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Josh and I saw Dethklok live on Saturday night.
It’s hard to explain the series of mental hoops one has to jump through upon realization that you’ve just paid $50 to see a cartoon heavy metal band play live. I’ve said this before on the HE Podcast, but I enjoy Dethklok in a completely un-ironic way. I know the band members are technically animated characters on an Adult Swim show, but I listen to their music just like any other band. Actually, I think I enjoy them more than most bands because there’s a built in mechanism where they CAN’T take themselves too seriously… because they don’t exist.
Dethklok manages to perfectly blend my interests in rock & roll, comedy and satire. Their music instantly transcends being a “joke” because Brendon Small, the show’s co-creator and composer, is a fantastic metal musician. Josh and I were talking after the show about how amazing this guy’s life seems (on paper). He got to make a fairly popular cartoon (Home Movies), then somehow he got to make an extremely popular cartoon (Metalocalypse), then through some series of witchcraft and enchantment he parlays that cartoon success into becomming an actual rock star. And make no mistake, he was a FUCKING ROCK STAR.
The first panel of this comic actually happened. We wondered aloud if the audience would consist more of Adult Swim fans or Metal fans. It was almost entirely the latter. The legitimacy the crowd granted this intentional farce was a site to behold. The opening bands (Chimaira and Soilent Green) were ACTUAL metal bands. They have paid their dues (or were still paying them), toured the country, scraped by and earned the respect of the people in the audience. They were both very well received. Dethklok, on the other hand, A) doesn’t even exist, and B) has only played a grand total of 30 or 40 shows to date and they were greeted like the second coming of Lemmy.
The show itself consisted of the band playing live while synced up animation plaid on the screen behind them. It was a good mix of scenes from the show and all new clips. Every 3 or 4 songs, the human band would exit the stage and we’d get 2 or 3 minutes of bonus animation, such as an orientation from “Face Bones,” and vinette about Murderface pissing sitting down.
Show Highlights were:
- Extended Skwisgar sex scene in “Thunderhorse”
- The “Duncan Hills Jingle” live
- The fact the Brendon Small can sing live as Nathan Explosion with no effects
- Brendon Small carrying on a live conversation between Nathan, Skwisgar and Pickles
- Pickles and Nathan’s dueling vocals on “Hatredcopter” despite being voiced by the same dude
- MURMAIDER MURMAIDER MURMAIDER MURMAIDER!!!
- Seeing “Go Into the Water” live (it’s my favorite Dethklok song)
Check out some full reviews from Saturday’s show at Dethklok.org.
Tags: cartoons, dethklok, heavy metal, metalocalypse, music
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August 26th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
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February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Damn I love my metal, I wish these guys would make the trek to Aus. Did they play the Duncan Hills Coffee Jingle (I doubt the would've but that song is just hilarious and awesome combined)?
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
I was totally at Saturdays concert…. no goat sacrifices!!! Pics or it didn't happen!!! hehe.. Dethklok Dethklok!
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Perhaps you recall that a certain band by the name of 'The Rolling Stones' once started their world tour in Scotland, Aberdeen infact!
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
That last panel makes me giggle more every time I look at it.
Also, any Dr. Rockso, the Rock-N-Roll Clown at the show?
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
It's bad … very, very bad … when _Josh_ is shocked by _Joel_!
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
I was at Sunday's show in Austin! Did you guys have that ''Bad Company" commercial play between bands? When it came on, the crowd started chanting "Fuck That Shit!". I was pretty proud of us. We really stuck it to 'the man', even though I'm sure the man wasn't even there. Overall it was an awesome show.. surreal.. but awesome. I had to stop at one point and think about the fact that is was at a show for an imaginary band from a cartoon series. I commented that it must be the future but someone had to mention Josie and the Pussycats and burst my bubble. DETHKLOK RULES!!!
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Ah, they might come to Scotland. Bryan Beller said in his end of tour blog that Dethklok is looking at taking the Dethtour world wide.
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Ha! Laughed so hard I nearly snorted. Again. Saw the show in Denver and it was awesome! Never did see the goat but there were definitely lots of cows about…
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
They DID and it was facemeltingly brutal. That song has my favorite Dethklok solo.
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Yeah they boo'd the commercial at our show. Honestly, I was a little appalled to see a commercial during a concert, but you gotta pay for that shit somehow.
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
You have to get low to the ground to find the goat.
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Ill post a mini review with the comic later today. I wouldnt be surprised of they do hit Europe soon enough. The tour is selling very well form what I know.
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
You must have been in the uncool part of the show. There was all kinds of sacrificing going on next to the sound booth.
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Yes, these were my thoughts as well. "We're here to see a cartoon band…. live?" If Wyld Stallions had opened it would have been perfect.
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
I'm used to seeing advertising at concerts. I've been to Van's Warped Tour and Ozzfest and the advertising is everywhere. I wouldn't have had a problem with a big production out front with people trying to tell you how great the game was, or handing out demos or something, but a commercial? At a metal show? Say it aint so.
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Of course, they WERE from the UK to begin with.
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Other awesome cartoon bands I love: Gorillaz
Aaaaand those are the only cartoon bands I can think of.
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Oh c'mon, don't tell me you didn't suspect that deep down Joel was just as freaky (if not even moreso) than Josh or Eli?
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Gorillaz are the shit though, no denying that.
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Man, I think there's something wrong with me, but the idea of a shirtless Joel carving a pentagram into his chest like in panel 3 is slightly sexy to me. :p
Not a metal fan myself, but I would definitely love to see an animated band concert.
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
I dig Joel's dark metal side.
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
We need to get Limozeen and Dethklok on the same bill, pronto.
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Is it really deep down, or just under a thin, thin veneer of Texan respectability?
We just forget about it until those moments when the veneer peels back and Joel's flushed and sticky depravity is exposed. Then we're all (re-)shocked, just as Josh is.
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
"HijiNKS ENSUE: Satisfying AJ's jollies since 2007"
For the next T-shirt.
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Only Joel & Co. know how to rub me the right way.
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Yeah, Skwisgar teaches it on the DVD of season 1. That DVD is definitely worth owning, it has so many easter eggs and other stuff…
Anyway, I'm heavily into metal, mostly death metal (this is not to say I don't listen to other music as well, which I do, perhaps more frequently) and the Dethalbum is probably one of the better metal albums that was released last year. You really coined it up there with the fact that they don't (and can't) take themselves too seriously, Brendon is really talented as well, must've been an awesome show, like I said, I hope they come here (Australia)…
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
I was under the Impression that the band used for playing the music sements (in the cartoon)was Cannibal Corpse. A real band that is in every way Dethklock itself already.
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Nope. Brendon Small composes and plays all the music except for drums on the show. Nathan is modeled after George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher from Cannibal Corpse, though.
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
There was a demo of the game in the lobby, but yeah they actually played a 2 min commercial on the stage. It was decidedly un-metal.
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Yeah same here. They had the demo set up and there were people checking it out, then between Chimaira and Dethklok they showed that commercial. The crowd made their feelings known. m/
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Just noticed in panel 1 the shape resemblance between Joel's lips and the knot of hair on the back of his head. Fearful symmetry!
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
We went to see Shouka (read: a crappy Shamu) at a water park here in California. They had a car commercial play during the dolphin opening act. Also much booing.
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Just curious, how would the show compare to a Gorilaz show?
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
It's too bad you can't Tivo a live show and just skip the bits you don't want. *Sigh*
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
How was it? I've wanted to see them for some time.
Doubt they'll be coming to Scotland. Like everyone else, I guess. Hah.
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Just a minute, just a minute! This is all from a cartoon, right? -I remember when Adult Swim was just an innocuous little segment of programming with silly shows. Now? Now, they have the power to resurrect shows into full-on international ultra-fame. Have baked-bean eating honkys throw up their hands at the taliban. And what now? -Fantastic. They've managed to transubstantiate death-metal high-comedy.
Honestly, I don't know how they get all this weed into the damn country.
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Well, quite.
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Big difference is Gorillaz play behind the screen so that you focus on the animation where as Dethklok play in front of it.
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Its not entirely fictional.
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Yikes. Thats creepy.
February 5th, 2009 at 11:36 am
You drew it, man.
Joel's got lip hair!