Metalocalypse

Metalocalypse is an American animated television series on Adult Swim created by Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha that premiered on August 4, 2006.

The show parodies other "band" and supernatural programs, combining dark comedy and Apocalyptic intrigue in following the exploits of the part-American/part-Scandinavian death metal band Dethklok. The episodes follow the band's everyday life, with a Dethklok song being a common feature near the end of many episodes.

The music is written by guitarist/creator Brendon Small, is credited to the band, and is featured in most episodes including actual guitar-fingerings and other band-movements of the characters.

In a bump on June 14, 2009, Adult Swim revealed that the third season would air on November 8 and The Dethalbum II would be released September 29. On June 22 it was announced that season 5 will not come

Overview: In the series, Dethklok is a band which enjoys a popularity level unheard of in reality, ranking as the twelfth largest economy on Earth by the second season. Its popularity is such that impressionable fans will do anything its songs tell them to, even if that means death, which is usually the case. In "Dethgov", fans of Dethklok murder the governor of Florida after he disrespects lead singer Nathan Explosion, whom they then proceed to elect governor in a landslide write-in victory. 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, albeit 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 tends to attract civil unrest simply by existing. Dethklok concerts are so notoriously violent that those attending are required to sign "pain waivers" at the entrance, releasing the band from legal liability in the very likely case they are killed or maimed. For example, in the premiere episode, Dethklok's concert begins with a giant metal box that serves as the band's stage being airlifted and parachuted onto location. It misses the landing area and crushes much of the audience, both by virtue of its landing and subsequent opening. Several searing hot coffee-and-cream pitchers are also deliberately poured on the crowd by the band's special-effects team, burning the crowd's skin off (to fit with the "face-melting" guitar solo in the death metal-styled coffee jingle being played by the band). In another episode ("Dethtroll"), Dethklok accidentally summons a gigantic and extremely destructive Finnish lake troll after taking "lyrics" from a Finnish book of necromantic spells.

The band only functions because it is managed by a clean-cut, ordinary-looking businessman named Charles Foster Ofdensen, who lives with the band in Mordhaus. Ofdensen appears to run every "business" aspect of the band, ranging from legal counsel to finances. He is extremely savvy and competent in his duties as well as other matters. As the brains behind the band, Ofdensen operates in an understated, business-like manner. He is remarkably patient and professional when dealing with Dethklok despite their ignorance and frequent rudeness toward him, apparently tolerating their "artistic eccentricity" - as well as indifference to their immense wealth and market-value. In spite of his unassuming appearance, Ofdensen is just as inclined to violence as the band, if not more so, since he willfully engages in it rather than merely being indifferent to it. He often gives specific orders to assault, torture, and kill those who threaten Dethklok with no hesitation or remorse.

The band's unnatural popularity and trail of destruction has attracted the attention of an Illuminati-style group, known as "The Tribunal", which is dedicated to monitoring Dethklok's activity and preventing it from becoming too powerful; 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 group, wants to kill the band, but is constantly held back by Selatcia from doing so. 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.

Facts: Explosion, Pickles, and Toki Wartooth. Format Animated Comedy Created by Brendon Small Tommy Blacha Voices of Brendon Small Tommy Blacha Mark Hamill Victor Brandt Malcolm McDowell Country of origin United States No. of seasons 3 No. of episodes 40 (List of episodes) Production Executive producer(s) Brendon Small Tommy Blacha Keith Crofford Nick Weidenfeld Running time 11 min. (approx.) 21 min. (third season) Broadcast Original channel Adult Swim Original run August 4, 2006 – October 27, 2013

Series Development: 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 was greenlighted in 2005 with a 20-episode contract.

Broadcast History: The show's first season consists of 20 11-minute episodes, the first of which premiered on the Adult Swim Video on August 4, 2006 and on Adult Swim proper the following Sunday. Metalocalypse was renewed for a second season consisting of 20 episodes which began airing September 23, 2007, two days before the CD release of The Dethalbum. An updated version of the Deththeme was featured in the second season as well. The Metalocalypse premiere was the #1 rated show in its time slot among males aged 18–34, and earned the network's best premiere delivery and ratings to date in 2006. Among the top ad-supported basic cable programs of the week, Metalocalypse ranked #12 among men 18-34 and #6 among men 18-24. The series premiere ranked #30 for the week among adults 18-34.

At San Diego Comic Con 2008, Tommy Blacha confirmed that the show would be renewed for a third season which, according to a January [adult swim] bump, is supposed to premiere in the fall of 2009.

The episodes of season three have been announced to be 21 minute episodes (30 minute including commercials). Source: Wikipedia.org