It’s impossible to talk about Adult Swim’s Metalocalypse without mentioning the insane talents of guitarist and creator Brendon Small. With an impressive résumé that found him voicing the majority of the cartoon’s characters, Small’s talents as a musician were put on full display as he wrote all of the music for both the show and its subsequent albums, including that of Metalocalypse: The Doomstar Requiem, A Klok Opera.
Just What The Hell Is Metalocalypse, Anyway?
Metalocalypse / Facebook
Metalocalypse was created by Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha and centers on the larger than life death metal band Dethklok. The show can be seen as both a parody and celebration of heavy metal culture.
Released on October 27, 2013, The Doomstar Requiem features possibly one of the most brilliantly executed moments of any rock opera as Small’s initial desire to feature a two minute guitar solo turns into a brutal guitar duel that takes place between rival guitarists and bandmates Toki Wartooth and Skwisgaar Skwigelf.
A winding call-and-answer battle that finds both Wartooth and Skwigelf pushed to the limits of their abilities as guitarists, the only thing more impressive than these two duking it out is the fact that despite what you may hear, playing both halves of the same intricate solo – Brendon Small. It’s hard enough for flesh and blood guitarists to be in sync with each other and weave together this kind of solo, but to put it together by yourself and make your cartoon creations flow in and out of each other’s orbit this smoothly? Amazing. Check it out in the video below!
