Metalocalypse's Dethklok to return under new name Galakticon 2

A picture of animated metal band Dethklok
Dethklok....aka Galakticon 2

The members of Dethklok have recorded a new album – which they’ll have to release under a different name.

Drummer Gene Hoglan reveals exclusively to Metal Hammer that he and Dethklok mastermind Brendon Small have made an album that they will release under the band name Galakticon 2, as they no longer hold the rights to the Dethklok name.

The fictional, animated band Dethklok were the stars of hit Adult Swim TV series Metalocalypse, which was cancelled by the channel in 2015 after the fourth season had aired.

Dethklok released four real-life albums, the last of which was 2013’s The Doomstar Requiem, and creator Small was hopeful that a fifth season would be approved.

Now Hoglan explains that he and Small can’t call their band Dethklok – but they’ve made what would have been a fifth Dethklok album.

Hoglan tells Metal Hammer: “Brendon is the guy to speak officially about the future of Dethklok per se, but one thing that I do know is I was down in LA doing a few days with Brendon on a new project that happens to be called Galakticon 2.

“All I know is this Galakticon 2 album sure sounds a whole lot like Dethklok and sure has the approach of Dethklok.. .but it’s called Galakticon 2. That’s the name of the band because we can’t use Dethklok any more.

“This new record we recorded is fucking amazing, it’s killer, and I’m stoked. It sure is a killer record we did, chock full of double bass, killer riffs, and all sorts of cool stuff, and I can’t wait to hear it when it’s done.”

Hoglan couldn’t confirm a release date for the Galakticon 2, but he says he hopes they will tour the new music eventually.

He says: “I’m always happy touring with Brendon, he’s my dude, so anytime he says jump, I will absolutely jump. We have a really good rapport and stuff. So I’m always down for doing any kind of Dethklok kind of thing.

“However, I’m in the same boat as anybody who might wonder about it, ‘Well if it’s not Dethklok, then what will happen? Will you still have videos and animation and stuff?’

“I’m not sure if it’s part of his budget for this or not. But one thing I do know is that we’ve recorded an amazing new record, and it just happens to be called Galakticon 2. But it sure doesn’t sound like Galakticon 2 – it sure sounds like this other band we used to play for. Exactly like this other band!

“It’s not a Dethklok record, but it’s a fucking Dethklok record! It sounds exactly like Dethklok, the lyrics are fully Dethklok.”

Small previously released an album called Brendon Small’s Galakticon, which is where the new act takes its name from.

Further details will be revealed in due course.

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Stef wrote close to 5,000 stories during his time as assistant online news editor and later as online news editor between 2014-2016. An accomplished reporter and journalist, Stef has written extensively for a number of UK newspapers and also played bass with UK rock favourites Logan. His favourite bands are Pixies and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Stef left the world of rock'n'roll news behind when he moved to his beloved Canada in 2016, but he started on his next 5000 stories in 2022.