Theatrical death metal band Fleshgod Apocalypse has released a driving new metal cover of the 1998 smash electro-pop hit “Blue (Da Ba Dee)” from Italian pop band Eiffel 65. The cover marks a new type of energy for Fleshgod Apocalypse but the group feels right at home with the energetic song.

The cover track stays pretty close to the script of the original as Fleshgod Apocalypse frontman Francesco Paoli reads the song’s opening spoken lyrics but in a much somber, low and eerie tone. The dance-pop background melody is largely the same before the song crashes into Paoli’s death metal scream of the famous “I’m blue da ba dee” lyrics. The innate energy of the song is certainly retained while Fleshgod Apocalypse bring their harsh, dark and heavy metal sensibilities to the iconic hit. Perhaps most importantly, the fun the band is having definitely shines through.

Discussing the track, Paoli says while the song is plenty dark, it came from attempting to provide their fans and listeners with a bit of levity during what has been a challenging year for everyone. “After the amazing response over our latest single ‘No,’ we wanted to release something that could make the end of this shitty 2020 a bit funnier for everyone,” says Paoli. “That’s why we took a popular dance track from the 90s and made it the heaviest, angriest, bloodiest party song ever. We’re ready to blast your ears again in 2021, stay tuned!” As Paoli alludes to, the band also clearly has additional plans for fans coming up this year.

“Blue (Da Ba Dee)” was originally released in Italy in September of 1998 by the Bliss Corporation label, serving as the lead single on Eiffel 65’s debut LP Europop. The song went on to become number one throughout Europe and eventually reached number six on the US Billboard 100 Chart in 2000. It was ultimately nominated for the Best Dance Performance Grammy Award in 2001, more than two years after its initial release.