The Greatest Fictional Band since Spinal Tap
What is Dethklok? Dethklok started out as five characters on an Adult Swim cartoon called "Metalocalypse" created by Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha, but it has since become much more. Dethklok has become the single greatest cartoon metal band on earth. Not only does it have a huge following, but Small has formed a real band to perform the group's music live for thousands of adoring fans, and has toured with Mastodon, High on Fire, and Converge.
Brendon Small on Stage
In the show, Dethklok experiences an impossible level of fame, ranking as the seventh largest economy on the planet. It has reached a point where if they endorse a product or service, competitors are almost immediately put out of business. Most of the band's history is unknown, as in the pilot episode they have already achieved international fame. However, we do know that they are signed to "Crystal Mountain Records." In real life, the band has released two albums that have done well in the charts (more information on them can be found in the "Discography" section of this site).
Background
Dethklok clueless at a grocery store.
On the show, the band is portrayed as being completely incompetent in just about everything not directly related to playing music, from buying groceries to having personal relationships, but their immense amount of success discourages anyone from criticizing them or hindering them in any way for fear of death at the hands of their fans. In fact, the band is allowed to maintain their own private police force and get away with any crime imaginable, though they are often so ignorant that they don't realize they are breaking the law. Naturally, they tend to cause disaster and destruction anywhere they go.
Concerts
A Devoted Fan
Their concerts are so notoriously violent that fans are required to sign "pain waivers," releasing the band from legal responsibility in the almost guaranteed case that they are killed or maimed. For example, in the first episode, several fans report with pride having their eyes torn out or their fingers chopped off and smoked by Murderface (the bass player). At the concert that follows, a giant metal box that serves as the band's stage is airlifted and parachuted onto location and it misses the landing area and crushes much of the audience. 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).
The Manager
Manager Charles Offdensen
The members of Dethklok likely owe their very lives to their manager/lawyer/financial advisor Charles Foster Offdensen (whose last name is sometimes spelled with only one "f", depending on the episode). He is portrayed as incredibly competent, intelligent, business-like, and patient when dealing with the band. Though he comes across as normal and clean-cut, he has been known to be just as violent as they are, if not more so on some occasions, as he often gives specific orders to assault, torture, and kill those who threaten Dethklok with no hesitation or remorse. This can probably be attributed to the fact that they are his entire economic livelyhood. The band, on the other hand, is generally ignorant of the violence that surrounds them.
The Tribunal
The Tribunal
The combination of Dethklok's impossible level of popularity and their trail of destruction has prompted an illuminati-esque group called "The Tribunal" to moniter their every move and attempt to maintain the existing status quo. This usually involves perpetuating public ignorance and rampant consumerism whenever the band does something that could upset it. Led by a man named Mr. Selatcia, The Tribunal operates under the premise that Dethklok's popularity is the result of an ancient Sumerian Prophecy about "The Apocalypse of Metal," which is where the show gets its name.
