Words – Rickgrimm.music
Photos – Photo.amai
Finally, the titan of metal culture known as Dethklok arrives on the shores of Australia. For those who’ve been immersed in the scene for a while, this was a day we’ve been hoping to see for years—decades, even. Dethklok, and its associated TV show Metalocalypse, have been a gateway for many into the world of metal, and a celebration of it for those already deep in its waters. To finally see the band live was an experience that I—and a sold-out Forum crowd (plus a second show, which at the time of writing is also nearly sold out)—had been waiting far too long for.
I walk up to the venue and see the line wrapped nearly all the way around the block—a full half hour before doors are set to open. I spot someone dressed as Dr. Rockso the Rock ‘n’ Roll Clown, which tickled me. The crowd was buzzing. I was buzzing. The doors opened, and it was time to enjoy some fucken metal.
Adelaide-based melodic death metal act Freedom of Fear had the honour of opening the night. The stage was surprisingly uncluttered compared to the theatrical flair of the band’s fashion. An enigmatic intro track set the scene before they launched into their first song, Immortal. Throughout their set, guitarists Matt Walters and Corey Davis treated us to a buffet of technical riffage blended with proper headbanging rhythms. Vocalist Jade Monserrat was the most active performer on stage, channelling full ghost-possession energy into her movements and aesthetic. Unfortunately, the gap left by now ex-bassist Georgina Kittel was felt during the set as the group were bassless for the evening.
The track Nebula kicked off with a super sick intro lead that shreddy sweep-picking fans would eat up. It was executed cleanly and marked the pit’s opening. Carpathia, the title track from FOF’s 2022 album, had me absolutely mesmerized by drummer Liam Weeddall’s chops. The guy’s an assassin on the kit. I’m not big on backing tracks (as anyone who’s read my reviews knows), but the little choir hits in that track actually tickled me just right.
The band’s performance hit its zenith for me with Entities—an instant favourite. The opening riff made me picture blood-lusted wolves, salivating while stalking their prey.
Freedom of Fear are on a tear right now, combining melodic, technical death metal with blackened influences. I don’t think it’ll be long before they’re mentioned internationally in the same breath as acts like Obscura, Psycroptic, Origin, and Spawn of Possession.
Alright—onto Dethklok. I don’t know if I can accurately capture the emotion of seeing them live in this review. For me and many of my friends, Metalocalypse is damn near our Bible—quoted as incessantly as a street preacher rattling off cherry-picked lines from their (inferior) scriptures. But here we were, at the church of the Klok, ready to hear our sermon from the prophets of the Doomstar.
A massive LED screen dominated the stage, covering damn near the entire back wall—it was clear this was where most of the attention was meant to be directed. Over the course of the night, what we experienced felt like a half-concert, half-personalized live Metalocalypse episode.
Before the music started, we got a photosensitivity warning and a prelude animation teasing the band’s arrival (which I won’t spoil for anyone catching a later show). The Deththeme kicked off, backed by three continuous minutes of red and white strobe lights. Clearly, I wasn’t the only one who thought that was a fucken awesome way to start, because the pit opened immediately.
Dethklok played songs from across their entire catalogue, each paired with an animated music video. Naturally, the biggest reactions came for the iconic tracks off the first album—Duncan Hills Coffee Jingle, Murmaider, and Awaken all got the crowd exploding. But for me, the most connected moment came during The Gears. In a brief stint in the pit, multiple people grabbed me by the shirt just to scream lyrics together. A blissful moment of metal camaraderie.
Dethklok’s mascot, Facebones, popped up throughout the night to deliver helpful concert tips—like how not to smell like ass and how to handle your booze.
Watching the actual musicians live was almost surreal. They were dimly lit, so as not to distract from the giant screen, but every one of them was a beast. Even in the dark, they commanded full attention. Brendon Small is a criminally underrated guitarist, and seeing his chops live only reinforced that. Gene Hoglan made every drummer in the room feel deeply inadequate, playing some of the hardest shit imaginable with the casual demeanor of someone being served cocktails by a pool. Nili Brosh (on second guitar) got a huge spotlight moment during The Duel from The Doomstar Requiem, stepping into Toki’s role in the shred battle. Both my inner and outer guitar nerd were ablaze with appreciation.
Dethklok also managed to sidestep my long-standing hatred of fake encores by delivering it in a unique and entertaining way. Brendon Small used his voice acting skills to stage a semi-improvised scene from the show—complete with the band characters arguing with their manager about whether they could do an encore. We cheered. We booed the manager. And we got three more songs, ending with the Season 1 finale banger, Go Into the Water. A perfect bookend to the night.
Dethklok delivered a 19-track set full of humor, brutality, and pure metal joy—an experience no one else could replicate. I loved every second. If you like metal, you will too.
Thanks to the Forum for having us and a massive thanks to the Cult Etiquette PR Crew.
EVERYDAY METAL – SUPPORT LOCAL HEAVY METAL
