Metalocalypse

Metalocalypse

The members of Dethklok shown in a promotional poster. From left to right: William Murderface, Skwisgaar Skwigelf, Nathan Explosion, Pickles, and Toki Wartooth.
Created by Brendon Small
Tommy Blacha
Directed by Jon Schnepp (seasons 1–4)[1]
Chris Prynoski
Mark Brooks
Voices of Brendon Small
Tommy Blacha
Mark Hamill
Victor Brandt
Malcolm McDowell
Theme music composer As Dethklok:
Brendon Small
Gene Hoglan (season 2–4)
Opening theme "Deththeme" by Dethklok
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 4
No. of episodes 61 (and 1 special) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Brendon Small
Tommy Blacha (seasons 1–2)
Keith Crofford
Nick Weidenfeld
Producer(s) Keith Fay (seasons 1–3)
Shannon Barrett Prynoski (season 3–4)
Running time 11 minutes (2006–08; 2012)[2]
21 minutes (2009–10)
Production company(s) Titmouse, Inc.
Williams Street
Release
Original network Adult Swim
Picture format 4:3 SDTV (2006–08)
16:9 HDTV (2009–13)
Original release August 6, 2006 (2006-08-06) – October 27, 2013 (2013-10-27) (hiatus)
Chronology
Followed by Metalocalypse: The Doomstar Requiem
External links
Website

Metalocalypse is an American animated television series, created by Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha, which premiered on August 6, 2006 on Adult Swim. The television program centers on the larger than life death metal band Dethklok, and often portrays dark and macabre content, including such subjects as violence, death, and the drawbacks of fame, with hyperbolic black comedy. The show can be seen as both a parody and celebration of heavy metal culture.

The music, written by guitarist/creator Brendon Small, is credited to the band and featured in most episodes. The animation is often carefully synced to the music with the chord positions and fingering of the guitar parts shown in some detail.[3] One of the quirks of the show is having the usual "bleeps" for extreme profanity replaced by pinch harmonics.

A one-hour special entitled Metalocalypse: The Doomstar Requiem was released on October 27, 2013. In October 2015, Brendon Small announced a month-long social media campaign entitled "Metalocalypse Now" as an attempt to gather fan support to have Hulu and Adult Swim co-finance the final season of Metalocalypse.[4]

Overview

In the series, Dethklok is a death metal band which enjoys a popularity level unheard of in reality, ranking as the seventh largest economy on Earth by the end of the second season. (Series creator Small described them as "like the Beatles, just a thousand times more dangerous and a billion times more stupid".[5])

The fictional band members are Nathan Explosion, Skwisgaar Skwigelf, Pickles, William Murderface and Toki Wartooth. Their manager is Charles Foster Offdensen.

If Dethklok endorses a product or service, competitors are quickly driven out of business. Organizations worldwide, ranging from governments to businesses, go out of their way to avoid hindering Dethklok, to the point that the band is allowed to maintain its own police force and can get away with any crime imaginable with virtually no repercussions, although the band is often too ignorant to even notice that they are committing illegal acts.

The members of Dethklok tend to cause disaster wherever they travel, and anything remotely associated with them likewise attracts chaos. Dethklok concerts are so notoriously dangerous that those attending are required to sign "pain waivers" at the entrance, releasing the band from legal liability in the very likely case attendees are killed or maimed. The band is shown to have a callous disregard for their fans' safety, as shown in the first episode where they pour scalding hot coffee over concertgoers.

The band's popularity is such that impressionable fans will do anything for them, even if that means death, which is usually the case. In the episode "Dethgov", fans of Dethklok lynch the governor of Florida after he refuses to establish a holiday for lead singer Nathan Explosion (to be named "Nathan Explosion Day"), whom they then proceed to elect governor in a landslide write-in victory.

The band's unnatural popularity and trail of destruction has attracted the attention of an Illuminati-style group, known as The Tribunal, dedicated to monitoring Dethklok's activity and plans. Typically, episodes involve the Tribunal attempting to maintain and perpetuate public ignorance and rampant consumerism whenever Dethklok's antics inadvertently threaten to upset the status quo. The Tribunal, led by a mysterious character named "Mr. Salacia", works off the premise that Dethklok's unusual powers are the result of an ancient Sumerian prophecy about an "Apocalypse of Metal". General Crozier, the military leader in the group, appears to desire either the death of the band's members or the dismantlement of the band itself, but Mr. Salacia consistently overrules him to prevent this from happening. Most episodes show the Tribunal attempting to covertly thwart the band by calling in various "specialists", such as "military pharmaceutical psychotropic drug manufacturers", "celebrity depression experts", or various legally compromised characters who attempt to infiltrate the group.

Development

Brendon Small's show Home Movies ended its run in 2004, which freed Small to spend time with writer friend Tommy Blacha. They went to metal shows around the same time they were both trying to pitch shows to different networks. This was how they came up with the idea of doing a show about a metal band that was vastly more popular than The Beatles had been. They came up with the storyline, wrote a theme song and had friend Jon Schnepp design the characters. The series was originally called Deathclock, but the name could not be used due to an existing trademark. The show and the main characters' band were then renamed Dethklok. The show's title was then extended to Dethklok Metalocalypse, although the starring band still retained the name Dethklok. The title was finally shortened to Metalocalypse because the extended show title was too complicated. They pitched the show to Adult Swim, which greenlit it in 2005 with a 20-episode contract.[6][7][8]

Broadcast history

The show's first season consists of 20 11-minute episodes, the first of which premiered on the Adult Swim Video on August 4, 2006 and on Adult Swim proper the following Sunday. Metalocalypse was renewed for a second season consisting of 20 episodes which began airing September 23, 2007, two days before the CD release of The Dethalbum. An updated version of the Deththeme was featured in the second season as well. The Metalocalypse premiere was the #1 rated show in its time slot among males aged 18–34, and earned the network's best premiere delivery and ratings in 2006. Among the top ad-supported basic cable programs of the week, Metalocalypse ranked #12 among men 18–34 and #6 among men 18–24. The series premiere ranked #30 for the week among adults 18–34.[9]

At San Diego Comic Con 2008, Tommy Blacha confirmed that the show would be renewed for a third season[10] which premiered on November 8, 2009.[11] The episodes of season three are 21 minutes long (30 minutes including commercials).[12]

The fourth season returned to the original 11 minute run-time. Season four premiered April 29, 2012, and consisted of 12 episodes.[13]

Actor Mark Hamill has confirmed the fifth season of the show is currently in production.[14] Brendon Small later denied this, however, stating that it had not reached production yet.[15]

On May 10, 2013, Brendon Small and Adult Swim announced that a Metalocalypse one hour rock opera special, entitled Metalocalypse: The Doomstar Requiem, was in the works. The special aired on October 27, 2013.

In April 2014, in an interview on Steve Agee: Uhhh podcast, Brendon Small stated that a fifth and final season was in pre-production and that he was waiting on a budget from Adult Swim.[16] Small has since stated that he has begun exploring other ways of ending the show which may end up being a special or a movie, he stated that he's in the early stages of planning.

In March 2015, Brendon Small issued a statement saying that he approached Adult Swim with the idea to do the finale as a "big mini-series", but was turned down by the network.[17] Although it has not been stated by either Small nor Adult Swim, Metalocalypse is presumed to be cancelled and Small tweeted that he has plans "to service a final story and music — but not in way fans are used to".[18]

Metalocalypse Now

In October 2015, Brendon Small announced a month-long social campaign to have fans of the show contact Hulu and Adult Swim to convince them to co-fund the series finale to Metalocalypse, entitled: Metalocalypse: The Army of the Doomstar - The Final Chapter.[19]

Characters

Voice cast

Main cast members
Tvfunhousepanel.jpg
Brendon Small Tommy Blacha Mark Hamill Victor Brandt Malcolm McDowell Jon Schnepp King Diamond
Nathan Explosion, Skwisgaar Skwigelf, Pickles the Drummer,
Charles Foster Offdensen, Various		 Toki Wartooth, William Murderface, Dr. Rockso, Various Senator Stampingston, Mr. Salacia, Jean-Pierre, Roy Cornickelson, News Anchor, Various General Crozier, Cardinal Ravenwood, News Anchor, Various
 Vater Orlaag, News Anchor, Various Dr. Gibbits, Various Various

Episodes

Season Episodes Originally aired
First aired Last aired
1 20 August 6, 2006 December 17, 2006
2 19 September 23, 2007 September 7, 2008
3 10 November 8, 2009 October 24, 2010
4 12 April 29, 2012 July 15, 2012
Special October 27, 2013

Music

The show includes music written under the name Dethklok by Brendon Small, often in the form of incidental music, and songs about the subjects of the episode in which they are featured, although three albums have since been released compiling full songs from the show. An EP titled Adult Swim Presents: ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead on Tour with Dethklok was released in 2007.

The Dethalbum

Main article: The Dethalbum

The Dethalbum was released on September 25, 2007, in both standard and deluxe editions. The album is a combination of full length tracks from the series and completely new songs. The album debuted at #21 on the Billboard 200 chart with nearly 34,000 copies sold in its first week.[20] The Dethalbum was also streamed 45,000 times when it went live on AOL Music during the week of its release.

Dethalbum II

Main article: Dethalbum II

Dethalbum II was released September 29, 2009, in both standard and deluxe editions. The album includes many songs from the second season of the series and completely new songs. The deluxe version includes a DVD containing music videos for all the songs played during Dethklok's 2008 tour with Soilent Green and Chimaira.

Dethalbum III

Main article: Dethalbum III

Dethalbum III was released on October 16, 2012.[21] The album features Brendon Small, Gene Hoglan and Bryan Beller.[22][23] Ulrich Wild co-produced and mixed the album.[24]

The Doomstar Requiem

Main article: The Doomstar Requiem

The Doomstar Requiem was released on October 29, 2013. It is the soundtrack album to the Metalocalypse special Metalocalypse: The Doomstar Requiem. The album features Brendon Small, Bryan Beller, Gene Hoglan, a 50 piece orchestra, and for the first time on a Dethklok album, live Dethklok guitarist Mike Keneally.

Endorsements

Dethklok, the in-show band, also endorses several real-world music products, including Marshall Amplification, Gibson guitars, EMG pickups, David Eden Amplification, Universal Audio, M-Audio, Dunlop Manufacturing/MXR, and Line 6 gear. According to the official Dethklok MySpace, the Gibson Guitar Corporation was also planning on making a Dethklok signature guitar. During the 2008 NAMM Convention, a special edition Epiphone Explorer was unveiled to a select few. Pictures of show creator Brendon Small holding the guitar can be seen on the internet. Small later confirmed that Gibson, not Epiphone, would be releasing a Dethklok Explorer.

In 2007, Shocker Toys produced a limited run of statues of William Murderface and Nathan Explosion. In 2008 and again in 2009, Shocker Toys made a boxed set of vinyl figures with limited articulation of all 5 of the band members.[25] Kid Robot produced unarticulated figures of Murderface and Toki as part of an Adult Swim blind boxed mini figure line.[26] At the 2009 San Diego Comic Con, Shocker Toys released an exclusive limited edition Dr. Rockso Mallow.[27] The song "Thunderhorse" is featured in the game Guitar Hero II by Harmonix and RedOctane as a bonus song. In early 2010, Adult Swim released a "Dethklok Fountain" for sale on their website for $40,000.

Originally endorsing Krank Amplification, Brendon Small and Dethklok began an arrangement with Marshall in 2009.[28] In January 2010, "Laser Canon Deth Sentence" became a downloadable song for Guitar Hero 5. "Bloodlines" is on the main setlist in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock.

Dethklok was featured in Soundgarden's video for "Black Rain", which Small directed. Dethklok's 2009 tour with Mastodon was sponsored by Brütal Legend and the song "Murmaider" was featured in the game. The song "The Cyborg Slayers" was featured in the soundtrack for the game Saints Row: The Third.[29] There are guitar tablature books for all three Dethklok albums, which were released through Alfred Publishing.[30][31][32]

A bass tab anthology containing tabs from the first two albums was also released through Alfred Publishing.[33] The production of these books has subsequently led to the removal of all Dethklok tabs from websites such as Ultimate Guitar.[34]

A Dethklok "Thunderhorse" Explorer has been released by Gibson; it would later become Skwisgaar's main guitar on the show.[35] In May 2012, Brendon Small revealed a prototype for the new Brendon Small "Snow Falcon" Flying V, it now serves as Toki Wartooth's primary guitar on the show.[36] The guitar was released in December 2013.[37]

On August 17, 2012, a two-minute animated short aired on Adult Swim featuring Dethklok and Death from Darksiders II, in promotion of the game.[38]

At NAMM 2013 Brendon Small revealed that an Epiphone version of the Dethklok "Thunderhorse" Explorer was in production. It was released in April 2013 as the Brendon Small "Thunderhorse" Explorer.[39]

On September 25, 2013, an animated short featuring Dethklok, entitled "'tallica Parking lot" (a reference to Heavy Metal Parking Lot), premiered at Fantastic Fest.[40] On October 25, 2014 Brendon Small premiered the prototype of the Gibson Dethklok "Snow Horse" Explorer, a silverburst Gibson Explorer modeled after one of Skwisgaar's guitars.

On April 28, 2015 the Dethklok songs "Awaken", "Go Into the Water", and "Thunderhorse" became available for download in the video game Rocksmith 2014 as part of the "Dethklok 3-Song Pack".[41]

Touring history

Dethklok does have a touring band, although there are no actual human counterparts to the characters on the show. The band consists of show co-creator, vocalist/guitarist Brendon Small, who writes and sings most of the music for the show, alongside drummer Gene Hoglan, bassist Bryan Beller, and second guitarist Mike Keneally.

Home media release

Season Episodes DVD release dates Blu-ray release dates
Region 1 Region 2 Region 4 Region A Region B
1 20 October 2, 2007 June 22, 2009 December 5, 2007 N/A N/A
2 19 December 2, 2008 October 11, 2010 December 3, 2008 N/A N/A
3 10 November 9, 2010 March 21, 2011 December 1, 2010 November 9, 2010 December 1, 2010
4 12 October 30, 2012 N/A December 5, 2012 October 30, 2012 December 5, 2012

Video games

In 2009 the UK Adult Swim site released two flash games titled Deth Toll and Deth Toll II.[42] The games are played in a similar fashion to Guitar Hero or Rock Band except with Dethklok songs.

A video game based on the series, titled Metalocalypse: Dethgame, was revealed at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con. The game was to be published by Konami and be available for download on both the PlayStation 3's PlayStation Network and Xbox 360's Xbox Live Marketplace.[43] Players would have played as one of the band's roadies, and the game was to be set in Mordhaus, where the player would fight mutant fans. The game would have included music taken from Dethklok's albums. The game has been canceled, because "the creative direction of the game would not live up to the high standards...set for the project".[44]

Comic book

On July 23, 2009, Dark Horse Comics released the following statement, via Previews: "Following the release of the highly anticipated Dethklok vs. The Goon, Dark Horse Comics and Adult Swim announce a brand-new comics series based on the immensely popular animated show Metalocalypse. Dethklok will be featured in a full publishing program created by series co-creator Brendon Small and a collaborative team of Metalocalypse and Dark Horse artists and writers."

All four comics have variant cover arts by Eric Powell and Jon Schnepp. Brendon Small and Jon Schnepp have stated that there will be more comics in the future.[54]

Broadcast

Country / Region Network(s) Aired Notes Source(s)
 Germany TNT Serie Premiered: June 29, 2010
Season one DVD release: October 12, 2012		 •The dialogue is dubbed in German.
•Features voice acting by Mille Petrozza of Kreator, Marcel Schirmer of Destruction, Alf Ator of Knorkator, and Doro Pesch.		 [55][56]
 Russia 2x2 Premiered: 11 August 2007 •Dialogues are dubbed in Russian.
•Features voice acting by Олег Куценко(Oleg Kutcenko), Александр Груздев(Alexandr Gruzdev), Андрей Бархударов(Andrei Barhudarov), Евгений Рыбов(Evgeniy Ribov), Елена Чебатуркина(Elena Chebaturkina).		 [57]

See also

References

Notes
  1. ↑ "Director and Animator Jon Schnepp". December 22, 2013. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Interview with Brendon Small from Dethklok". Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  3. ↑ Jones, Deirdre H. (February 1, 2007). "Metalocalypse". GuitarPlayer. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  4. ↑ Pasbani, Robert (October 8, 2015). "Metalocalypse Now Social Media Campaign Launched To Get DETHKLOK Back On The Air". Metal Injection. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
  5. ↑ "The Cartoon Network goes heavy metal". The Boston Phoenix. August 8, 2006. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Dethklok's Brendon Small: 'This Show Is For Guitar Geeks'". Ultimate-Guitar.Com. October 27, 2007. Retrieved December 20, 2010.
  7. ↑ "Tommy Blacha Interview". Archived from the original on November 10, 2013. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Metal Edge TV Interview With Brendon Small". Dethklok.org. Archived from the original on November 10, 2013. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Adult Swim Dominates Young Adults in 2006". Time Warner.com. December 19, 2006. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  10. ↑ Keller, Richard (July 25, 2008). "Comedy Central's TV Funhouse – Comic-Con Report". TV Squad. Archived from the original on November 10, 2013. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  11. ↑ "2009 Intended Premieres". [bump worthy]. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  12. ↑ "Dethalbum II Update". [bump worthy]. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  13. ↑ "2011–2012 Premiere Schedule". [bump worthy]. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  14. ↑ Rabin, Nathan. "Mark Hamill revisits Sushi Girl, Batman, and The Simpsons". The A.V. Club. Retrieved November 10, 2013. I'm on Disney's Motorcity, we're doing the fifth season of Metalocalypse on Adult Swim, I'm doing Regular Show, which just won an Emmy, and the TV version of How To Train Your Dragon.
  15. ↑ "Dethklok's Brendon Small Talks Metalocalypse, Latest Album, Future Endeavors, and More!". Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  16. ↑ "#38 – Brendon Small". Feral Audio. April 2014. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
  17. ↑ Rosenberg, Axl (March 16, 2016). "This is Why There Won't Be a Fifth Season of Metalocalypse". Metal Sucks. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  18. ↑ "@_BrendonSmall". Twitter. March 13, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Metalocalypse Now". MetalocalypseNow. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
  20. ↑ "DETHKLOK Creator Comments On 'Dethalbum' First-Week Chart Success". October 9, 2010. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  21. ↑ "DETHKLOK: New album Details Revealed". BlabberMouth.
  22. ↑ Brendon Small (May 23, 2012). "@_Brendonsmall". Twitter. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  23. ↑ Brendon Small (July 18, 2012). "@_Brendonsmall". Twitter. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  24. ↑ Full Metal Jackie (August 13, 2012). "Brendon Small Talks Dethklok's Canceled Tour, New Album, 'Metalocalypse' and More". loudwire. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  25. ↑ "Dethklok SDCC exclusive box sets still available". October 2008. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  26. ↑ "Kidrobot Adult Swim Mini-series". Archived from the original on November 10, 2013. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  27. ↑ "Shocker Toys – SDCC 09 Exclusive Dr. Rockzo Metalocalypse Mallow Vinyl Figure". The Blot Says.com. June 23, 2009. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  28. ↑ "Brendon Small: The Man Behind Metalocalypse". October 2009. Retrieved October 1, 2009.
  29. ↑ "Official Soundtrack of Saints Row 3". IGN. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  30. ↑ "Dethklok: The Dethalbum". Alfred Music Publishing. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
  31. ↑ "Dethklok: Dethalbum II". Alfred Music Publishing. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
  32. ↑ "Dethklok: Dethalbum III". Alfred Music Publishing. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
  33. ↑ "Dethklok: Bass Anthology". Alfred Music Publishing. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  34. ↑ "UG Community @ Ultimate-Guitar.Com – No More Dethklok Tabs!". Ultimate Guitar. November 26, 2009. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  35. ↑ "Dethklok "Thunderhorse" Explorer". Gibson USA. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  36. ↑ "Brendon Small Interview Part 3". Youtube. May 1, 2012. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  37. ↑ "Brendon Small Snow Falcon Flying V". Gibson. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  38. ↑ Shaun Prescott (August 16, 2012). "Darksiders 2's Death to meet Metalocalypse's Dethklok". computerandvideogames.com. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  39. ↑ "Brendon Small Introduces The Epiphone Thunderhorse To Dealers at NAMM". epiphone. March 5, 2013. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  40. ↑ Hasty, Katie (September 26, 2013). "New Metallica music featured in narrative and concert cuts of 'Through the Never'". Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  41. ↑ "@UbisoftStudioSF". Twitter. April 23, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  42. ↑ "Adult Swim.de Games". AdultSwim.co.uk (inactive site)/AdultSwim.de. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
  43. ↑ "KONAMI AND ADULT SWIM ANNOUNCE METALOCALYPSE: DETHGAME FOR XBLA AND PSN". gamingexcellence.com. July 23, 2009. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  44. ↑ "'Metalocalypse' Game Officially Cancelled". July 29, 2010. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  45. ↑ "Dethklok vs. The Goon (Eric Powell cover)". Dark Horse. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  46. ↑ "Dethklok vs. The Goon (Jon Schnepp cover)". Dark Horse. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  47. ↑ "Metalocalypse/Dethklok #1 (Eric Powell cover)". Dark Horse. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  48. ↑ "Metalocalypse/Dethklok #1 (Jon Schnepp cover)". Dark Horse. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  49. ↑ "Metalocalypse/Dethklok #2 (Jon Schnepp cover)". Dark Horse. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  50. ↑ "Metalocalypse/Dethklok #2 (Eric Powell cover)". Dark Horse. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  51. ↑ "Metalocalypse/Dethklok #3 (John Schnepp cover)". Dark Horse. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  52. ↑ "Metalocalypse/Dethklok #3 (Eric Powell cover)". Dark Horse. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  53. ↑ "Dethklok HC". Dark Horse. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  54. ↑ Blair Marnell (November 9, 2010). "Brendon Small on 'Metalocalypse' Season 3 DVD". CraveOnline.
  55. ↑ "DESTRUCTION, KREATOR, DORO Members To Attend German Screening Of 'Metalocalypse'". blabbermouth.net. June 21, 2010. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  56. ↑ "Metalocalypse – Season One (deutsche & englische Sprachfassung) [2 DVDs]". Amazon.de. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  57. ↑ "Common information about 'Metalocalypse'". multzona.org. 2010. Retrieved October 25, 2015.

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