It is always a surprise to metalheads when guttural and heavy metal singers make an appearance on American Idol and other reality talent shows. Even with metal inching its way more into the mainstream over time, a lot of folks are still caught by surprise when someone rips a brutal metal performance in front of them.
Recently, a young woman tried out for American Idol by performing the Dio song “Holy Diver.” Her performance was interesting for sure, but it also got us thinking… what are some other wild and unique American Idol metal tryouts (or even metal tryouts that have appeared in other reality talent shows)?
Pulling footage associated with American Idol, America’s Got Talent, The Voice, and others, we have compiled a list of the 10 wildest reality TV metal tryouts.
“Smashed Into Pieces” – Silverstein
A fun part of American Idol is watching Simon Cowell give contestants shit; but when it came to this one screamo-edge lord, Cowell may have met his equal. The dude swears in front of the judges and makes it clear he is not a “family guy” before going off on a Silverstein cover. At the end of his performance, Cowell and the singer had a little bit of a back-and-forth that is pretty funny.
Dude unleashes a hilarious black metal performance
It isn’t clear if this guy is attempting to cover a specific black metal song or providing his own original take, but this metal tryout is hilarious as fuck. At one point, as the dude is screeching, he ends up having to clear his voice, and it’s one of the goofiest hiccups we’ve ever seen.
“Heavy Metal” – Sammy Hagar
James Durbin is one hell of a talented singer, and while performing Sammy Hagar’s “Heavy Metal” on American Idol back in the day, he was accompanied by Pantera guitarist Zakk Wylde. Talk about badass.
“Holy Roller” – Spiritbox
This America’s Got Talent performance is what put Harper on the metal map. While she has gone on to create her own metal tunes, Harper took to the stage when she was 10 years old and provided the judges with an amazing (and heavy as hell) cover of Spiritbox’s “Holy Roller.” The performance was so impressive that she was later invited to join band singer Courtney LaPlante on stage for a performance.
Little girl unleashes brutal original song called “Zombie Skin”
It’s funny as shit to see little kids enjoy heavy metal. Whereas other folks have covered already established metal songs as part of their reality TV tryouts, this six-year-old kid decided to swing for the fences and show off her metal skills through an original song. Aaralyn’s screaming in her song “Zombie Skin” certainly made an impression on the judges.
“Bodies” – Drowning Pool
While it’s cool to see little kids perform heavy metal songs, it’s equally as cool to see older folks get down. It isn’t every day you come across an 82-year-old fan of Drowning Pool who can also perform their hit song “Bodies.” Talk about a self-certified badass.
“Ghost Walking” – Lamb of God
The judges of Germany’s The Voice were not expecting Stefanie to deliver an absolutely amazing cover of Lamb of God’s “Ghost Walking.” Absolutely one of the most talented singers featured on this list without a doubt.
“We Drink Your Blood” – Powerwolf
This young woman’s performance of Powerwolf’s “We Drink Your Blood” is truly epic-sounding; much like band singer Karsten “Attila Dorn” Brill, she brings a soaring bravado and depth to her singing.
“Electric Eye” – Judas Priest
The energy that Alexandru brings to his performance of Judas Priests’ “Electric Eye” is quite… well, electric. He is having a blast on stage, and you can see that the judges are also impressed by his vibrant performance.
Death metal choir performs Britney Spear’s “Toxic
There are a lot of surprising performances on this list, but one of the most surprising is the death metal choir known as Dremeka Choir covering Britney Spear’s “Toxic.” This is easily one of the most fascinating performances to appear on America’s Got Talent.