Just when you thought you had heard enough covers of "Let It Go," the hit single sung by Idina Menzel on the Frozen soundtrack, this happened: Metalcore band Betraying The Martyrs released its own version of the track, performed in line with the band's subgenre of choice.
Normally we appreciate metal covers of anything, strictly for the humor in hearing brutal versions of "The Song That Never Ends" or similar, but metalcore does prove to be the ideal form of the genre for converting a track like "Let It Go." The brutal onslaught of riffs and roar that opened the cover were great, as expected, but then we got to thinking: How does someone utilizing a death growl pull off a melody such as Menzel's hook? And yes, the melodic nature of the chorus is essential to a good "Let It Go" cover. Here's where the metalcore comes in handy: This particular subgenre accepts, almost encourages a balance of rough and clean vocals. As the hook begins, keyboardist Victor Guillet takes control of the vocals while Aaron Matts contributes brutal harmonies.
The band also gets props for crafting an entire music video for the cover. The theme of ice and frost is remains, freezing over flowers and insect carcasses throughout. You can check out the video at the bottom.
Betraying The Martyrs is signed to Sumerian Records, a label not shy about covering music that doesn't seem to have a place in metal. The label covered Florence + The Machine's entire album Ceremonials as a promotional release titled Florence + The Sphinx (in reference to the label's logo). Surprisingly and disappointingly, Betraying The Martyrs didn't contribute to that project.
