Dethklok

About Dethklok

Dethklok occupies a strange place in metal history as a band that doesn't technically exist but somehow released three albums that charted on the Billboard 200. They're the fictional death metal group from Adult Swim's Metalocalypse, created by Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha, and they've managed to become more successful than most actual bands in the genre.

Small voices and plays most of the instruments for Dethklok, bringing a legitimate musical background to what could have been a one-note joke. The band's lineup on the show consists of frontman Nathan Explosion, guitarists Skwisgaar Skwigelf and Toki Wartooth, bassist William Murderface, and drummer Pickles the Drummer. Their entire premise is that they're the world's most popular band and also the seventh largest economy on Earth, which is absurd until you remember they actually sold enough records to make it almost plausible.

The Dethalbum dropped in 2007 and hit number 21 on the Billboard 200, which says something about both the show's fanbase and the state of metal in the mid-2000s. The music itself is competent melodic death metal with lyrics about murdering mermaids underwater or dealing with grocery stores. Murmaider became their signature track, complete with guttural vocals about mermaid murder set to actually decent riffing. Bloodrocuted and Go Into the Water showed Small could write legitimate metal songs even when they were ostensibly comedy.

Dethalbum II came in 2009, hitting number 15 and proving this wasn't a fluke. The songs got slightly more ambitious. Murmaider II: The Water God continued their aquatic violence theme. The Grill is about a sentient grill, because of course it is. What makes Dethklok weird is that the music doesn't really wink at you. It's played straight, performed well, with actual blast beats and tremolo picking. The joke is mostly in the lyrics and concept.

Dethalbum III arrived in 2012, charting at number 10. By then they were touring as a real band with Gene Hoglan on drums and Bryan Beller on bass. They played actual festivals. Metal fans showed up to watch a cartoon projected behind real musicians playing songs about breakfast and violence. The Metalocalypse live shows became legitimate events, not ironic posturing.

The band's output stalled after Metalocalypse ended in 2013 following network disputes. Small eventually got the rights back and released Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar in 2023, along with Dethalbum IV. At this point Dethklok has been around longer than many legitimate metal bands last, which feels appropriate for a group that started as a satire of metal excess and accidentally became a decent entry in the genre's catalog.

When Dethklok actually tours, it's packed with fans who came for the heavy riffs and stayed for both. The pit is intense but the whole thing has this self-aware energy—people know this started as a joke but the music hits hard anyway. Brendan Small's guitar work is technical enough to keep musicians engaged. It's heavy without taking itself too seriously, which somehow makes it heavier.

Known for Bloodhail, Go Forth and Die, Dethsupport, Murmaider, The Grill

See Dethklok Live