Everyone, save for the most cold-hearted soul in the depths of a snowy Norwegian forest, can't help but be moved by a great song on a Disney soundtrack (and we're not convinced that, deep down, those people aren't either). It got us thinking: which classic Disney singalongs through the years have been given the metal treatment and not come out totally terrible? Luckily, YouTube is always on hand with its wonderful bounty, and coughed up these fantastic covers.
Below The Tide – Under The Sea (The Little Mermaid)
This aquatic banger from the 1989 animated classic The Little Mermaid is given a thorough mauling by this Akron, Ohio mob. There's not a trace of the calypso vibes which inform Alan Menken's composition; instead, it sounds like a raging storm of bile. Lovely stuff.
Betraying the Martyrs – Let It Go (Frozen)
If there are any tiny people in your life, then you'll have heard this Frozen anthem more times than is strictly comfortable. Say bonjour, then, to Parisian metallers Betraying The Martyrs, who take Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez's smash hit and add more crunch than the Arendell snow under Elsa's feet. Note to Disney songwriters: great songs can be improved further with a smattering of dive-bombs.
Jonathan Young – Be Prepared (The Lion King)
This singer and producer has carved out a name for himself on YouTube with his collection of souped-up Disney covers. It's this take on Elton John and Tim Rice's Be Prepared from The Lion King which stands out from the pack. Fun fact: Scar actor Jeremy Irons did not sing the original; it was performed instead by voice actor Jim Cummings.
Skar Productions – We Don't Talk About Bruno (Encanto)
From one Scar to another, as we add Norway YouTuber Skar Productions to the list. How's that for a segue? This UK chart-topping salsa from Encanto is given something of a European power metal treatment with added Trivium crunch, with a host of friends adding the Madrigal family's parts on this epic cover.
Leo Moracchioli – Circle of Life (The Lion King)
Frog Leap content creator Leo Moracchioli loves a cover and gives this Lion King tearjerker a soaring metal makeover. Extra kudos is due for making a video featuring a puppet lookalike belting out the Elton John and Tim Rice classic in front of a stunning Pride Lands backdrop. No, you're crying.
Matt Heafy – The Bare Necessities (The Jungle Book)
More of a strum-along than a bona fide cover, this Jungle Book song – written by Terry Gilkyson – was recorded during KiichiKaraoke, Matt Heafy's Twitch channel where fans choose a song for the Trivium frontman to learn and play. Over the crunching riffs, Heafy also parps out the trumpet part using his own lips. What a renaissance man.
Andy Rehfeldt's Variety Show Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (Mary Poppins)
This Mary Poppins tongue-twister was written and performed by Los Angeles-based mashup alchemist Andy Rehfeldt, with vocals by Sera Hatchett of Spokane's Mercy Brown. It sounds like it was recorded in the bowels of Hell, rather than Cherry Tree Lane. Um-dittle-ittl-um-dittle-aaaaargh.
Lions Among Wolves - I Just Can't Wait To Be King (The Lion King)
It makes sense that Louisiana prog metallers Lion Among Wolves chose this song from The Lion King. Recorded for the 2014 Punk Goes Disney compilation, the jaunty original is given some serious heft and adds power to a song which is basically about a son relishing the thought of his father's death so they can become powerful. If that's not the theme for at least one metal concept album, then we're Rafiki's uncle.
Korn - Kidnap The Sandy Claws (The Nightmare Before Christmas)
The Nightmare Before Christmas is an animated film that feels like it was almost certainly created with metallers and goths in mind. In. 2008, to celebrate the film's 15th anniversary, a bunch of rock, metal and alternative artists covered its legendary soundtrack for the album Nightmare Revisited. The highlight? Undoubtedly Korn's delightfully unhinged take on Kidnap The Sandy Claws. Some things just make sense.
Moonic Productions – You've Got a Friend in Me
Otu from Moonic Productions has regularly appeared on the Louder website with Aqua's Barbie Girl in the style of System Of A Down and what Limp Bizkit might sounds like had they recorded The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air theme. To conclude this magical list of Disney bangers, here's his blackened take on Randy Newman's You've Got a Friend in Me, "if Satyricon wrote it in the style of Mother North".
