Heavy metal and bluegrass might seem like strange bedfellows, but the impressive musicianship and dedication needed to excel in each respective genre is quite similar. That concept is beautifully illustrated by the surprising but fantastic cover of Megadeth's "Symphony of Destruction" as played by DD & The Butterlovers, the passion project of musician Dan Davidson.
Despite his recent emergence on the Canadian country music scene in just 2016, Davidson has already racked up an impressive resume that includes three Canadian Country Music Association nominations, 10 Academy of Country Music awards, a gold record, a number one selling Canadian song, and top 20 charting numbers according to his website. These achievements combined with his love of all music, including metal, add up to an impressive showing when he and his backing musicians slayed their way through the thrasher's 1992 classic on a varied lineup of traditional bluegrass instruments including upright bass, banjo, acoustic guitar and more.
The sextet appear all wearing metal shirts, from Slipknot to Iron Maiden to the bandleader himself sporting a Megadeth T-shirt. A funny floating collage plays on a screen behind the band while they stand starkly still while playing, and the lasting impression looks like something straight out of Hee Haw Goes to Hell.
Watch the full video above complete with increasingly bizarre supporting characters and nods to the visuals of the OG, and check out Davidson's official YouTube channel to get a taste of his other work, including the clip for "Found" which hit the top 20 on Country Music Television despite having a budget of only $500.
