A closer look
It turns out the most successful death metal band of the 2000s didn't even exist in three dimensions. Brendon Small's fictional animated band Dethklok, created for the Adult Swim show Metalocalypse, released their debut album in 2007. Featuring ludicrously brutal lyrics about mermaids and coffee, it debuted at number 21 on the Billboard 200. This effortlessly shattered records held by legitimate, hardworking metal pioneers, proving that audiences will enthusiastically fund a joke if the guitar riffs are heavy enough.
