The Most Metal TV Show of All Time

The show airs as part of Cartoon Network’s late-night lineup known as Adult Swim. Each fifteen-minute episode depicts a different catastrophe either encountered or caused by Dethklok, which is made up of members Nathan Explosion, Skiwisgaar Skwigelf, Toki Wartooth, William Murderface, and Pickels the Drummer. From a concert in Finland where they accidentally summon a killer troll, to their attempt to adopt a child in order to get a tax break, the band is always in some kind of trouble.

Dethklok must also contend with a mysterious government tribunal that believes the rise of Dethklok may be a sign of the apocalypse. This covert group works ceaselessly to thwart the band’s popularity, usually with hilarious results.

And then there are the more mundane aspects of being a rock star, like dealing with celebrity girl friends or trying to overcome writer's block. The members of Dethklok are so delightfully dense, however, that they have the ability to make disasters of even the most mundane rock star-related problem.

Any free time the band members have goes toward planning their notoriously violent shows, where they perform songs with titles like “Go Forth and Die,” “Inner Child Tied and Beaten in my Trunk,” and “Blood Puke.”

The Music of Metalocalypse

Anyone who knows anything about metal bands can appreciate the way Dethklok parodies classic metal bands like Black Sabbath and Metallica, as well as German thrash metal bands. Dethklok even resides in a mansion with a German name: Mordhaus, which translates simply to "Murderhouse." The show also pokes fun at famed eighties rockers like David Lee Roth; keep an eye out for the character of Dr. Roxxo the Rock and Roll Clown, featured in the episode “Dethclown,” and note the semblance to Roth’s onstage antics.

Many celebrities of the metal world are in on the joke, and have contributed their voices to Metalocalypse. These include King Diamond, James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett of Metallica, as well as Cannibal Corpse front man George ‘Corpsegrinder’ Fisher.

Metalocalypse Mechandise... and a Gibson Guitar?

The popularity of Metalocalypse is on the rise, and DVD of the show’s first season, as well as a soundtrack album called “DeathAlbum,” are now available. Reportedly the Gibson Guitar Corporation is planning to release a Dethklok signature guitar as well. Dethklok also has their own official Myspace page.

There is even a real-like version of Dethklok that tours and performs Dethklok's brand of heavy metal. The band's frontman is Metalocalypse co-creator Brendan Small.

A special half-hour season finale aired on September 7. Tune in to Adult Swim for reruns until the new season begins, or pick up Season One. Season Two of Metalocalyspe is slated to be released on December 2, 2008.

Dethklok

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