Halloween Rock: Deathklok and Mastodon to Headline Halloween Show at Patriot Center

By Pearson Jones, Asst. Style Editor

Halloween provides the yearly excuse to dress up as some of the strangest and most iconic characters without looking too out of place in public. In keeping with the Halloween spirit of make believe characters, George Mason University has scheduled the virtual cartoon death metal band Dethklok to perform at the Patriot Center this Hallows-Eve.

Also known as the TV-famed cartoon band featured on the show Metalocalypse that’s aired on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, Dethklok will be joined on stage by Grammy-nominated heavy metal band Mastodon as the two groups continue on their “Adult Swim Presents” tour.

Mastodon has become a driving force in recent years behind the movement of new wave American heavy metal and also have been connected to some of Adult Swim’s shows by donating songs, most notably to Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

Most people are familiar with Dethklok as the drawn out Scandinavian band from Metalocalypse, but during their tour, audiences will be able to see a more realistic side to this comedy rock band, a style of their own that can only be slightly compared to that of GWAR and Spinal Tap.

However, ultimate question becomes how does a fake cartoon band that only exists on paper perform a live show?

The band’s songs will be performed by real-life musicians in a performance the band said would resonate with how similar cartoon band Gorillaz did their live show. Brendon Small, one of the two minds behind the show Metalocalypse, will be fronting the performance on guitar and lead vocals.

The only difference between the two imaginary bands’ performances, though, is that Dethklok plans to perform their songs without the use of screens to cover the musicians. Gorillaz used screens that only allowed the audience to see the outlines of the performers. While this idea may evaporate the true essence behind the idea of a band being fronted by cartoon characters, it will undoubtedly make the performance more engaging for the audience.

Dethklok and Mastodon will both be making their appearance at Mason’s campus on Oct. 31 at 6:30 pm. Tickets will be sold for $35. Check out http://today.gmu.edu for more information.