Metal and adult animation icons DETHKLOK announced that they are officially back during their “Mutilation on a Spring Night” tour. With NEKROGOBLIKON and DRAGONFORCE as support, the cartoon quintet brought the Flagstaff woods to life on Saturday, April 20, 2024, with stomach-churning visuals and guttural growls to celebrate their return.
It’s no surprise that NEKROGOBLIKON made a great opener for the show, especially for the 4/20 show. In DRAGONFORCE’S own words “we’re in a forest, we’ve got goblins, we’ve got dragons, and we’ve got f**king cartoons,” so of course NEKROGOBLIKON fit right in and set the tone for a crazy night. Aside from the goblin frontman who brings a fun and comedic element to their sound and stage presence, the band’s wild energy was palpable and each band member goes hard and definitely knows how to work a crowd.
DRAGONFORCE had quite the setup with two larger-than-life retro arcade machines standing on each side of the stage. The confusion about what they were for (aside from displays, of course) was short lived, as the guitarists appeared on the top of them while absolutely shredding through the set’s first song. The band, who is very heavily inspired by video games and their dramatic scores, played songs inspired by SKYRIM and THE LEGEND OF ZELDA, and even an 8-bit cover of the TITANIC theme song. To wrap up their insane gaming-inspired shredding and screaming, DRAGONFORCE played a cover of TAYLOR SWIFT’S “Wildest Dreams”, which was surprisingly a banger.
In between DRAGONFORCE and DETHKLOK, 93.3 The Mountain, Flagstaff’s classic rock radio station, auctioned off a DETHKLOK guitar, signed by each member, to support the Grand Canyon Youth organization. In the station’s pitch to support the organization, they highlighted that “they take the kids down the Colorado River, and they bring them back! Which is great!”, a quick description that made the audience laugh and got the signed guitar to sell for $2,000.
After all the auction fun, DETHKLOK finally took to the stage as an animated clip played on the screen silhouetting the musicians. The clip featured members of The Tribunal debating if DETHKLOK was making a comeback or not, and what their return would mean for the world. After the yes/no/maybe text glitched out, it eventually landed on “yes”, and the crowd went wild as the band began to play the Metalocalypse theme song.
Since DETHKLOK comes from the animated Metalocalypse series, their live shows stay in line with the lore of the band members being cartoon characters. Instead of seeing the real-life musicians headbang and scream until their throats are dry, the audience gets immersed in the animated illusion as the music videos and clips from the show play for each song and keep the musicians draped in the shadows.
Song after song echoed through the forest, well past the ground of the Pepsi Amphitheater. The only time the echoing stopped was when Facebones made his mid-show appearances. During the first half of the show, he came out to welcome the crowd, and spent extra time welcoming those who were at their very first metal show. He kindly taught them proper metal show etiquette, or as he put it, “how to not be an asshole.” His tips included making sure to shower and lathering up with deodorant so the pit can have minimal body odor after hours of sweat-inducing moshing.
Later on, Facebones came back to talk about proper substance use at shows, notably “drinking and smoking poooooooot.” Since it was 4/20, Facebones admitted he smoked some pot before the show (although he probably would have if it was any other day), but quickly told the crowd to not call the cops.
As he continued his lecture, his voice and face became distorted as the weed took effect, and panic began to set in. “We are all Facebones. I mean, think about it…” he said, before he started to lose it. “Facebones may have gotten a little too high,” he admitted. “Facebones feels weird. Now Facebones likes it! Facebones is having a good time!” he eventually concluded, driving home the moral of the lecture, which is to only partake in what you know you can handle. As offsetting as Facebones can be, he was surprisingly wholesome on tour.
DETHKLOK played an insane 17 song set, hitting many fan-favorites going back to the band’s inception almost 20 years ago. The fan base that fought hard to resurrect Metalocaplyse and DETHKLOK was certainly rewarded on this tour and are eager to see just how back the band truly is.
DETHKLOK Setlist:
Is Dethklok Back?
Deththeme
Briefcase Full of Guts
Birthday Dethday
Mutilation on a Saturday Night
Bloodlines
Concert Etiquette with Facebones (Concert Hygiene)
Awaken
The Gears
Castratikron
Hatredcopter
Dethsupport
Duncan Hills Coffee Jingle
Concert Tips with Facebones (Drinking and Drug Use)
Aortic Desecration
I Ejaculate Fire
The Duel
Murmaider
Thunderhorse
Encore
Fansong
SOS
Go Into the Water
DRAGONFORCE Setlist:
TRON Legacy (End Titles)
Fury of the Storm
Cry Thunder
Power of the Triforce
The Last Dragonborn
Doomsday Party
My Heart Will Go On (Celine Dion cover)
Wildest Dreams (Taylor Swift cover)
Through the Fire and Flames
NEKROGOBLIKON Setlist (Marijuana-themed plays on the actual song titles for 4/20):
Powervape (Originally: Powercore)
The Many Faces of Dr. Hubert Malbec
Dankness (Originally: Darkness)
Bongs (Originally: Bones)
Stoned as Goblins (Originally: Dressed as Goblins)
No Blunt Survives (Originally: No One Survives)
This is Lit (Originally: This is It)
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