BRENDON SMALL Says The Metalocalypse Characters Started Out As "A Representation Of Celebrityism"

In a recent interview with Australia's Heavy, Brendon Small — creator of the cult animated series Metalocalypse — reflected on the origins of the show and the inspiration behind its bizarre and brutal world. At the heart of the series is Dethklok, a fictional metal band so powerful it eclipses even The Beatles in popularity. But beneath the show's over-the-top antics lies a sharp critique of fame and the creative industry in the early 2000s.

“It started out where these characters really were a representation of celebrityism,” Small said (via Blabbermouth). “This is how the show started, really. It's really crazy because in the early two thousands television writers were losing their jobs to reality television show, like Paris Hilton, whatever inept celebrity that you could think of.”

That shift toward celebrity-driven, unscripted content hit a nerve for Small, “We thought, this is crazy. I hate this. I like creative stuff, I like new, unique ideas. And this is taking that from creativity. And people are kind of more interested in watching somebody kind of fail their way through life.”

It was this frustration that led to the creation of Dethklok and the chaotic world they inhabit: “And I thought this is something I'd like to kind of try to study and take a look at, but what if we got to talk about something that was cool, which is heavy metal while we were kind of throwing these characters through the gauntlet of celebrityism — barbecue sauces and vanity projects and side projects and planet piss and egos and all that stuff.”

That gauntlet became the core of Metalocalypse's storytelling, “That's what the show was — Nathan and his ego, Pickles and his jealousy, Skwisgaar and Toki butting heads over who gets the spotlight. All that stuff is ego, ego, ego. And that's what the whole show has been about. And that's why the final episode is really the ultimate confrontation between them and their egos.”

That culmination, according to Small, is a metaphorical fall from grace. “It really goes from this kind of idea of these guys who thought themselves as exalted gods to falling back onto earth. And that's the idea. And so, within that, how do you make it funny? How do you make it interesting? How do you make it unique? How do you do something that you haven't seen yet? How do you build a family that is bound by creativity? Because that's a complicated relationship… So, that's what I tend to get into.”

Small also drew connections to his earlier work. “I did a show before this called Home Movies, and that was also a show about a family of kids who had a creative relationship. And there's no difference between adults and kids, really. And so this one was just more brutal, more sexual, more violent, more just explosive fire, blood, tits and explosions and shit.”

Running for seven seasons, Metalocalypse pushed boundaries with its dark humor and absurd scenarios. The series concluded with the hour-long rock opera The Doomstar Requiem, a final chapter that not only wrapped up the story but delivered a grand spectacle fitting the band’s mythos.

Following the show's popularity, Small brought Dethklok to life as a real band, performing live with himself on vocals and guitar. Dethklok’s first three albums broke into the Top 20 of the Billboard 200, with Dethalbum III reaching No. 10 — the highest charting death metal album in history. The Doomstar Requiem: A Klok Opera Soundtrack also found success, hitting No. 7 on Billboard’s soundtrack chart in 2013.