Dethklok with Mastodon

Dethklok with Mastodon
Date: 11/20/09
Place: The Palladium, Hollywood CA
Review by ~ Aniruddh 'Andrew' Bansal

High On Fire kicked off the show at 6.30. Considering the fact that they were the opening band and didn't have any of their fans at this show, they put on a decent performance.

Here's their complete set list:

1. Fury Whip
2. Blood from Zion
3. Waste of Tiamat
4. Frost Hammer
5. Rumors of War

The next band to play was Converge. I didn't really dig their style of music and I don't think they fit very well in this bill comprising of bands like Mastodon and Dethklok. Almost everyone whom I talked to after this show was saying they didn't like Converge. Anyway, for their sake I hope they choose to tour with bands that are more like them.

Here's their complete set list:

1. Plagues
2. No Heroes
3. Axe to Fall
4. Eagles Become Vultures
5. The Broken Vow
6. Last Light
7. Reap What You Sow
8. Worms Will Feed/Rats Will Feast
9. Dark Horse
10. Heartache
11. Hellbound
12. Concubine

The mighty Mastodon hit the stage next. To see these amazing musicians from a distance of barely a couple of feet was exciting to say the least! In the first part of their show, they played the Crack The Skye album in its entirety. It was a delight to see this album being performed live, having become a fan of this band through the very album earlier this year. It is one of the finest pieces of musicianship to have come out this year in my opinion. 'The Czar' and 'The Last Baron' were definitely the highlights of this wonderful rendition. So far I have praised just the music. The visuals on the giant screen behind the band added even more to this musical spectacle. These visuals were Floyd-esque in a way, because I sometimes felt lost in a world of my own staring at them.

After they were done with the last song of Crack The Skye 'The Last Baron', they played the song 'Circle Cysquatch' from the Blood Mountain album. It was followed by 'Aqua Dementia' from Leviathan, and they closed the set with two songs off of Remission, 'Where Strides The Behemoth' and 'Mother Puncher'. I wish they played for a longer duration than they did. Even though the music was really great, the crowd's response wasn't the best. The only reason could be that most of the fans had come to see Dethklok and as the music of the two bands is completely different, they couldn't really appreciate the genius of Mastodon. I hardly saw any mosh pits opening up during their set. Nonetheless, Troy Sanders was beyond amazing with his vocals and great on bass. Brent Hinds, Bill Kelliher and Brann Dailor were all very good too. Each of them was able to hold their own on the stage, yet complimenting each other while doing so. A brilliant performance!

Here's their complete set list:

1. Oblivion
2. Divinations
3. Quintessence
4. The Czar
5. Ghost Of Karelia
6. Crack The Skye
7. The Last Baron
8. Circle Cysquatch
9. Aqua Dementia
10. Where Strides The Behemoth
11. Mother Puncher

The wait was finally over at around 9.30 when an animation video showing Dethklok promoting the Brutal Legend game appeared on the giant screen. I've watched each and every episode of Adult Swim's Metalocalypse series and I always wished I could somehow see this band in a live setting. Well here I was! While this short video was running, the crowd was going crazy with anticipation. It was finally time to see the real band Dethklok play virtual band Dethklok's songs on stage!

I felt overwhelming excitement running through me as the 'Deth Theme' video started on the screen and out came Brendon Small and his band mates performing the famous theme intro live!! This gave me goosebumps for sure. Being at the edge of the stage in front of Brendon Small singing the Deth theme, with Nathan Explosion on the background screen was a feeling I can only try to express. Before we realized it, this 37-second song was over. Next came 'Bloodlines', another one of my favorite Dethklok songs. After this they played 'Burn The Earth'. Another video followed this one, the Facebones video. Reliving these episodes from the series with the band on stage was nothing short of unreal!

'Hatredcopter' and 'Black Fire Upon Us' were played next. Then came one of the funniest Dethklok songs 'Birthday Dethday'. It was time for the coffee video after this. I think it was the first Metalocalypse video I had seen and it felt good seeing it again. The mosh pits were going at full speed for most of the songs, especially for the next song 'Duncan Hills Coffee Jingle'. In the animated version of this song, the way Dethklok kill the entire audience by pouring hot coffee over them still remains as one of the most hilarious moments in the series. The moshing video, explaining what moshing really is, was brought out next. When Nathan Explosion says 'If someone falls down in the pit, you've got to pick him up otherwise it's a dick move' I couldn't help but burst out laughing! Moshing is such a common thing for people like you and me, but when try explaining it seriously to a layman!

Two more amazing songs 'Deth Support' and 'Awaken' were played after the video. For me 'Awaken' is musically one of the best Dethklok tunes and the band did full justice to it by performing it absolutely perfectly. The best video of the night was up next, showing William Murderface going to the bathroom in the middle of a show and all his band mates barging in and arguing with him. 'The Gears' was next, followed by two classic tunes 'Murmaider' and 'Thunderhorse'. The following lyrics form Murmaider were sung loud and clear by everyone present at the Palladium tonight!

Knives? - Check
Rope? - Check
Dagger? - Check
Chains? - Check
Locks? - Check
Laser Beams? - Check
Acid? - Check
Body Bag? - Check

The Eyes/Elect video was the final video of the night after which they played 'Go Into The Water'. Then Brendon enthralled the crowd by doing all three voices that he does on the show, Nathan Explosion, Swisgaar and Pickles!! Seeing and listening to him do this was an absolute thrill! He urged the crowd to raise their already high volume further if they wanted the band to play one more song. The crowd obliged, so did the band by closing the show with the 'Fansong'. We had an amazingly fun time with this band tonight. Although Brendon was the life of the show, Gene Hoglan was brutal on the drums as he always is. The touring members Mike Keneally on guitar and Bryan Beller on bass complimented those two very well. Mike's backing vocals were awesome! Overall, a very entertaining show by Dethklok. As Nathan Explosion would say it, 'Fucking brutal!!'

Here's their complete set list:

1. Intro Video
2. Deththeme
3. Bloodlines
4. Burn The Earth
5. Facebones Video
6. Hatredcopter
7. Black Fire Upon Us
8. Birthday Dethday
9. Coffee Video
10. Duncan Hills Coffee Jingle
11. Moshing Video
12. Deth Support
13. Awaken
14. Bathroom Video
15. The Gears
16. Murmaider
17. Thunderhorse
18. Eyes/Elect Video
19. Go Into The Water
20. Brendon On Mic
21. Fansong