Trivium’s Matt Heafy Turns ‘Wellerman’ Sea Shanty Hit Into Metal Song

Trivium's Matt Heafy is the latest to weigh in on the sea shanty craze, taking the viral breakout song "Wellerman" and giving it the metal makeover it needs.

"Wellerman" has risen to fame thanks to the TikTok trend highlighting sea shanties. Scottish postman Nathan Evans saw his version of the song shoot up the U.K. charts and he's even landed a record deal out of it.

Heafy, while spending time with a viewing audience on Twitch, has lent his production work to his own version of the track, now bolstering it with some blast beats and heavy riffs. The rocker even seemed surprised with the heaviness he's added to this jaunty track as seen during his Twitch session.

"I didn't pick 'Wellerman' as a cover to do something 'viral,'" Heafy says. "It was one of those songs — when you hear it, 'it sounds like something Matt Heafy would cover.' It was suggested by a close pal who thought exactly that." The now complete version, featuring Livia Zita, can be heard below and you can pick it up here.

Matt Heafy Featuring Livia Zita, "Wellerman"

Originally a 19th Century sea shanty titled "Soon May the Wellerman Come," the Nathan Evans modern day version has been one of 2021's early success stories. Evans recently quit is job as a postman after his song, recorded last year, hit the U.K. Top 10. That led him to sign a deal with Polydor Records. You can hear Evans' original track below:

@nathanevanssThe Wellerman. ##seashanty ##sea ##shanty ##viral ##singing ##acoustic ##pirate ##new ##original ##fyp ##foryou ##foryoupage ##singer ##scottishsinger ##scottish♬ Wellerman - Sea Shanty - Nathan Evans

Heafy is not the only one to take notice of the sea shanty trend. Recently Nickelback collaborated with The Lottery Winners after their sea shanty cover of "Rockstar" caught fire on TikTok. Check that out here.