabble is a word game in which two to four players score points by forming words from individual lettered tiles on a game board marked with a 15-by-15 grid. The words are formed across and down in crossword fashion and must appear in a standard dictionary. Official reference works provide a list...
. He is the only member of the band who spends time with or likes his father.
Small described Nathan as a "quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
", and based his character's appearance and performance style on Cannibal Corpse
Cannibal Corpse
Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band from Buffalo, New York. Formed in 1988, the band has released eleven studio albums, one box set, and one live album...
vocalist George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher
George Fisher (musician)
George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher is the vocalist for the American death metal band Cannibal Corpse and the lesser-known melodic death metal band Paths of Possession. He previously recorded two albums with Florida's Monstrosity before leaving and joining Cannibal Corpse in late 1995, replacing former...
.
Skwisgaar Skwigelf
Skwisgaar Skwigelf (voiced by Brendon SmallBrendon Small
Brendon Small is an American sitcom writer/producer, actor, comedian, voice actor, composer, and musician...
) is Dethklok's lead guitarist. He is described as "a handsome guy who thinks he's the greatest thing in the world". Both his attitude and his technical playing style are compared by the show's creator, Brendon Small
Brendon Small
Brendon Small is an American sitcom writer/producer, actor, comedian, voice actor, composer, and musician...
, to Yngwie Malmsteen. He is tall and skinny, with long blond hair, a studded belt
Belt (clothing)
A belt is a flexible band or strap, typically made of leather or heavy cloth, and worn around the waist. A belt supports trousers or other articles of clothing.-History:...
with a skull buckle, and blue eyes, and plays a Gibson Explorer
Gibson Explorer
The Gibson Explorer is a type of electric guitar that made its debut in 1958. The Explorer offered a radical, "futuristic" body design, much like its sibling, the Flying V. The Explorer was the final development of a prototype design which years later Gibson marketed under the name Futura.The...
, which he often carries around even when not playing. Other guitars in his collection include the Gibson
Gibson
Gibson may refer to:* Gibson Amphitheatre* Gibson Appliance* Gibson Girl* Gibson Guitar Corporation* Gibson * Gibson Generating Station-Places:In the United States:* Gibson, Arkansas* Gibson, Georgia* Gibson, Iowa* Gibson, Louisiana...
Excaliburtar (a guitar in the shape of a sword), the Swiss Army-tar (a guitar that looks like a Swiss Army Knife, and comes with many different accessories, just as the Swiss Army Knife does), and a guitar made from the wood of Jesus Christ's cross. He is referred to as the fastest guitar player in the world. He is depicted as having extreme sexual prowess and a preference for elderly ladies. Hailing from Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Skwisgaar has a marked Swedish accent and often makes mistakes when conjugating verbs
English verbs
Verbs in the English language are a part of speech and typically describe an action, an event, or a state.While English has many irregular verbs , for the regular ones the conjugation rules are quite straightforward...
. He is responsible for the majority of the arrangement
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
of Dethklok's songs, writing the guitar lines as well as Murderface's bass lines. Skwisgaar also typically discards and re-records the rhythm guitar parts recorded by Toki Wartooth for Dethklok's albums and frequently belittles him for his guitar playing skills, although he does appear to share something of a codependent relationship with him.
Toki Wartooth
Toki Wartooth (voiced by Tommy BlachaTommy Blacha
Thomas "Tommy" Blacha is an American comedy writer, working for shows such as Da Ali G Show and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Tommy is currently working on Metalocalypse as co-creator and voice actor with Brendon Small....
) is Dethklok's current rhythm guitarist. He typically plays a Gibson Flying V
Gibson Flying V
-External links:*, , , , and , from the Gibson website*, a June 2001 article from Guitar Collector magazine*, a tribute site that lists all models and re-issues and most notable players**...
. A native of "an abandoned town near Lillehammer
Lillehammer
is a town and municipality in Oppland county, Norway, globally known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. As of May 2011, the population of the town of Lillehammer was...
," Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, he has a very muscular build as a result of being forced to constantly perform manual labor by his abusive parents. Toki is the only Dethklok member who's physically fit, as well as the only member with no prior band experience. He has a distinct accent, and often inappropriately pluralizes words, similar to Skwisgaar. He even refers to Pickles as 'Pickle." Visually, he has a distinct whisker-like style of mustache known as the Fu Manchu
Fu Manchu moustache
A Fu Manchu moustache is a full, straight moustache that grows downward past the lips and on either side of the chin; and often, the tapered, pointed ends of the moustache hang past the jawline...
, long brown hair, and has very pale blue eyes
Eye color
Eye color is a polygenic phenotypic character and is determined by two distinct factors: the pigmentation of the eye's iris and the frequency-dependence of the scattering of light by the turbid medium in the stroma of the iris....
. It was also revealed in the first episode of the third season that Toki is not an original band member. A recurring plot point is the death of people Toki grows fond of, including a guitar teacher and his father; the Tribunal has described him as a "god of death". In contrast to the heavy cynicism, grim behaviour, sexuality, and alcohol and drug abuse by the other band members, Toki's character is generally childlike, innocent, and good-natured. He has a boyish bedroom complete with action figures and wall posters, and a prominent hobby of his is building model planes. Toki's personality makes him a reluctant popular icon to children. However, any living thing that gets close to Toki (with the exclusion of Dr. Rockso) tends to die after a period of time.
Small explained Toki's relationship with Skwisgaar as "...Norwegian to Skwisgaar's Swedish, pompous attitude. And, again, a second-class citizen in the same band.", and compared his guitar playing style to that of Iron Maiden.
Mikael Åkerfeldt
Mikael Åkerfeldt
Lars Mikael Åkerfeldt is a Swedish musician who achieved fame as the lead vocalist, guitarist and songwriter of progressive death metal band Opeth as well as the lead vocalist of death metal band Bloodbath. He was the vocalist and guitarist for the band Sörskogen and the guitarist of the band Steel...
of progressive death metal band Opeth
Opeth
Opeth is a Swedish heavy metal band from Stockholm, formed in 1990. Though the group has been through several personnel changes, singer, guitarist, and songwriter Mikael Åkerfeldt has remained Opeth's driving force throughout the years...
told Ultimate-Guitar.com that he received an email from Toki, which confirmed that his character borrowed Åkerfeldt's likeness.
Pickles
Pickles (voiced by Brendon SmallBrendon Small
Brendon Small is an American sitcom writer/producer, actor, comedian, voice actor, composer, and musician...
) is Dethklok's drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
. He was raised in Tomahawk, Wisconsin
Tomahawk, Wisconsin
Tomahawk is a city in Lincoln County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,346 at the 2010 census. The city is located to the northeast of the Town of Tomahawk and is not contiguous with it.-History:...
and speaks with a Wisconsin accent
Yooper dialect
Yooper is a form of North Central American English mostly spoken in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, which gives the dialect its name...
. He refers to himself as "very Irish American
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
" and has long red hair
Red hair
Red hair occurs on approximately 1–2% of the human population. It occurs more frequently in people of northern or western European ancestry, and less frequently in other populations...
, styled into dreadlocks
Dreadlocks
Dreadlocks, also called locks, a ras, dreads, "rasta" or Jata , are matted coils of hair. Dreadlocks are usually intentionally formed; because of the variety of different hair textures, various methods are used to encourage the formation of locks such as backcombing...
and a comb-over skullet, and green eyes. He is depicted as having an average build with a slight beer belly and a strong propensity for drugs and alcohol abuse stemming from feelings of resentment towards his family. Pickles is a multi-talented performer, whom IGN Magazine described as "the band's deepest thinker". Pickles is the former front-man of a group called Snakes 'n' Barrels. Brendon Small uses the voice of Pickles to sing the chorus of Hatredcopter, a song from The Dethalbum
The Dethalbum
The Dethalbum is the debut album by virtual band Dethklok, from American animated sitcom Metalocalypse. It was released on September 25, 2007. The album features full length songs from the TV series, as well as previously unreleased tracks...
. Describing the character, Small said, "I thought the drummer should be able to do a bunch of stuff, like Roger Taylor
Roger Meddows-Taylor
Roger Meddows Taylor , known as Roger Taylor, is a British musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the drummer, backing vocalist and occasional lead vocalist of British rock band Queen. As a drummer he is known for his "big" unique sound and is considered one of...
in Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
. Even though it's not based on his personality, it's what he can do in the band and what parts of the songs he does contribute to." Pickles' original design was changed to avoid his looking too close to Devin Townsend
Devin Townsend
Devin Garret Townsend is a Canadian musician and record producer. He was the founder, songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist in extreme metal band Strapping Young Lad from 1994 to 2007 and has had an extensive career as a solo artist....
.
William Murderface
William Murderface (voiced by Tommy BlachaTommy Blacha
Thomas "Tommy" Blacha is an American comedy writer, working for shows such as Da Ali G Show and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Tommy is currently working on Metalocalypse as co-creator and voice actor with Brendon Small....
) is Dethklok's bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
. He plays a Gibson Thunderbird Studio 5-string
Gibson Thunderbird
The Gibson Thunderbird is an electric bass guitar made by Gibson.-Background and introduction:The Gibson Thunderbird was introduced in 1963. At the time, Fender had been the leader in the electric bass market since their introduction of the Precision Bass twelve years earlier.The Thunderbird was...
. He has brown hair, green eyes, a heavy lateral lisp and a diastema
Diastema (dentistry)
Diastema is a space or gap between two teeth. Many species of mammals have diastemata as a normal feature, most commonly between the incisors and molars.-In humans:...
. He has tattoos on the top and bottom parts of his abdomen, the top reading "Pobody's Nerfect", and the bottom saying "This Mess Is A Place". Murderface's father killed his wife (Murderface's mother) with a chainsaw before turning it upon himself in front of Murderface in a grisly murder-suicide
Murder-suicide
A murder–suicide is an act in which an individual kills one or more other persons before or at the same time as killing himself or herself. The combination of murder and suicide can take various forms, including:...
when he was a baby, leaving him to be raised by his grandparents. Murderface is "a self-hating bass player who's always trying to act like he's more important than he is," in part because his bass playing is usually mixed out completely. Although Murderface's musical ability is apparently completely redundant, Dethklok realizes when they expel him from the band in "Dethsiduals" that he imposes a mentality of negativity and hatred upon the band that is crucial to their songwriting.
Brendon Small describes Murderface as "thin-skinned and incredibly sensitive and just wants to be accepted constantly but can’t get that because he’s such a dick and pushes people away". He is sensitive about his weight and appearance, which his bandmates often obliviously exacerbate. Murderface's voice was originally achieved by Tommy Blacha putting paper towels inside his mouth when voicing the character, but he has since refined his technique to avoid the paper towels.
Actual band members
- Brendon SmallBrendon SmallBrendon Small is an American sitcom writer/producer, actor, comedian, voice actor, composer, and musician...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Gene HoglanGene HoglanEugene "Gene" Victor Hoglan II is an American drummer. He is acclaimed for his creativity in drum arrangements, including usage of odd devices for percussion effects and his trademark lengthy double-kick drum rhythms...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(2007–present)
Live members
- Brendon SmallBrendon SmallBrendon Small is an American sitcom writer/producer, actor, comedian, voice actor, composer, and musician...
– vocals, guitar - Gene HoglanGene HoglanEugene "Gene" Victor Hoglan II is an American drummer. He is acclaimed for his creativity in drum arrangements, including usage of odd devices for percussion effects and his trademark lengthy double-kick drum rhythms...
– drums (2007–present) - Mike KeneallyMike KeneallyMichael Joseph Keneally is an American guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist and composer. Allmusic says: "With his wide-ranging talents and ability to be creative in almost any musical situation, Keneally is the leading progressive rock genius of the post-Zappa era."Born on Long Island, New York, he...
– guitar, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(2007–present) - Bryan BellerBryan BellerBryan Beller is an American bass guitarist known for his work with Mike Keneally, Steve Vai, Dethklok, James LaBrie of Dream Theater, and Dweezil Zappa.-Career:...
– bass, backing vocals (2007–present)
Tour
In late 2007, Adult Swim organized a promotional tour featuring Dethklok and …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. The tour comprised performances at twelve college campuses, with tickets available to students only (except for 50 tickets set aside for the UCLA show in the Los Angeles area). The band featured Brendon SmallBrendon Small
Brendon Small is an American sitcom writer/producer, actor, comedian, voice actor, composer, and musician...
, guitarist Mike Keneally
Mike Keneally
Michael Joseph Keneally is an American guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist and composer. Allmusic says: "With his wide-ranging talents and ability to be creative in almost any musical situation, Keneally is the leading progressive rock genius of the post-Zappa era."Born on Long Island, New York, he...
, bassist Bryan Beller
Bryan Beller
Bryan Beller is an American bass guitarist known for his work with Mike Keneally, Steve Vai, Dethklok, James LaBrie of Dream Theater, and Dweezil Zappa.-Career:...
and drummer Gene Hoglan
Gene Hoglan
Eugene "Gene" Victor Hoglan II is an American drummer. He is acclaimed for his creativity in drum arrangements, including usage of odd devices for percussion effects and his trademark lengthy double-kick drum rhythms...
. Tour information was made available on Adult Swim's promotional site, http://www.adultswimpresents.com . In an interview with Ultimate Guitar, Brendon Small described the tour as being "like Gorillaz
Gorillaz
Gorillaz is an English musical project created in 1998 by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. This project consists of Gorillaz music itself and an extensive fictional universe depicting a "virtual band" of cartoon characters...
, with the animated characters" with Small's ensemble of musicians performing visibly.
In a February 2008 interview on California radio station Indie 103.1 with Full Metal Jackie
Full Metal Jackie
Full Metal Jackie, Jackie Kajzer, is the host and creator of the nationally accredited and syndicated radio metal show, Full Metal Jackie. She is known for her unique playlists and detailed interviews with legendary rock artists, including Ozzy Osbourne, Slayer, Zakk Wylde and Children of Bodom....
, plans for a summer 2008 tour were announced. Brendon Small described the tour as being like "a Disney ride but with murder." Dethklok toured the U.S. in June and early July with Chimaira
Chimaira
Chimaira is an American heavy metal band from Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in 1998, the group is a notable member of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal scene. The band's name is derived from the word Chimera, a monstrous creature in Greek mythology...
and Soilent Green
Soilent Green
Soilent Green is a grindcore and sludge metal band that hails from Metairie, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans.-Overview:Soilent Green was founded in 1988. Their début album wasn't released until 1995, when Pussysoul came out on Dwell Records...
. 27 dates were released in April 2008.
During the June 5th show at The Fillmore
The Fillmore
The Fillmore Auditorium is a historic music venue in San Francisco, California, made famous by Bill Graham. Named for its original location at the intersection of Fillmore Street and Geary Boulevard, it lies on the boundary of the Western Addition and the Pacific Heights neighborhoods.In 1968,...
in San Francisco, CA., an electrical fire broke out during Soilent Green
Soilent Green
Soilent Green is a grindcore and sludge metal band that hails from Metairie, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans.-Overview:Soilent Green was founded in 1988. Their début album wasn't released until 1995, when Pussysoul came out on Dwell Records...
's set. Attendees were hesitant to leave the building thinking that it was part of the show which created a dangerous situation, but they soon realized that the fire was real and evacuated and the concert was rescheduled.
A third tour for Dethalbum II
Dethalbum II
The album peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200 chart and sold 45,000 copies in its first week of release.-Track listing:-Virtual personnel from Metalocalypse:* Nathan Explosion – vocals, lyricist* Pickles the Drummer – drums, backup vocals...
started in October 2009 with Mastodon
Mastodon (band)
Mastodon is an American heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 1999. The band is composed of bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders, guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds, guitarist Bill Kelliher and drummer/vocalist Brann Dailor...
, Converge
Converge (band)
Converge is an American band from Salem, Massachusetts. Playing a blend of hardcore punk and metal since 1990, Converge has helped to define many of the elements of the metalcore genre.-Description:...
and High on Fire
High on Fire
High on Fire is a stoner metal band from Oakland, California, that was formed in 1998. Matt Pike, the band's frontman and founder, previously played guitar for the influential stoner doom band Sleep.-History:...
.
Dethklok played in San Bernardino on July 9, 2011 at the Mayhem Festival
Mayhem festival
The Mayhem Festival is a touring metal festival that takes place during the summer. The inaugural iteration took place in 2008; the festival has since become an annual event across the United States and Quebec, Canada. The tour has been sponsored by the Rockstar Energy Company since the time of its...
in place of Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
.
Revolver Golden God Awards
Dethklok received the "Metal Hammer Ultimate Award of the Viking Bloody Dawn Unicorn Killer" award during the 2009 RevolverRevolver (magazine)
Revolver is a bi-monthly rock and heavy metal magazine published by Future US. Before covering heavy metal, rock & hard rock solely, it was a more mainstream oriented magazine. The magazine is structured in a manner similar to publications such as Spin while covering many avenues within the heavy...
Golden God Awards. A clip of the band's acceptance speech was played after they were announced as the recipients. They were presented the award by Chuck Billy
Chuck Billy (vocalist)
Chuck Billy is an American vocalist, who is best known as the vocalist for the thrash metal band Testament.-Testament:Chuck Billy replaced Steve "Zetro" Souza, future Exodus vocalist, in the mid-1980s when the band was still called Legacy. Following his arrival, Testament released their first...
, best known for his work as the vocalist for the thrash metal band Testament
Testament (band)
Testament is an American metal band from Berkeley, California, formed in 1983. They are often credited as one of the most popular bands of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
.
At the 2010 Golden God Awards, creator Brendon Small performed with Brian Posehn
Brian Posehn
Brian Edmund Posehn is an American actor, voice actor, musician and comedian, known for his roles as mail clerk Kevin Liotta on NBC's Just Shoot Me!, a cast member and writer on HBO's Mr. Show, and most recently as Brian Spukowski on Comedy Central's The Sarah Silverman Program.-Early life:Posehn...
's All Star Band, and he introduced Fear Factory
Fear Factory
Fear Factory is an American industrial metal band. Formed in 1989, they have released seven full-length albums and a number of singles and remixes. Over the course of their career they have evolved from a succession of styles, as well as steadily pioneered a combination of the styles death metal,...
which features Dethklok drummer Gene Hoglan.
Music videos
| Year | Title | Director(s) | Album | Release for music video |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | "Bloodrocuted" | Jon Schnepp Jon Schnepp Jon Schnepp is an American producer, director, actor, editor, writer and cinematographer. His company, Schneppzone, has worked on many shorts and television shows.... & Brendon Small Brendon Small Brendon Small is an American sitcom writer/producer, actor, comedian, voice actor, composer, and musician... |
The Dethalbum | The Dethalbum deluxe edition bonus DVD, Metalocalypse season 2 DVD, Dethalbum II deluxe edition bonus DVD |
| 2008 | "Murmaider" | Jon Schnepp | Metalocalypse season 2 DVD, Dethalbum II deluxe edition bonus DVD | |
| "Briefcase Full of Guts" | Dethalbum II deluxe edition bonus DVD | |||
| "Birthday Dethday" | ||||
| "Awaken" | Chris Prynoski Chris Prynoski Chris Prynoski born November 1, 1971, is an American animator, director, and producer.Prynoski was born in Trenton, New Jersey and grew up in Bordentown, New Jersey. He graduated from the School of Visual Arts in 1994. He then spent several years working in the industry in New York, mostly on his... |
|||
| "Duncan Hills Coffee Jingle" | Jon Schnepp | |||
| "Dethharmonic" | Mark Brooks | |||
| "Castratikron" | ||||
| "Go Forth and Die" | Chris Prynoski | |||
| "Hatredcopter" | Jon Schnepp | |||
| "Thunderhorse" | ||||
| "Go Into the Water" | ||||
| 2009 | "Bloodlines" | Dethalbum II | Metalocalypse Season 3 Blu-Ray Extras | |
| "Dethsupport" | ||||
| "The Gears" | ||||
| "Burn The Earth" | ||||
| "Black Fire Upon Us" |