Metalocalypse is a wild, over-the-top animated show created by Brendan Small and Tommy Blacha. It follows a fictional death metal band called Dethklok, which is basically the most hardcore, outrageous band on Earth. Their music is all about darkness, like death, destruction, and decay, and they sing in those deep, growly voices that sound like Cookie Monster from hell. But the real chaos happens both on and off stage.
While performing insane concerts, their fans are constantly getting injured or dying in the most ridiculous, gory ways. One episode even features a guy who makes the band leather costumes out of actual human skin. Yup, it’s that kind of show. But here’s the thing: it’s so absurd and extreme, you can’t help but laugh. The gore isn’t meant to be scary; it’s cartoonishly over-the-top, like horror mixed with slapstick comedy. Heads fly off, tongues flop out, and somehow it’s hilarious.
At the same time, the band members themselves are kind of the worst, but in a funny way. They’re spoiled, clueless rock stars who complain about stupid stuff like the temperature in their trailers or the size of their million-dollar paychecks. They take their dark, brooding music seriously, but they act like big babies behind the scenes. So it’s this fun contrast between “we’re hardcore metal gods” and “ugh, why do we have to show up on time?”
The show ran from 2006 to 2012, with 61 episodes spread across four seasons (they skipped 2011), and in 2013, fans finally got a 47-minute special called Metalocalypse: The Doomstar Requiem – A Klok Opera. It was meant to give the series a proper ending… but instead, it ended on a big cliffhanger.
Brendan Small had always envisioned the show as “four seasons and a movie,” and he even said in a 2013 interview that more Metalocalypse was on the way. But unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Adult Swim ended up cancelling the show before the story could really wrap up.
In 2016, Small shared that there might have been some behind-the-scenes drama between him and Adult Swim. He had started a Kickstarter campaign to raise money and finish the story properly, but it seems like the network wasn’t too happy about that, and the project got quietly shut down. So, the show that went so big on blood and metal ended not with a bang but kind of a silent scream from its fans, who never got closure.
What were the reasons behind the cancellation of Metalocalypse by Adult Swim?
Back in 2015, Brendan Small had one goal: finish Metalocalypse the way he always envisioned, with a proper final movie called “Metalocalypse: The Army of the Doomstar – The Final Chapter.” So he pitched the idea to Adult Swim, hoping they’d greenlight it. But they flat-out rejected him. No discussion, no back-and-forth. Just a hard “no.”
But Small wasn’t ready to let it die. He still believed in the story and wanted to give fans the ending they deserved. So he launched a Kickstarter campaign called “Metalocalypse Now” to try and raise some money and prove there was demand. And it worked; he raised $2 million. Huge deal, right?
With that money, Small went back to Adult Swim and said, basically, “Hey, good news, you won’t even have to pay for this part of the budget. I’ve got the fans backing it.” But instead of being impressed, Adult Swim got annoyed. Like, really annoyed. Small believed they felt like he went behind their back to fund something they technically still owned. So, rather than talking it out, they completely shut the door. No phone call, no explanation, just silence and a solid “not happening.”
Small later said it felt weird, like someone at the network took it personally. Fans were asking for their show, but instead of embracing that love, Adult Swim just clammed up. According to him, someone got their feelings hurt, and everything just froze.
So yeah, things were messy. And for a while, it looked like Metalocalypse was done for good.
But over time, Small found peace with it. He said that in the end, showbiz is showbiz, and sometimes things just don’t go your way. Still, he felt lucky. After all, he got to create the show his way from the beginning. If someone else had taken the reins before him, he felt like they probably would’ve ruined it. So instead of being bitter, he chose gratitude.
And let’s not forget, Brendan Small wasn’t just the creator of Metalocalypse. He was the band. He voiced Nathan Explosion, the intense lead singer; Skwisgaar Skwigelf, the speedy guitarist; and Pickles, the drummer with a wild past. Tommy Blacha, his co-creator, voiced the other bandmates: sweet but sad Toki Wartooth and angry, grotesque William Murderface. In the Doomstar Requiem special, Small even took over the voice of Murderface, and legendary guitarist Mike Keneally stepped in to voice Toki. It was all very full-circle and deeply musical.
One of the show’s directors, Jon Schnepp, also went on to direct the cult-favorite documentary The Death of ‘Superman Lives’: What Happened? Sadly, he passed away before the movie could be made, but Army of the Doomstar would eventually be dedicated in his memory.
And here’s the twist: even though everything looked hopeless in 2016, Metalocalypse finally got its ending in 2023. After years of waiting, Cartoon Network agreed to release Army of the Doomstar, and Brendan Small got to tell the final chapter just like he always wanted. Tommy Blacha came back, too. And even though it took seven long years, the band got the epic send-off it deserved.
So yeah, there were some bruised egos along the way, but no permanent bad blood. In true metal fashion, the show waited to die… and made it feel gloriously metal when it finally did.
