There was once a time when we didn’t know what happened, or what was going to happen, to our endearingly boneheaded animated metal act Dethklok. Hell, even Metalocalypse creator Brendon Small was seemingly left out of the loop in regard to the future of the band. But we’ve all got the answers now, and they come by way of the new LP Dethalbum IV and film Army of the Doomstar, as well as Dethklok’s highly anticipated tour with BABYMETAL.
Heavy Consequence recently unveiled Part 1 of our video interview with Small, during which he discussed the movie. Part 2 (watch above) focuses on the album and the tour.
Small’s approach to this Dethklok record was quite a bit different than the ones prior. Gone are his days of compiling songs from TV episodes to make an epically cohesive track collection. This time around, he started from scratch. Each song on Dethalbum IV is new, with the only real connection to the previous albums being the “underwater king’s lament” of “Murmaider III.” As the album closer, Small wanted to end on a “Viking funeral” type of note, with rhapsodic instrumentals and operatic vocality that could easily stand next to a Les Misérables or Evita without question. For all intents and purposes, he did exactly that.
“Any time a story is being told in music, I am really, really, really interested,” Small tells us about what inspired his “Murmaider” series. “From King Diamond to Andrew Lloyd Webber, I’m there. From Metallica talking about a movie, to Anthrax talking about Stephen King, to whatever. It’s such a great way to tell story.”
With that, Small’s decision on who to tour with in support of the album was just as easy to make as how to the end latest Dethlabum — by being as dramatic as possible.
“[BABYMETAL] put on such a great show,” he says. “Their music is so bonkers and bombastic, and it’s nothing like what we do, but I do think there’s a quality and an entertainment high mark that they hit. I [thought], ‘If we did this together we would have an evening of one of the most entertaining shows you’re gonna see out there.'”
In addition to discussing the album and tour, Small also also talks about his favorite metal bands and the musicians who influence his own guitar playing. Watch above to see Part 2 of our interview with the Metalocalypse creator.
Dethklok’s co-headlining tour with BABYMETAL kicks off Wednesday night (August 30th) in Houston, and runs through an October 11th show in Los Angeles (pick up tickets here).
Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar is out now via digital platforms and Blu-ray/DVD, available for purchase here. You can also enter our contest for a chance to win one of two signed Blu-ray copies (contest ends September 12th).
Watch the second part of our interview with Brendon Small above and enter the contest below.
Trouble viewing the video interview in the player above? Watch on YouTube.
Dethklok and BABYMETAL’s 2023 North American Tour Dates:
08/30 – Houston, TX @ 713 Music Hall
08/31 – Dallas, TX @ South Side Ballroom
09/02 – Orlando, FL @ Orlando Amphitheater
09/03 – Atlanta, GA @ Coca-Cola Roxy
09/05 – Nashville, TN @ Nashville Municipal Auditorium
09/06 – Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theatre
09/08 – Pittsburgh, PA @ UPMC Events Center
09/09 – Wallingford, CT @ Toyota Oakdale Theatre
09/10 – Alton, VA @ Blue Ridge Rock Festival
09/12 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Mann Center
09/14 – Boston, MA @ MGM Music Hall at Fenway
09/15 – New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom
09/17 – Sterling Heights, MI @ Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre
09/18 – Toronto, ON @ RBC Echo Beach
09/20 – Grand Rapids, MI @ GLC Live at 20 Monroe
09/21 – Chicago, IL @ Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom
09/23 – Louisville, KY @ Louder Than Life Festival
09/24 – Milwaukee, MN @ The Rave/Eagles Club
09/25 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Fillmore
09/27 – St. Louis, MO @ Saint Louis Music Park
09/28 – Omaha, NE @ Steelhouse Omaha
09/30 – Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
10/01 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex
10/03 – Vancouver, BC @ PNE Forum
10/04 – Seattle, WA @ WaMu Theater
10/07 – Sacramento, CA @ Aftershock Festival
10/08 – Las Vegas, NV @ Pearl Theater at Palms Casino Resort
10/10 – Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Financial Theater
10/11 – Los Angeles, CA @ YouTube Theater