BRENDON SMALL Reflects On 20 Years Of Metalocalypse & DETHKLOK's Unlikely Rise As A Touring Powerhouse

In a new interview with The Logan Show, Small reflected on Dethklok's continued momentum – most recently highlighted by the band's upcoming spring 2026 North American tour, The Amonklok Conquest, alongside Swedish metal giants Amon Amarth.

"It's kind of crazy," Small admitted. "This is an accidental kind of thing that happened." He explained that stepping into the role of steward for Dethklok's live incarnation came with responsibilities he never anticipated. "I didn't even know what kind of responsibility I was taking on when I took on proprietorship of the live music entity… you have to put up risk, you have to organize all this stuff with the other bands, you have to talk to other people."

What began as a side project soon evolved into a sophisticated touring operation. "I inadvertently built a really great infrastructure with great tour managers, production managers, agents and all that stuff," Small said, adding that he came to see live performance as "a really cool art form that you get to kind of control yourself without a network, without anybody else."

That independence comes at a cost. Small revealed that he still has to license his own work — something he described as "bonkers" — but insists it's worth it. "I keep it alive. And by me keeping it alive, it keeps interest in the streamers and has people checking it out," he said. "So in one way or another, the audience and myself are fueling this project's existence."

That symbiosis has opened doors to new creative opportunities, from fresh animation to playful promo content, including a recent tour announcement video featuring Amon Amarth frontman Johan Hegg. "I get to even do this crazy little minute-long tour announcement… where I go, 'Oh. I am just kind of deciding to do this.'"

Naturally, fans continue to ask whether more Dethklok — and Metalocalypse — could be on the horizon. According to Small, the numbers are encouraging. "The truth is that our numbers are really good," he said.

"Sometimes by us kind of going out and doing this stuff, we get more people interested in it." He hinted that the live operation could eventually lead to more animated content in different formats: "Could there be shorter iterations of it? Could there be something? … Can we kind of take all the control back and do some of that stuff?"

Small also addressed the long-running question of ownership, explaining why Metalocalypse being owned by Adult Swim ultimately worked in the show's favor. Drawing on his experience with Home Movies, he noted that network-owned shows often receive greater visibility.

"I noticed that shows like Aqua Teen were getting more visibility," he said. "So I thought Metalocalypse being owned by the network would probably launch us into the zeitgeist a little bit more. And I think that was the right move to make… even 20 years later."

Amon Amarth and Dethklok are teaming up for one hell of a tour in 2026 dubbed The Amonklok Conquest starting this April. The extensive co-headlining trek features special guests Castle Rat for maximum battle-themed madness.

The tour kicks off at Arizona Financial Theatre in Phoenix, AZ on April 15 and wraps up at the PH Live at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, NV on May 21. Get your tickets here.

4/15 Phoenix AZ Arizona Financial Theatre
4/17 San Antonio TX Boeing Center at Tech Port
4/18 Houston TX 713 Music Hall
4/20 Oklahoma City OK The Criterion
4/21 Kansas City MO The Midland Theatre
4/22 Chesterfield MO The Factory
4/24 Minneapolis MN The Armory
4/25 Waukee IA Vibrant Music Hall
4/28 Brooklyn NY Brooklyn Paramount
4/29 Boston MA MGM Music Hall At Fenway
5/1 Toronto ON Great Canadian Casino Resort
5/2 Montreal QC Bell Centre
5/5 National Harbor MD The Theater at MGM National Harbor
5/7 Daytona Beach FL Welcome To Rockville
5/9 Atlanta GA Coca Cola Roxy
5/10 Nashville TN The Pinnacle
5/12 Johnstown PA 1st Summit Arena
5/13 Detroit MI Fox Theatre
5/14 Bethlehem PA Wind Creek Event Center
5/16 Milwaukee WI Landmark Credit Union Live
5/17 Columbus OH Sonic Temple
5/19 Denver CO Junkyard
5/20 Salt Lake City UT The Union Event Center
5/21 Las Vegas NV PH Live at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino