z z u b The Dethinterview by Amanda Ferrante Batista 2009 follow-up, Dethalbum II , peaked make it into a song. The goal is to see them and they’re really cool. I don’t to practice it. The virtual death metal band at number 15 on the Billboard 200 if I’m interested in listening to the song. know the other guys as well, but I’m As the creator of Metalocalypse , Dethklok has billions —yes , billions — chart and sold 45,000 copies during If I’m getting through song without excited to go out and play, and be loud. you are interestingly multi-talented. of fans, and are a cultural influence the first week of its release. getting bored, that’s the objective. I I’m more of a part-time musician. Most You fuse the art of metal music with and a driving economic force. This October, the band is back at always consider myself the audience, of what I do is not music —I do it for animation. It’s such a great show The group boasts a whole bunch of it again with the release of the third for the tv show, too. If not , I usually get a concentrated amount of time. at face value with a great storyline, “fictional facts” that are, quite frankly, installment of the Dethalbum record, rid of it and get sick of it. Metalocalypse takes up more of my but integrating the elements of metal, too comical to believe. As the focal which features music from the second, If you write something very quickly time, as well as other projects I do. music composition and hard vocals point of the animated series third and fourth seasons of the show. and use your instincts, and then forget Ultimately , when I go on tour , I want makes it that much more impressive. Metalocalypse , the members of Small and his musical cohorts—bassist about it and go back to it months later, to make sure my dumb amps and What inspired you to create a “virtual Dethklok are Nathan Explosion, and backup vocalist Bryan Beller, you’re surprised with what you did at guitars work. And let’s hope people death metal band” and the show? Skwisgaar Skwigelf, Toki Wartooth, drummer Gene Hoglan and guitarist the time, and then it feels very fresh buy tickets and show up —that’s very The big thing that would make a William Murderface, and Pickles. Mike Keneally—kicked off a 30-city and new, and I get to correct things I important. show like this different than any other They’re not the brightest tools in the tour with All That Remains, Machine wasn’t crazy about during the last Shortly after you released your solo the show is a lot of attention has to be shed, as they are portrayed as aloof, Head, and The Black Dahlia Murder go around. I can make it up as I go album, Galaktikon , this past April, paid to the music. It can’t just be generic stupid even, while the powers that be on Oct. 30. along. I’ll show it to Gene on drums or you introduced your weekly “shred- rock or generic metal. I knew it would around them are often plotting much Small took some time out from his Bryan on bass, or Ulrich Wild, who ucation” sessions on YouTube to have specific, and be what I would to the band’s demise. multi-faceted busy schedule to talk engineered, co-produced and mixed, educate aspiring guitarists. What want a metal band to sound like if I The show appropriately airs on Adult metal composition, why he took his but ultimately, there’s nobody between made you want to do that? were in charge of it. That’s how it all Swim, with a TV-MA rating, as the guitar smarts to YouTube, and what me and the label. So whatever gets I’m a guitar nerd. I grew up with came together. When I sold the concept content is often morbid —violent even — Metalocalypse fans can expect during on the record is pretty much what I feel instructional videos and I know that of the show , I called the head of the and often channels ironic humor. And the upcoming season. like should be there. Having all those they’re incredibly helpful. I know how network. I said I had this idea about to maintain the credibility of the Congratulations on the release of weird gaps of time in between many guitar players there are out there. this extreme metal show, but the characters’ too-hot-for-tv language, Dethalbum III , out now via Williams composition creates a little more I know a lot of them watch our show. characters would be the biggest the usual “bleeps” are replaced by Street Records. Where did you draw objectivity and [gives me the opportunity I know that because we sell a lot of entertainment act in the universe, as pinch harmonics. inspiration and what was the to be] “sick of shit.” And sometimes I’m tablature books and guitars. There’s opposed to having the band be on its The mastermind behind the composition process like? just writing stuff and saying it’s a a big audience for the show. One of way out. characters of Dethklok, self-proclaimed My composition process is really placeholder, and I’ll go back to it. the reasons I wanted to have this show That’s what Spinal Tap did, and that’s “guitar nerd” Brendon Small, brought strange and I don’t know anybody else You’re gearing up for a headlining is because, if I were 15 years old, this why it’s great —they did it the best. We the concept of the band to life with the who does it this way ; I write parts of a tour with Machine Head, All That would be my show. If I were a guy thought, “Why [not] have them be the first official Dethklok album, aptly titled song, for the tv show [Metalocalypse ], Remains, and The Black Dahlia discovering guitar, carving out my biggest entertainment act on Earth? ” The Dethalbum, released in September and I’ll do it very quickly. I’ll spend Murder. What are you most looking identify through being a guitarist, I’d And they’re pretty much fueling the 2007, about a year after the cartoon’s about two hours on it. Then I’ll come forward to on tour, to collaborate think this show would be fun to watch. economy; they’re bigger than Belgium. premiere. And while the real-world act back to it and write some lyrics in about with such a comprehensive, People need to realize there’s a guitar If they were that big, what then are the hardly scratched the surface of its a month and a half, maybe two months, influential group of bands? sitting out there, waiting for you to play cultural effects? I said, “Here’s the cartoon counterpart’s smashing and then I’ll have about 45 minutes of These bands are incredibly cool. I’m it. It’s not impossible and no one that show idea. ” The network told me to success, the album debuted at number music. And then I’ll revisit it like a year a big fan of Black Dahlia Murder, in plays guitar well is magic —they just write a treatment for it. I spent the next 21 on the Billboard Top 200 list. Its and a half or two years later and try to particular. I’m somewhat friendly with worked really hard at it. You just have few months figuring out what the music DETHKLOK’S NEW ALBUM, DETHALBUM III , INITIALLY RELEASED ON OCT. 16, WILL BE OUT ON VINYL NOV . 6. SEE THEM AT THE ELECTRIC FACTORY ON OCT. 31 AND THE ROSELAND BALLROOM ON NOV. 3. FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO ADULTSWIMCENTRAL.COM. 24 ARTS WEEKLY OCTOBER 31, 2012 www.theaquarian.com sounds like. It’s cheaper than it is to make a That’s the way it should feel, a big, stupid Universal record than it is to make a tv show, and I thought Studios thing. But it’s about the audience each a tv show ultimately could get canceled really time. We have new songs. We have all new quickly if it doesn’t catch on. If I could just make comedy sketches. [Film director, producer and this tv show work and get people excited about screenwriter] Werner Herzog is doing the whole it, then maybe I could just quit the tv show and intro, and it’s amazing that we got him to do this. make the music. That was the whole idea. It’s a self-contained show. I’m not interested The last episode of the season was a in wearing out our welcome on stage. I’ve been cliffhanger, to say the least. Now that the to so many shows. One great thing about metal characters on the show are privy to the bands is that they do their thing, they get off conspiracy happening around them, can you stage and they make you want more so you share anything about what’s next for the come around next time. show? I somehow found the best band that’s alive I don’t do a good job at telling people what’s right now to play with me. I exclude myself from going to happen on the show. I leave people in those people because I am definitely the weak the lurch.