Of all the trends that started at the beginning of the pandemic, one that has continued regularly is the Two Minutes to Late Night cover series. The latest in this series features members of the Grammy-nominated Mastodon, Carcass and Bad Wolves in their version of “Blackened” by Metallica. The buzzing riffs and fast-paced singing of the original song create that unmistakable metal energy, the sound to trigger instant headbanging. Even though this cover plays “the fast parts slow and the slow parts fast,” they still maintain this powerful feeling exuded from the original. In the video, each of the artists plays in their respective landscapes — from the woods to the studio — and shows clips of people cooking and selling blackened fish (including the Gordon Ramsay). 

Last month, the series featured members of Nothing, UnityTX, Gouge Away and Eighteen Visions in a cover of “Road to Hell” by Ink & Dagger. Since it was released in October, the video incorporated playfully spooky elements, such as band members waving a wizard wand in a backyard. And on Halloween, they honored the musical king of the holiday with a metal John Carpenter tribute. 

According to Stereogum, this is the first time the group has covered a Metallica song. A wide variety of other artists, however, have been sharing their own covers of the metal band’s music, all part of the 53-track Metallica Blacklist cover album. 

Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat