Dethklok frontman Nathan Explosion might look a little like Peter Steele from Type O Negative, but it's not based on him.
In a recent interview with Full Metal Jackie's weekend radio show, Metalocalypse creator Brendon Small said the original inspiration for Explosion came from Cannibal Corpse frontman George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher.
"It's funny. Peter Steele. I mean I think Type O Negative is great, but it was never really an idea. I think people kind of made that equation later on. But look, everyone loves Peter Steele and I know I think we're lucky to have any kind of equivalence to that. Though it wasn't the intention up top it started with Corpsegrinder really, with George 'Corpsegrinder' Fisher from Cannibal Corpse, but I also think he's a beautiful romantic as well."
Elsewhere in the interview, Small said that he was inspired by the music scores of films like Flash Gordon, Starwars, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Alien, and Poltergeist when it came to the soundtrack for Metalocalypse: Army Of The Doomstar. He also cited the work of composers like Jerry Goldsmith, John Williams, and Danny Elfman as influences.
"So, when you listen to the soundtrack by itself, the soundtrack even though it's not really a rock opera, is telling the story in new moods of what the movie is really doing. It's really like they all work together. So, I think the movie, Dethalbum IV and the soundtrack are covering all the bases that I really want to cover with the brutality, the sentimentality, the moodiness and just the visual aspects altogether."
Adding later that he wanted to create a movie that would appeal to both fans of Metalocalypse and fans of heavy metal music. "I wanted to make something that was both funny and epic," he said. "I wanted to make something that would make people laugh and cry and feel like they were on an adventure."
Regarding the upcoming tour with Babymetal, Small is nothing short for excitement, saying: "So what I think you're gonna get out of this show is one of the most entertaining heavy metal nights of your life. It's going to be like Las Vegas, heavy metal presents the most entertaining night of your life and so I think you're just gonna leave the show with a big smile on your face and ask when can we do that again. That's the reason that I think this is going to be one of the best co-headlining tours of the year."
"Babymetal really knows how to entertain and Dethklok, we do this wonderful, just kind of celebration of the entire Metalocalypse experience from the TV show to the music to the comedy, it's all there and we just hammer you with Gene Hoglan on drums, Bryan Beller on bass, with Nili Brosh on guitar and we just really are there to just have the most fun we could possibly have."
Check out Dethklok's tour dates below with Babymetal and get your tickets here.
8/30 Houston, TX 713 Music Hall
8/31 Dallas, TX South Side Ballroom
9/2 Orlando, FL Orlando Amphitheater
9/3 Atlanta, GA Coca-Cola Roxy
9/5 Nashville, TN Nashville Municipal Auditorium
9/6 Cleveland, OH Agora Theatre
9/8 Pittsburgh, PA UPMC Events Center
9/9 Wallingford, CT Toyota Oakdale Theatre
9/10 Alton, VA Blue Ridge Rock Festival
9/12 Philadelphia, PA The Mann Center
9/14 Boston, MA MGM Music Hall at Fenway
9/15 New York, NY Hammerstein Ballroom
9/17 Sterling Heights, MI Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre
9/18 Toronto, ONT RBC Echo Beach
9/20 Grand Rapids, MI GLC Live at 20 Monroe
9/21 Chicago, IL Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom
9/23 Louisville, KY Louder Than Life Festival
9/24 Milwaukee, MN The Rave/Eagles Club
9/25 Minneapolis, MN The Fillmore
9/27 St. Louis, MO Saint Louis Music Park
9/28 Omaha, NE Steelhouse Omaha
9/30 Denver, CO Fillmore Auditorium
10/1 Salt Lake City, UT The Complex
10/3 Vancouver, BC PNE Forum
10/4 Seattle, WA WaMu Theater
10/7 Sacramento, CA Aftershock Festival
10/8 Las Vegas, NV Pearl Theater at Palms Casino Resort
10/10 Phoenix, AZ Arizona Financial Theater
10/11 Los Angeles, CA YouTube Theater
