‘Metal Disney’ Covers Album Features Former Ozzy Osbourne + Dokken Members
Disney and heavy metal are seemingly at polar ends of the spectrum, especially considering the House of Blues inside the Walt Disney World Resort has banned several metal acts from performing at the venue in recent years. The tides appear to be changing, however, as the conglomerate has recruited some metal vets to perform on an album filled with covers from classic Disney films!
Simply titled Metal Disney, the compilation features singer Michael Vescera (Obsession, ex-Yngwie Malmsteen), guitarist John Bruno (Obsession), bassist Rudy Sarzo (ex-Ozzy Osbourne, ex-Quiet Riot, ex-Whitesnake) and drummer B.J. Zampa (House of Lords, ex-Obsession, occasional Dokken touring member), billed as "D-Metal Stars."
Offering 10 songs along with an introduction, Metal Disney features iconic songs like "A Whole New World" from Aladdin, "Under the Sea" from The Little Mermaid, "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from The Lion King and a whole lot more. See the full track listing below.
Prior to receiving a U.S. release, Metal Disney was issued in Japan last fall given the success and acceptance of heavy metal in the "Land of the Rising Sun." Executive director of Disney Music Group Japan and executive producer of the album told Rolling Stone, "Old-school metal has always been very prevalent in our marketplace and so I thought just kind of a mixing of the cultures, of taking Disney and making it into metal versions, seemed like a cool idea."
"It's all the stuff that I grew up on," Vescera commented. "You would think the opposite, being hard rock guys or in that kind of field of music, but everybody loves it. It's crazy." Explaining how he tried "a million different options" when it came crafting the covers, the singer added, "You think, 'Aw, it's a kid's song,' but when you get into how they wrote these things, they're quite incredible and really well written and so it's just figuring out what exactly is going on and then taking it piece by piece."
This album is not to be confused with the hilarious "Radio Disney" styled covers of Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation and Dimmu Borgir songs courtesy of Andy Rehfeldt.
Metal Disney Track Listing
01. Introduction
02. "Mickey Mouse March"
03. "I See the Light"
04. "A Whole New World"
05. "It's a Small World"
06. "Beauty and the Beast"
07. "Under the Sea"
08. "Go the Distance"
09. "Can You Feel the Love Tonight"
10. Disney Medley
11. "When You Wish Upon a Star"
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