Metalocalypse Strikes Cord on Adult Swim Premiere

Adult Swim’s newest original series, METALOCALYPSE, which premiered Aug. 6, 2006 at 11:45 pm, earned the network’s best premiere delivery and ratings to date in 2006, according to preliminary data from Nielsen Media Research. The animated satire on extreme rock bands ranked #1 in its time period among adults and men 18-24 and men 18-34. The premiere also charted strong double-digit delivery and ratings gains among all targeted young adult demos.

The brainchild of series creators Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha, highlights of METALOCALPYSE’s performance vs. the previous four weeks’ time period average include the following:

* Adults 18-34 delivery (690,000) increased by 26 %, and ratings (1.0) by 25%
* Adults 18-24 delivery (449,000) jumped by 32%, and ratings (1.6) by 33%
* Men 18-34 delivery (456,000) expanded by 24%, and ratings (1.4) by 27%
* Men 18-24 delivery (344,000) improved by 29%, and ratings (2.4) by 26%
* Women 18-34 delivery (234,000) advanced by 31%, and ratings (0.7) by 40%
* Women 18-24 delivery (105,000) leapt by 42%, and ratings (0.8) by 60%

Among the top ad-supported basic cable programs of the week, METALOCALYPSE ranked #12 among men 18-34 and #6 among men 18-24. The series premiere ranked #30 for the week among adults 18-34.

METALOCALYPSE follows the exploits of Dethklok, the world’s most popular band and most significant cultural force. The band's world is full of darkness, pain, destruction and death, as well as groupies and ear-shattering heavy metal and piles of cash. The band members — Nathan Explosion, Skwisgaar Skwigelf, Toki Wartooth, Pickles and William Murderface — are also incredibly selfish and stupid as they create a wave of mayhem, death and destruction wherever they go.

Dethklok is so popular that thousands of fans will travel to a remote area of Scandinavia to hear them perform a single song: a jingle for a coffee company. Their fans will sign “pain waivers” in case anything truly horrible happens to them at a show, which invariably occurs. Get ready for lots of 2D blood and other gross, rude bits.

Nathan Explosion is the lyricist for the band. Skwisgaar Skwigelf, a Swede, is the world’s fastest guitarist. Toki Wartooth, from Norway, is the world’s second-fastest guitarist. Pickles is the band’s drummer and musical genius. And William Murderface is the bass player who is filled with bottomless hate, which is pretty much self-directed.

As stupid and destructive as Dethklok can be, at least they think big. Consider the brief collaboration with the London Philharmonic that ended, accidentally, in the slaughter of the entire orchestra. Or their desire to make the world’s heaviest, most metal album by recording it in a nuclear submarine in the Marianas Trench.

Blacha and Small are the co-creators, writers and exec producers of METALOCALYPSE. Blacha is a veteran comedy writer, having worked on ANDY RICHTER CONTROLS THE UNIVERSE, LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O’BRIEN and DA ALI G SHOW, among others. He was creative director for WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT as well as a promoter for MIXED MARTIAL ARTS FIGHTING.

Small is the co-creator, music writer and one of the lead voice actors of METALOCALYPSE. Small was the co-creator and co-writer of the Adult Swim series, HOME MOVIES, for which he also composed music.

The Flash and 2D animation by Los Angeles-based Titmouse Studio is very limited, sort of bad anime movement with a comicbook to anime graphic look. This never would have worked in 3D with so many realistic human characters, no matter how Goth and gnarly some of them appear.

The show is directed by Jon Schnepp (also co-producer) and Chris Prynoski who is also supervising producer while Keith Fay is producer and Natasha Ypsilanti is assoc. producer.

Art director is Antonio Canobbio while backgrounds are designed by Jason Park, character designer is Songgu Kwon and props are by Daniel V. Bigelow. Color stylists are Bigelow and Yvonne Annette Huckell. Layout artist is Dik Pose and lead animator is Mike Rousch.

The show is recorded at Sonic Pool and Titmouse, while sound effects editing is by Keith Fay, Will Feng and Damon P. Yoches at Margarita Mix. Voices are provided by Bacha, Victor Brandt, Mark Hamill, Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield, Laraine Newman, Small, Jeff Loomis, Michael Amott, Warrel Dane and Steve Smyth.

Also on board as exec producers are Ollie Green, Keith Crofford and Nick Weidenfeld.

Adult Swim (AdultSwim.com), launched in 2001, is Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.’s network offering original and acquired animated comedy and action series for young adults. Airing overnights six days a week for a total of 45 hours weekly, Adult Swim shares channel space with Cartoon Network, home to the best in original, classic and acquired programming for children and families, and is seen in 89 million U.S. homes.