Nathan Explosion, William Murderface, Skwisgaar Skwigelf, Toki Wartooth, and Pickles want to melt your face off. For that is what Dethklok, the metalest of all metal bands they form, was born from the fiery pits to do. Their debut album, "The Dethalbum," was the highest charting death metal album in Billboard history. That's it.

But wait, there's more: their DVD's are consistently best sellers, and their current tour, including a stop here in Lawrence, has sold out across the country. They're also a cartoon. Dethklok is the fictional band around which the Adult Swim animated series "Metalocalypse" revolves, and they're now eager to violently penetrate your ear-holes in person.

The show was created by Brendon Small, formerly of Adult Swim's "Home Movies," who writes and performs virtually all of the groin-gouging music for "Metalocalypse." He's decided to take Dethklok out on the road for a multimedia assault, and while it may be damn funny, it's no joke. There's going to be an honest to Odin band, fronted by Small, performing live under footage of Dethklok as they disembowel this or that.

Brendon Small was kind enough the step into our animated podcast studio the day before Dethklok was set to annihilate senses at KU.