Concert Review: Dethklok (from Metalocalypse)

[ Image courtesy of Revista Gamer ]

Let me preface this review with the following: I have never been a fan of metal. I love music with a passion and will give anything a fighting chance, but I was always under the impression that the majority of the hardcore metal fans were brooding, underage elitists. My first experience with the animated [adult swim] show, Metalocalypse, immediately piqued my interest in the genre. The characters were hilarious and cleverly portrayed; the story lines varied from the most inconsequential concepts to truly epic, Earth-moving spectacles; the music, while hard, was full of impressive guitar solos and amazing drum tracks, and also had humor (which is one thing I assumed wasn't really welcome in most music of the hardcore persuasion... but you know what they say about assumptions). My review of the show, which was at Atlanta's Tabernacle, is after the jump.

I arrived at the Tabernacle, greeted by a mass of black t-shirts, black hoodies, and black jeans standing outside (side note: The best-dressed award goes to a man with a bushy red beard, who was wearing the aforementioned attire. The difference was that his black shirt had white text, declaring "Dead girls can't say no").

Upon my entrance, the Tabernacle immediately secured a place in my heart (and don't worry, I spent the week prior being chastised as the worst Atlanta native in history, due to having never been to what is affectionately called "The Tabby"). The foyer was home to a large, split staircase (think: "Titanic", with less "old money" and more "1911 church converted into an eclectic/indie music venue"). Between the stairs on the split landing, there was a doorway leading to the basement of The Tabernacle, also known as The Cotton Club. This is a smaller venue, used for bands that wouldn't fill the main stage, or for parties or events, etc.. The stairs on the left and right led to the entrance to the main floor, and continued to wrap upward, opening up on landings that contained the entrances to the first, and then second balconies. The first balcony was shaped like a horseshoe, which allowed people in the upper level to still see the performance below. The whole setup made me think of an orchestra pit at a ballet.

After mulling around for a bit, listening to the opening acts bellow through the walls and stairways, we decided to find seats and make ourselves comfortable just in time to catch the end of Mastodon's set. We debated joining the mosh pit on the floor, but decided against it in order to avoid spending the next few days bruised and bleeding.

Then, the moment of truth. The set up took a bit longer than anticipated, but the general impatience of the fans was mollified by the large display behind the stage. It showed a clip made specifically for the concert, of the Tribunal (a group of figureheads and mysterious men of power, whose only mission is to destroy the band, Dethklok). The Tribunal discussed their ultimate plan to cripple Dethklok by releasing a toxic gas that causes retardation and death among Dethklok fans. Then the fans would be unable to buy merchandise, which would mean a slow, crippling end to the band. It was all a marketing ploy, but an entertaining one, at least. Then, out came the band.

Brendon Small, co-creator of Metalocalypse, was doing vocals and playing guitar. Mike Keneally was backing up Brenden's vocals, and playing guitar as well. Bryan Beller also helped out with vocals, and was playing the bass guitar. Then there was Gene Hoglan, hidden behind a massive drum kit.

The band opened by playing the aptly-titled "Deththeme", along with the animated video that serves as the opening for episodes of Metalocalypse. They then went on to play "Bloodlines" and "Burn the Earth". Each song was accompanied by the video it originally aired with on the show. There was also an appearance by Facebones, the character that serves as a guide or host for fans when visiting Mordhaus, the castle-like lair of Dethklok.

Other mentionable songs from their set include Birthday Dethday, a song written and performed for William Murderface Murderface Murderface's birthday episode; Coffee Jingle, a song the band wrote to promote Duncan Hills Coffee, a ficticious coffee brand that offered promotional mugs that featured the likeness of each band member; Murmaider, a song about mermaid murder that was accompanied by a gruesome and wonderfully animated video; and Go into the Water, a song that caused the band to be put on trial due to fans obeying and drowning by the thousands (luckily, the album had a disclaimer that read, "for fish only", which let Dethklok off the hook... pun totally intended).

The guitar solos were spot on, and ridiculously impressive. How people learn to move their fingers so quickly still baffles me. The drummer must have been exhausted by the end of the set, between playing on his massive drum kit and having two bass drums. The bass was loud as all hell, and caused everything from the floors, to the seats, to the whiskey and coke I was holding, to vibrate intensely. I was surprised that there was no news of light-induced seizures, what with the strobes and colors moving and pulsing along with the death metal.

Had it been any metal band other than Dethklok, I would've had to have stepped out halfway through the set. Not because they weren't divine with their awesome energy and great timing in everything they did, but because my poor ears simply couldn't take the noise. It was simply the loudest thing I can recall ever experiencing, and I was immersed in the incredible sound for a good hour. The day after the concert was irksome due to the ringing that took a solid 18 hours to leave my head. I'm sure my screaming at the top of my lungs excitedly (and the resulting sore, scratchy throat and loss of my voice) didn't help my general disposition the next day, either.

All in all, it was an amazing show. The venue was lovely, the crowd was more than entertaining, the band was polished and impressive, the lighting was perfect and well-timed, the clips from Metalocalypse were hilarious, and you couldn't go 100 feet without seeing a small bar set up. I will most certainly try to catch Dethklok next time they're in town. Were I able to change anything, it would be the volume. Just because the amps go to 11, doesn't mean you have to set it at that.