Nekrogoblikon

Nekrogoblikon is a melodic death metal band from Los Angeles whose records are built around a joke that its members never quite drop. The lore centres on John Goblikon, a goblin mascot who doubles as the band's frontman in spirit and co-hosts a podcast, Right Now with John Goblikon. Formed in 2006 by Nicky Calonne and Tim Lyakhovetskiy, the group grew out of a basement recording of their first album, Goblin Island, and has kept lead guitarist Alex Alereza as its longest-serving member. The music pairs technical, sharply played death metal with electronic touches and a sense of play that many of their peers avoid.

The band's profile rose after a 2012 music video for "No One Survives", directed by Brandon Dermer, introduced Goblikon in a darkly comic bar and parking-lot story. The clip passed 1.5 million views within three months, and Diplo's single-word tweet helped carry it further. Stench, released in July 2011, drew praise from the Los Angeles Times music blog, and Heavy Meta followed in June 2015 as a concept album about an immortal goblin race seeking a way to die. In 2018 came Welcome to Bonkers, their fifth full-length album.