The metal mashup is the most delicate of art forms. The beats per minute, the key of the song and potentially conflicting melodies all have to be considered before creating a hybrid song that’s worth sharing with your like-minded mates.
It’s not a simple case of taking two vaguely linked songs, smooshing them together and then hoping for the best. If the results are rubbish, you will find out quickly. Or even worse, it will become internet landfill and will be ignored forever.
Californian YouTuber KayJay does not deal in the usual mashup format. They’ve taken the niche sub-genre to brave new heights with this “cursed” version of Pantera’s classic Mouth For War.
With some ingenious editing, they’ve taken everything you know and remember of the 1992 single – taken from Vulgar Display of Power – and flipped it on its head.
By splicing some of the late Dimebag Darrell’s iconic riffs with Metallica (Dyer’s Eve and Ride the Lightning) and Megadeth (Psychotron and Wake Up Dead), Mouth for War becomes an entirely different beast .
It’s genius, but be warned, it will make you question everything you know: