The band, which traces its origins back to 2006, brought the pencil-pushing hype-goblin on board in 2012 and quickly became an internet sensation once the music video for the single “No One Survives” went viral. DJ-producer Diplo tweeted about it, further pushing Nekrogoblikon beyond the metal realm and into the mainstream. Post Malone even name-dropped the group, particularly the gory Goblikon clip, during his 2020 appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast (talk about a goblin).
Now, Mr. Goblikon, who still humbly dresses in ironed dress shirts and khakis, is a successful comedian, popular host of the Right Now podcast and author of a zany self-help book, John Goblikon's Guide to Living Your Best Life.
“What can’t John do?” Dickie Allen, the lead vocalist, quips, adding that his newfound bandmate is truly a “Renaissance goblin.” Who knows, Goblikon might have been snooping around Da Vinci’s workshop back then, “but don’t let that get to his head,” Allen says.
Vocalist Dickie Allen, right, loves being in a band with the infamous John Goblikon.
Courtesy Nekrogoblikon
“The fact that we have a goblin is one of the coolest things. That’s why I was a fan of the band to begin with, like, ‘A crazy goblin?’” he says. “He’s a blast. The character is so much fun to go back and forth with on stage and come up with little bits. There are not too many bands with mascots.”
Okay, so John Goblikon is actually the creative brainchild of Dave Rispoli, the rot-green public persona of Nekrogoblikon, and Grady Welch, who now handles all of Goblikon’s clean singing parts alongside Allen while recording and performing. But Goblikon’s influence is undeniable and helped Allen tap into his inner-goblin even more.
“My vocals are already kind of goblin-esque, but it’s so all over the place with Nekro, I get to keep it in the same range, knowing that’s what I’m going for, to sound like a goblin, where with IA it’s just to sound ridiculous,” he explains.
But Nekrogoblikon is much more than just ironic pageantry and puke-inducing antics. The music, an infectious brew of folk, power and death metal, is top-tier and continues to defy conventional classification.
“It’s goblin metal. That’s the best way to put it. There’s no other band like it. When you say goblin metal, you think of Nekrogoblikon,” says Allen, who also calls it “party metal": “That’s really what it is. There’s metal, but then there’s a lot of dancing parts and just some good vibes.”
The band — which also includes tenured guitarist Alex “Goldberg” Alereza, keys player Aaron “Raptor” Minich, drummer Eric W. Brown and guitarist Joe “Diamond” Nelson — recently put out a twofer of singles, “Show Me Your Goblin” and “Fiend,” the first new music featuring Allen, in preparation for the current Show Me Your Goblin tour (the accompanying videos, directed by loyal collaborator Brandon Dermer, are also worth watching).
The madcap masquerade rolls into Denver’s Summit on Tuesday, May 13. Revocation, Ov Sulfur and Brat are also on the bill.
How one goes about showing their goblin is solely up to them, Allen encourages.
“Whatever your interpretation of ‘goblin’ is, show me that,” he says. “I’m interested to see how people interpret what their goblin is. It could just be them dancing around. It could be something that nobody wants to see. Hopefully, that doesn’t happen too much.”
It is common, however, for people to cosplay as John Goblikon.
“Almost every show, there’s somebody with a goblin mask on. It’s so cool. When you get a show where there’s multiple people with goblin masks or painted up as a goblin, it’s so awesome,” Allen continues. “And I hope ‘Show Me Your Goblin’ has more people showing up as goblins.”
Picking up an official Nekrogoblikon beanie with floppy goblin ears might help. But whether you dress up as a mischievous monster or not, it’s all about embracing that inner-John Goblikon, a relatable oddball who would rather be rocking out and raging than looking over stacks of reports inside his confided work cubicle.
“It’s party, and I just want everybody to have fun, dance around, enjoy the heavy parts, but also just be goofy and dance with us,” Allen concludes.
Nekrogoblikon, with Revocation, Ov Sulfur and Brat, 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 13, Summit, 1902 Blake St. Tickets are $41.
