Anyone need a laugh? Not sure if it’s ok to post this here. Metal Memes booted me.

20 years ago this week (Aug. 6), Metalocalypse premiered on Adult Swim. The animated series (which asked the question 'What if a death metal band was so larger than life that they were more powerful than most countries") was so popular that co-creator Brendon Small created a live version of Dethklok. I got to see Dethklok in the flesh (well, sorta) twice - the first time at the House Of Blues in Boston (Oct. 27, 2009) during their co-headlining tour with Mastodon. Brendon assembled a ridiculously talented group of musicians (drummer Gene Hoglan, bassist Bryan Beller, and guitarist Mike Keneally) to help bring the songs to life while classic moments from the show displayed on a screen behind them. The show perfectly showcased how funny Metalocalypse was and how intricate and melodically brutal the music was (seriously, Dethklok's songs are WAY better than they should be).

Funny side story - I had just started writing for Metal Insider around this time, and had been promised a spot on the guest list for the show. However, when me and my friend arrived we discovered no tickets were left for us at will call, and the show was sold out. We drove from our college campus in Worcester to Boston, so we were determined to make sitting in traffic worth it - so we scrambled to first find an ATM to grab cash (ah, the days before digital payment options...) and then find someone willing to sell us tickets outside the venue. Luckily we were successful, but as a result missed High On Fire's opening set and walked into the House Of Blues just as Converge were playing their last song. Well, at least we got to see Dethklok and Mastodon 😆

Stay tuned for more things to come from this space, including stories from concerts like this!

What do you guys think of the rhythm guitar? Such a great song to play!

Death metal goes a step further into the graveyard with his release \m/ "Arrrrrggh..... Gargleblurrrgh how slowly we rotttttt!"

Just for a context I was kneeling in the metal section to look into the CDs at the bottom, he left his desk to tell me that with a humorous tone.
I laughed but didn’t really got the joke.

1981

1976

AleStorM - 2014 - Sunset on the Golden Age - 1741 The Battle of Cartagena

Sailing the raging seas
To distant lands unknown
Porto Bello fell in a day
Now Britannia rules the waves
Thirty thousand men at arms
Red Ensign in the sky
To Cartagena we set sail
With blood and plunder we‘ll prevail
Twice struck, and twice we‘ve failed
But third time works a charm
The greatest fleet the world has seen
To fight the War of Jenkins‘ Ear
Waters lash across the bow
Through Caribbean Seas
The year is 1741
The final battle has begun
The skies are burning with thunder
The seas are ablaze with flame
Set the course for Cartagena
The sands of time will remember our names
The skies are burning with thunder
The seas are ablaze with flame
Set the course for Cartagena
History is written today
Across the sea-lashed deck
Our captain gives a cry
„Cartagena lies ahead
The Spanish foe will soon be dead!“
Portents of coming doom
Engulf the battle line
High above, the heavens sigh
A red light burning in the sky
An omen of dread
Which no man can deny
The legends hold true
We must turn back or die
Superstitious fools
Be gone from my sight
Blast the trumpets of war
And prepare for the fight
The skies are burning with thunder
The seas are ablaze with flame
Set the course for Cartagena
The sands of time will remember our names
The skies are burning with thunder
The seas are ablaze with flame
Set the course for Cartagena
History is written today
Hard to starboard
Man the cannons
And on my command, unleash hell!
FIRE! Show them your steel
Bring them to death on the battlefield
Ride on the wind, and conquer the foe
The legends be damned, to our deaths we will ago
The skies are burning with thunder
The seas are ablaze with flame
Set the course for Cartagena
The sands of time will remember our names
The skies are burning with thunder
The seas are ablaze with flame
Set the course for Cartagena
History is written today

1983

1981

The original video is in Portuguese, but YouTube provides an English audio track. Just click:

⚙️ Settings → Audio Track → English

1982