Coordinates | 38°53′51.61″N77°2′11.58″N |
---|---|
Show name | Metalocalypse |
Caption | The members of Dethklok shown in a promotional poster. From left to right: William Murderface, Skwisgaar Skwigelf, Nathan Explosion, Pickles and Toki Wartooth. |
Format | Animated comedy,Dark comedy |
Runtime | 11 minutes 21 minutes |
Creator | Brendon SmallTommy Blacha |
Voices | Brendon SmallTommy BlachaMark HamillVictor BrandtMalcolm McDowell |
Executive producer | Brendon SmallTommy BlachaKeith CroffordNick Weidenfeld |
Theme music composer | Brendon Small |
Country | United States |
Company | Titmouse, Inc.Williams Street |
Network | Adult Swim |
Picture format | SDTV HDTV |
First aired | |
Last aired | present |
Num seasons | 3 |
Num episodes | 48 |
List episodes | List of Metalocalypse episodes |
Website | http://www.adultswim.com/shows/metal/ |
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 around 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 extremely hyperbolic black humor and often gets a TV-MA V rating. The show can be seen as both a parody and celebration of heavy metal culture.
The music is written by guitarist/creator Brendon Small, is credited to the band, and is featured in most of the episodes. The animation is often carefully synced to the music, with the chord positions and fingering of the guitar parts shown in some detail.
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 murder 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. Selatcia", 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 anti-Dethklok group, appears to desire either the death of the band's members or the dismantlement of the band itself, but Mr. Selatcia 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.
As Home Movies had ended its run in 2004, Brendon Small started hanging out 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 100 times more popular than The Beatles. 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.
At San Diego Comic Con 2008, Tommy Blacha confirmed that the show would be renewed for a third season which premiered on November 8, 2009. The episodes of season three are 21 minutes long (30 minutes including commercials).
The show has been picked up for a fourth season which is to premiere in spring of 2012 according to the Adult Swim website.
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. Kid Robot produced unarticulated figures of Murderface and Toki as part of an Adult Swim blind boxed mini figure line. The song "Thunderhorse" is featured in the game Guitar Hero II by Harmonix and Red Octane as a bonus song.
In 2009, Brendon Small and Dethklok became endorsed by Marshall Amplification, dropping Krank. In January 2010, Laser Canon Deth Sentence became a downloadable song for Guitar Hero 5. "Bloodlines" is on the main setlist in . Dethklok was featured in Soundgarden's video for "Black Rain", which Small directed. Dethklok's 2009 tour with Mastodon was sponsored by Brutal Legend and the song "Murmaider" was featured in the game.
There are guitar transcription books for both Dethklok albums, which were released through Alfred Publishing. A bass tab anthology containing transcriptions from both albums was also released through Alfred Publishing.
A Gibson Dethklok "Thunderhorse" explorer has been released.
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).
Dethklok toured with Chimaira and Soilent Green during June and July 2008.
Dethklok toured with co-headliner Mastodon, High on Fire, and Converge during October and November 2009.
Dethklok vs. The Goon (one-shot) was released July 22, 2009. Written by Brendon Small and Eric Powell.
Metalocalypse #1 was released October 6, 2010. Written by Brendon Small and Jeremy Barlow.
Metalocalypse #2 was released December 15, 2010. Written by Brendon Small, Jon Schnepp and Jeremy Barlow.
Metalocalypse #3 was released February 23, 2011. Written by Brendon Small, Jon Schnepp and Jeremy Barlow.
A deluxe hardcover containing all 4 comics was released June 15, 2011.
All comics have variant cover arts by Eric Powell and Jon Schnepp. It will be a 3 issue mini series. Brendon Small and Jon Schnepp have stated that there will be more comics to come.
Category:2000s American animated television series Category:2006 American television series debuts Category:Williams Street Studios series and characters Category:Black comedy Category:Adult Swim original programs Category:Flash cartoons Category:Musical television series Category:Heavy metal television series Category:Flash television shows
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
Coordinates | 38°53′51.61″N77°2′11.58″N |
---|---|
Name | Brendon Small |
Caption | Brendon Small at the San Diego Comic-Con International in July 2010. |
Birth date | February 15, 1975 |
Birth place | Springfield, Illinois |
Othername | Donald Cock |
Yearsactive | 1997 - present |
Notable work | Home MoviesMetalocalypseDethklok |
Occupation | animator, comedian, television writer, musician, and voice actor |
Website | www.brendonsmall.com |
Genre | Comedy: Improvisational comedy, observational comedy, character comedy, satireMusic: Death metal, melodic death metal |
Instrument | Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Keyboards, Drum programming |
Subject | Everyday life, manners, social norms, mass media, popular culture |
Influences | Comedy: Woody Allen, George Carlin, Steve Martin, The Marx Brothers, David Letterman, Johnny Carson, Louis CKMusic: Paul Gilbert, Yngwie Malmsteen, Brian May, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Steve Morse, Zakk Wylde |
Equipment | Gibson Explorer |
Small's latest television project is as co-producer, co-writer, composer, and voice actor for the Adult Swim series Metalocalypse, which premiered on August 6, 2006. The series focuses on a fictional death metal band named Dethklok, and each episode features a song "performed" by the band. In addition to all of the behind-the-scenes work he does for the series, he also provides voice talent for the characters Skwisgaar Skwigelf, Pickles, and Nathan Explosion, three of the five members of Dethklok. Small has stated that while this is his dream job, he does not really like watching animation that much.
In November 2007, Small, Hoglan, Mike Keneally and Bryan Beller performed live as Dethklok at twelve US college campuses in support of the Dethalbum. The Adult Swim-sponsored "Dethtour" featured Dethklok supporting the indie rock band …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. The foursome reunited in 2008 to headline a longer "Dethtour," where they toured the U.S. in June and early July with fellow metal bands Chimaira and Soilent Green.
They also performed directly before headliners Iron Maiden during the first day of the debut of the Heavy MTL festival in Montreal, Canada, 2008.
Small also announced work was complete on The Dethalbum II, released on September 29, 2009. The Dethalbum II reached number #15 on the Billboard 200, making it the highest charting death metal album in history. A tour in support of the new album began in the Fall of 2009, where Dethklok co-headlined with the band Mastodon.
Brendon Small announced that he will be releasing a solo album which will feature Gene Hoglan on Drums and Bryan Beller on Bass.
Brendon Small recently directed Soundgarden's music video for "Black Rain", and The Damned Things music video for "We've Got A Situation Here".
Small has done some guitar guest work for the unsigned band "Sylencer".
Along with comedians Ron Lynch and Craig Anton, Small has hosted the "Tomorrow Show", a weekly live comedy show at the Steve Allen Theater in Los Angeles.
Brendon Small currently resides in Los Angeles, California with his dog, Ernie.
Small also announced at a concert Q&A; session that he will be putting out a Gibson signature model guitar, not an Epiphone, despite the NAMM photos.
Category:1975 births Category:American animators Category:American cartoonists Category:American comedians Category:American comedy musicians Category:American composers Category:American heavy metal bass guitarists Category:American heavy metal guitarists Category:American heavy metal singers Category:American male singers Category:American multi-instrumentalists Category:Death metal musicians Category:American satirists Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American television actors Category:American television directors Category:American television writers Category:American voice actors Category:People from Springfield, Illinois Category:Home Movies (TV series) Category:Berklee College of Music alumni Category:American people of Lithuanian descent Category:Living people
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
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