William Murderface

William Murderface
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Background information

I'd rather die than go to heaven.

— William Murderface (Source)

William Murderface is a fictional member of the virtual metal band Dethklok who are the lead characters in the animated series Metalocalypse. He is voiced by show's co-creator and former co-writer Tommy Blacha.

Appearance

Murderface has brown hair, lime green eyes, a heavy lateral lisp and a diastema, as well as tattoos on his stomach which state "Pobody's Nerfect" and "This Mess Is A Place." This is also a reference to Kirk Hammett's tattoos as he also has a tattoo on his stomach in that design. He is overweight, stocky, hairy, and repeatedly referred to as 'dog-faced' and 'pug-nosed'. William is incredibly sensitive about his appearance, which his bandmates show little sympathy for and frequently contribute to with disparaging remarks. His face looks like murder, hence his namesake. He hinted to Nathan that his grotesque looks may have been a motivating factor in his parents' murder-suicide.

Murderface's use of his penis to play the bass has reportedly left it callused, giving it a "gnarled" appearance as if it had been 'stuck in a hornets' nest', according to Pickles. Pickles and Skwisgaar also described his backside as looking like cottage cheese, with razor-burn and stubble.

He is usually seen carrying a knife, which he uses to eat, mutilate, destroy, and do other things.

William's leisure wear

Concept

Some fans believe his appearance is based on Geezer Butler from Black Sabbath. Others speculate his appearance is based on Leslie Mandoki from Dschinghis Khan.

Personality

Murderface has a habit of urinating inappropriately (on a display of olives at the grocery store and on journalist Nick Ibsen's shoes) or referring to urination, and even has a one-man side project called Planet Piss, to which he seems to have very little real commitment.

According to the Tribunal's expert, Dr. Gibbons, Murderface is a self-destructive personality who expresses his self-loathing through "bodily mutilation, tattooing, alcohol abuse, and coprophilia." According to Pickles, he is a nihilist and likes to collect "morbid crap" such as torture devices and American Civil War memorabilia.

Murderface has at least some familiarity with firearms as he recognizes the sound of his "driving gun" (an antique Mauser C96 handgun) after hearing it fired.

Despite outwardly being the angriest and most violent member of Dethklok, Murderface is arguably the most sensitive and insecure. He is convinced that he is hideous and unlovable, and refers to himself as "the fat one." He seems to go through periods of loneliness and depression, which are only magnified by his bandmates' complete inability to react to his emotions.

Murderface promoting the Rock and Roll diet

Murderface is an alcoholic, as he would rather cut off his penis than admit that "booze ain't food". He regularly throws tantrums when he is frustrated or annoyed, which has resulted in several destroyed bass guitars, two acoustic guitars, and one guitar of Toki's.

After a near-death experience (falling drunk from the Murdercycle, and subsequent mayhem) he was prompted to seek faith in several churches, including the Church of Satan and the Church of the Atheists. Eventually he decided that all religions were "the same boring crap" and gave up his search.

He is quite homophobic, which becomes a sort of running gag with him as he is often put in situations where it comes close to suggesting homosexual desires. He can't even eat sausages or hot dog because it reminds him sucking someone's dick (however, in "Dethfashion", he is caught while secretly eating a sausage, and in "Doublebookedklok", he eats hot dog while taking a dump in a public toilet at a gas station). His distrust of doctors is mainly due to his homophobia and his misunderstanding of medical examinations of the male genitals (comparing it to being "jacked off").

While Murderface is fully aware of his own laziness (at one point, claiming that anything he has to work for isn't worth doing), he often believes he should be credited to more of the band's success than he is. His selfish and greedy personality grew so strong at one point that he (and Toki) unsuccessfully sued the other members of the band for writer's credits and residuals despite the fact that he doesn't produce or contribute anything in the songwriting process. His attitude got to be such a burden on the rest of Dethklok that they actually kick him (and Toki) out of the band.

Skills & Hobbies

Murderface is referred to as the "Cock Slap Bassist" due to his ability to perform slap-style bass solos using only his penis. In "Rehabklok", he admits he has a habit of choking himself while jacking off every morning.

Murderface collects "morbid crap" such as torture devices, medieval weapons, and other implements of death. He also collects American Civil War memorabilia and is an American Civil War buff. In "Dethkomedy", he plays golf with the rest of Dethklok and Judge Alfonzo after their Dethwater civil suit.

Murderface thinks he is a great speller, but demonstrated his lack of skills in his preparation and appearance on "Celebrity Spelling Bee."

He has a driving license.

Music Talents

Murderface plays the bass guitar for the band; however, this seems rather unnecessary, as Nathan has stated that they mix his bass out of "pretty much every song." However, Murderface improves noticeably after Pickles introduces him to the concept of "free-balling," prompting the rest of the band to consider including his bass on their next album. He plays a black five-string Gibson Thunderbird Studio Bass with a white pickguard. He is able to play bass with his penis (which he refers to as his "hog").

In the episode "Cleanzo" it is revealed that Murderface has never written a complete song for Dethklok, despite claiming he was the "lead songwriter" in a press conference, and that his bass lines were figured out and shown to him by Skwisgaar, which he still doesn't perform well enough to actually merit any respect by the band. Murderface tries twice to write a song in "Cleanzo", first an acoustic song apparently called "Titty Fish" , the second, a reggae song for Dr. Rockzo; both of these attempts are thwarted after Murderface gets frustrated and smashes the guitar.

He has side-band called Planet Piss, with Takin' It Easy being the only real song. However, mostly due to his laziness and lack of commitment to getting the project actually running, the side-band never materializes beyond a concept. "Takin' It Easy" was meant to be a Dethklok song and was mostly constructed by Toki not Murderface himself despite coming up with the idea for the song. In "Dethsiduals" when Toki and him are forced to write a song for Get Thee Hence, Murderface took to playing the drums as well as the bass for this, though Toki was moving his hand to guide William on when to hit. In the same episodes, it is revealed that the pair are the only reason behind Dethklok's image, and without the pair Pickles, Nathan and Skwisgaar end up writing happy songs.

Apart from playing the bass with his penis, Murderface has been shown to be able to play bass fluently with and without a pick.

Education/Training

Despite being unable to spell particularly well, possibly suffering from dyslexia, he has some education. He revealed in "Go Forthand Die" he only got a high school diploma because he threatened the principal. In "The Doomstar Requiem", when talking about alternatives to being who he was, he mentioned he could go back to school and earn a degree in "in something fucking useless like psychology". This could mean he has enough high school credits to get into college.

In the episode "Bluesklok" Murderface asserts to the Crossroads man that he is a notary. This implies Murderface underwent extensive legal training at some point in his life and is licensed by the government to perform legal authorizations.

Relationships

Nathan Explosion

William seems to look up to Nathan as the leader of the band, but at the same time resents that he is not given more credit, (which he doesn't often deserve, anyway.)  William often agrees with Nathan's asessment of most situations, but often passes off Nathan's ideas as his own. (Often with Nathan still standing there and glaring at him.)  Nathan, like most of the other band members, seems to tolerate William, but sometimes only just barely.  Nathan has kicked William out of the band before, when William sued the band for his share in the creative process.

Toki Wartooth

Murderface often drags Toki into whatever hairbrained scheme he is currently passing off as a good idea, usually due to the fact that Toki is the only one naive enough to agree with William.  However, Murderface is often just as abusive to Toki as he is to everyone else around him.  Toki, in turn, is just as likely to mock Murderface when the others are doing so, leading to a constant cycle of hatred and camaraderie between the two of them.  William was the first to advocate kicking Toki out of the band, for instance, though none of the others seemed to take him very seriously.

Skwisgaar Skwigelf

Murderface and Skwisgaar often have little to say to each other, as Skwisgaar's contempt of every human around him is even more noticeable when it comes to Murderface.  Skwisgaar freely admits that he deletes and re-records Murderface's bass lines himself, much to the consternation of William.  Murderface hates the fact that Skwisgaar is handsome and talented, even going so far as to challenge Skwisgaar to a contest to determine who could have sex with more women in a given time.  (Skwisgaar won easily, as William bedded exactly zero women.)  Occasionally, however, William and Skwisgaar have done things together, such as watching "Faces of Death" while eating whipped cream and chocolate, when Toki was away at "Rock-a-Rooney Fantasy Camp."

Pickles

Murderface and Pickles get along as well as Murderface gets along with anybody... which is to say, not very well.  Pickles is often the voice of reason when William has a stupid idea, to which Murderface often responds with hostility or complaint. Murderface doesn't seem to hate Pickles any more than he hates anyone else, (including himself,) and often joins Pickles in his notorious drinking binges.

Women

Murderface shows that he has an attraction to Serveta Skwigelf, much to the dismay of Skwisgaar. In "Dethfam", Serveta's first appearance, Murderface tells Skwisgaar that his mother is cool, only for Skwisgaar to deny that.

Murderface is also shown to be unpopular with women due to his status as bass player and his unattractiveness. He has also been shown to sexually harrass/molest Dethklok's female employees. Although it should be noted that in "Dethgov" he is seen driving around in a police car with a beautiful women who appears to have been performing fellatio on him moments earlier.

Family

Murderface holds his family in contempt, stating, "They're repugnant. I'd rather die than grow old and repugnant like them."

History

Childhood

Baby William as his father commits a murder-suicide

William Murderface was raised by his grandparents Stella and Thunderbolt Murderface, after he lost his mother and father in a chainsaw murder-suicide, carried out in front of him by his father when William was just an infant. Altough the baby Murderface didn't seem fazed by this as he was too immersed in eating and playing with his cereal; this memory is still traumatizing to him as an adult. While in high school, Murderface's principal allowed him to play bass, drink, and smoke dope to earn his high school diploma after Murderface threatened to cut his eyes out if he didn't let him graduate.

He wears Confederate flag underwear in Dethcamp, suggesting he may be from the South.

Season 1

Murderface's feelings are hurt when his bandmates tell him they did not get him anything for his birthday, however, this is later revealed to be a prank. They give him the assassination car of President John F. Kennedy (including the assassination chair of President Abraham Lincoln) which makes him so happy he cries a blood tear. He promptly demolishes the gift and relishes at the opportunity to "destroy United States history."

Murderface seeks religious inspiration after miraculously surviving a severe fall from the dethcycle. His change in behavior causes Dethklok to consider firing him from the band, and Skwisgaar even suggests killing him. After sampling the customs of numerous religions including The Church of Satan, he comes to the conclusion that all religions are the same -- "all just a bunch of boring crap." He returns to his hedonistic ways with the band.

Season 2

Murderface continues to master the art of "bein' a dick," demonstrating these skills to Nathan and Pickles by sparking a fight between Skwisgaar and Toki, leading to a falling out between the two. He later apologizes to them.

After much criticism from his bandmates regarding his lack of talent, Murderface attempts to write a song on acoustic guitar, which he never finishes because he smashes the instrument.

Murderface attempts to produce a "Nascar-type theatrical hybrid event" but struggles to handle the pressure and responsibility. On the night of the event he becomes incapacitated by a cocktail of drugs given to him by Pickles.

When Nathan is first attacked by Lavona Succuboso, Murderface blocks the attack by diving in front of Nathan with his bass, legitimately protecting him.

Murderface and Toki write and record a grunge rock song called Takin' It Easy, an accomplishment they are both very proud of until the song fails to impress their bandmates and the two are unable to agree on who deserves the most credit for the track.

Murderface does a good deed when he ushers attendees of a record release party to safety during an attack on Mordhaus.

Season 3

Murderface experiences sexual confusion after he becomes aroused during a health exam by a male doctor. He later concludes that the doctor intentionally aroused him.

With the help of Dick Knubbler, Murderface attempts to produce a TV Christmas special featuring Dethklok. The special is ultimately a disaster when the set is crashed by Dethklok's mothers and Doctor Rockzo. He is also punched in the face by Nathan, who is enraged to learn the event is being sponsored by the Church of Christian Churchology.

Murderface dresses up for his Christmas special

When Skwisgaar struggles to come to terms with his fatherless childhood, Murderface attempts to become closer to Skwisgaar in hopes it will give him a shot at Skwisgaar's mother, Serveta. He succeeds only in annoying Skwisgaar and infuriating Pickles, who becomes jealous of all the attention given to Skwisgaar. Murderface triggers Pickles's memory of being rejected by his own father, leading Pickles to beat Murderface up, along with Toki, who joins in the beating just for the fun.

Murderface challenges Skwisgaar's sexual prowess, betting he can sleep with as many women as Skwisgaar. The bet only results in several sexual harassment reports filed against Murderface and a steady stream of groupies into Skwisgaar's lap.

Murderface attempts to sue his bandmates for residual credits to Dethklok's albums, along with Toki, who ruins their claim in court by honestly admitting that they do not deserve the credit. Pickles, Nathan and Skwisgaar become annoyed with Murderface's constant attempts to take credit where it isn't due and drag Toki into his schemes, and they send him walking home to Mordhaus alone. He takes the opportunity to sing a heartfelt song about how nothing that requires any effort is worth doing. This leads to yet another scheme, and Murderface convinces Toki to start a record label with him. For once he actually tries to work hard, however, he comes to regret this when the talentless band he recruits mistreats him and takes credit for his work.

Season 4

Murderface briefly sports a thick mustache, leading to ridicule and exclusion from his bandmates.

Murderface revisits his old hobby of pranking Toki and Skwisgaar, leading to much confusion and embarrassment for the two Scandinavians. They get revenge on him by framing him as a terrorist, although they also incriminate themselves in the process.

When Toki visits a summer camp, Murderface takes the opportunity to hang out with Skwisgaar. The two enjoy a horror movie marathon and binge on sweets, activities they avoid when Toki is around due to his sensitive nature and diabetes. They later have a sleepover in Pickles's room after the horror movies give them the creeps.

Murderface wins the Brutalies Award for Most Brutal Looking Musician. His bandmates are quick to point out that he should take this not as an honor but as a public insult. Murderface quickly sinks into a deep depression and guilts Nathan into loaning him a large sum of money for plastic surgery. Though he insists Nathan keep his plans a secret, he reveals the secret when the band is shocked to see unflattering paparazzi photos of themselves on a celebrity gossip TV program. This sparks Nathan and the other three members to question their looks as well. Murderface tries to remain discrete and save money on his procedures by having the operations performed at an unlicensed under-the-table clinic in Tijuana, Mexico. When he shows up at the awards ceremony he sees his bandmates have also altered their appearances. He reveals his new face hoping to shock his friends and the audience with his 'Handsomeface', but to his dismay his face has become swollen and infected. Everyone flees in horror and Murderface screams as Skwisgaar throws hot coffee in his face.

In yet another bid for credit and attention, Murderface announces he is going to starve himself to death. This only results in him drinking heavily on an empty stomach and being punched in the face by Pickles.

When Dethklok temporarily disbands, Murderface takes an interest in politics and employs Toki as an intern. His political aspirations are ruined when Toki leaks Murderface's masturbation selfies onto the internet.

The Doomstar Requiem

When the search for Toki leads Dethklok to a bar called The Depths of Humanity, a member of The Revengencers intentionally scratches Murderface's arm with the poisoned spikes on his bracelet, while distracting him with compliments. Murderface's eyes go into a trance, but Nathan grabs him and they exit the bar. Later Murderface urges Dethklok to give up their quest, saying "We should make a run for it now, because if that was me inside, none of you would come to save me anyhow." Nathan assures him he would risk his life to save him as well, and they rescue Toki.

As Murderface sleeps, the mysterious poison is shown spreading through his veins, and his eyes glow.

Trivia

• In Dethcarraldo, his ancient animal form is revealed to be an inbred white tiger that that greatly resembles Kenny the Tiger, the first tiger with Down's syndrome.[1]
• He owns a custom-made dungeon, and supposedly spends most of his time there when not with the band.
• Murderface is generally portrayed as the least popular member of Dethklok among both fans and bandmates due to his status as bass player, his lack of musical ability, unpleasant appearance, obnoxious behavior, and nauseous odor which is shown to induce vomiting. All of these attributes are running jokes within the series.
• He is among the few members of Dethklok to suffer repeated physical injury (a running gag) from either his bandmates, Dethklok fans, his grandmother Stella Murderface, women, and/or Dethklok's enemies on more than one occasion. He is frequently involved in freak accidents and has inexplicably recovered from numerous severe (and easily fatal) injuries.
• Nathan admits in one episode that Murderface's bass lines are mixed out of the tracks. This is likely a reference to Jason Newsted's bass lines being mixed out of the Metallica album ...And Justice For All. (A fan made remix entitled "..And Justice For Jason" with the bass lines restored to their proper volume later confirmed this to be true)
• In contrast to the rest of the band being billionaires, both Murderface and Toki are millionaires. This is because of their lack of creative input means their contract agreement with Crystal Mountain Records results in them only receiving 2% of the share in all of Dethklok royalties.

See Also

• List of bass guitarists

Gallery

William runs away

The Murderface essentials