When it's time to take a break from life and escape into a world of fantasy, both heavy metal and Disney will always do the trick. Though the two worlds have rarely met in the Disney canon, the wonders of YouTube have made these epic metal covers of Disney classics possible.
You'll find both YouTubers and metal artists in this list, all of whom brought a heavier edge to songs from Aladdin, Frozen, Pirates of the Caribbean and more.
Dan Vasc – “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” (Mulan)
There’s a reason this video got 13 million views in just two years. YouTuber and multi-instrumentalist Dan Vasc put together an A-Team for this epic cover from Mulan, bringing in half a dozen backup singers along with orchestrator Samuel Kim. It's some flawless “goes metal” execution that doesn’t stray too far from the original.
Floor Jansen – “Let It Go” (Frozen)
Nightwish’s Floor Jansen was born to sing this song. “Let It Go” might be the biggest Disney track of the last 10 years, and plenty of artists have put their spin on the Frozen opus. In the metal realm though, Floor’s own homebred vocals from the Nordic North fit like a winter glove. She even followed this cover up with “Into the Unknown” from Frozen 2.
331Erock – “He’s a Pirate” (Pirates of the Caribbean)
When he winks, you know it’s gonna be good. Erock is a legend from the early days of YouTube guitar covers, and in 2017, he brought a metal edge to “He’s a Pirate” from Disney’s swashbuckling franchise. It’s a shame Pirates composers Hans Zimmer and Klaus Badelt never thought of putting sweeps into this epic theme.
Tallah – “Friend Like Me” (Aladdin)
Fans thought it was just an April Fools joke, but no, Talladdin was real. This extremely underrated cover of Aladdin’s “Friend Like Me” comes off as fiendish and deranged thanks to the wild vocals of Justin Bonitz and Tallah’s killer compositional work. It’s a complete bastardization of what Robin Williams brought to his beloved genie character… in the best way possible.
Jonathan Young – “Bells of Notre Dame” (The Hunchback of Notre Dame)
Metalheads and Disney fanatics are both extremely familiar with the works of Jonathan Young. The character work that Young and guest collaborator Caleb Hyles put into their voices on “Bells of Notre Dame” is off the charts. The production is so damn good on this cover, you’ll almost forget it’s a metal cover. Metal is just one layer of the brilliant wall of sound put into “Bells,” so just sit back and enjoy.
Martin ‘Skar’ Berger – “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” (Encanto)
Another metal-meets-Disney fiend, Equilibrium bassist/vocalist Martin ‘Skar’ Berger put together a fierce metal version of “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from 2021’s Encanto. Plenty of cameos are jammed into this awesome cover, with Alina Lesnik’s coming center stage. How does this not have a million views already? Run up the numbers, everyone!
A Burden to Bear – “Savages” (Pocahontas)
Ever listen to the Disney Goes Hardcore compilation? It’s not for everyone, but the heaviest piece of work from the album comes from metalcore act A Burden to Bear. If you ever wondered what Pocahontas songs would sound like in a throwdown-core style, this band has you covered.
PelleK – “This Is Halloween” (The Nightmare Before Christmas)
The Nightmare Before Christmas lives in the heart of every metalhead, including wildly popular YouTube vocalist PelleK. There’s about a thousand voices at play on the original version of “This Is Halloween,” and PelleK takes on every single one of them for this cover. His versatility is the key to why this cover is so great, so watch the man do what he does best.
Scardust – “Evolution of the Disney Princess”
The effort put into this metal Disney medley is almost inhuman. Symphonic metal band Scardust threw 13 Disney classics into less than four minutes of music, combining songs from Cinderella, Snow White, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and more into a seamless mega-track. With the help of the Hellscore choir and a production team of, like, two dozen people, Scardust created something really magical here.
