Hello, Knights! My name is Dalilah Nutting. I am a freshman, and I go to a lot of concerts. If you know anything about me, then you know my two favorite things are heavy metal music and cartoons, and Dethklok is the perfect blend of these things.
Dethklok was originally a fictional death metal band from the Adult Swim cartoon Metalocalypse, created by Brendon Small, which aired from 2006 to 2013. It also appeared in the movie from earlier this year, Army of the Doomstar. The fictional band includes members Nathan Explosion, Skwisgaar Skwigelf, Toki Wartooth, Pickles the Drummer, and William Murderface. The real-world band is made up of Brendon Small, Gene Hoglan, and Bryan Beller. Baby Metal is a Japanese metal band formed in 2010 consisting of Suzuka Nakamoto, Moa Kikuchi, and Momoko Okazoki. The Babyklok tour started in Houston, Texas on August 30th and the bands played their final show on October 11th in Los Angeles with opening act Jason Richardson.
This wasn’t the first show I’ve seen at Milwaukee’s “The Rave/Eagle’s Club,” and I’m hoping it’s not the last, either. I don’t know what it is about this venue, but I love it. The place is so cute, and the energy is always so welcoming. The first time I’ve been to the Rave was for Alkaline Trio and Bad Religion, and most recently, Dethklok and Babymetal. The merch was a little expensive, but I got a cool shirt, so I’m happy about that. Some people attending the concert (including myself!) were cosplaying their favorite Metalocalypse characters and trading their Metalocalypse and Babymetal-themed friendship bracelets. The overall demographic was pretty diverse; Babymetal attracts a mainly younger audience, with most fans seeming to be between the ages of 13 and 30, whereas with Dethklok, most of their fans looked to be between the ages of 20 and 40. I arrived at the venue early, so I got a nice spot in the front row with time to spare before the show to mingle with other fans.
Jason Richardson opened, followed by Babymetal. Jason Richardson’s performance was incredible. It was just him and his guitars. Jason’s music is very fast-paced and intense. With no lyrics, I would say it makes rather good study music! Of all his songs, I’d recommend “Sparrow.” Babymetal was very astonishing as well. There was a lot of choreographed dance and exciting, colorful outfits. Their performance consisted of lots of screaming, dancing, electronic synth music, Japanese lyrics, and brutal blast beats. Babymetal put on a very intimate and memorable show for their audience, despite my not understanding a single word they sang. My favorite songs of theirs would be “Megitsune” and “Distortion.” Dethklok’s performance can be compared to that of Gorillaz, in the sense that both bands perform in front of a projection of their cartoon counterparts. Dethklok’s music consists of growled vocals, dark music videos, and funny lyrics. My favorite songs are “Murmaider,” “Awaken,” and “Hatredcopter.”
Rating for this concert:
Venue: 7/10 (I deducted points because the bathroom was gross and the sinks were wonky)
Crowd: 10/10
Performance: 10/10
Overall rating: 9/10
Performances coming to town this month:
Pitbull performed at the United Center on November 2nd.
Ice Nine Kills performed at the Hard Rock Casino in Gary Indiana on November 3rd.
The Hives are played the Bottom Lounge on November 5th.
Depeche Mode performed at the United Center on November 13th.
Pierce the Veil is playing the Aragon Ballroom on November 30th.
Kiss is performing at the Allstate Arena on November 27th.
