Most people would say that some of their best moments in life happened when they were in high school. Just like with these high school boys who performed at their school’s talent show and wowed not only their fellow students and teachers, but also those who have watched them online.
Teenage boys playing heavy metal- you might tell us we’re kidding. We’re absolutely not!
It’s really hard to imagine young boys in high school pulling off such a musical performance. It may not be the typical rock music that you often hear from professional rock bands, but nevertheless, this one did not disappoint us.
With just a few weeks of practice, these guys did the impossible.
We all know how complex metal or heavy metal music is. It is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s. This kind of music mostly relies on intricate note progressions and timing. Not only that, but it also requires a vocal type that is hard (if not impossible) to perfect.
If you’re not well prepared for these requirements, then metal rock music is not for you.
However, these high schoolers from Becker High School in Minnesota are up for the challenge.
Introducing, the John Wilkes Tooth and The Plaque Assasins.
They got the name from the assassin of the late President Abraham Lincoln. The band consisted of members Jordan Maiers on the guitar and vocals, Luke O’Neil as the lead guitarist, Cody Sakry on the bass, and Mark Peterson on the drums.
They’re set to perform to Metallica’s “Fade to Black.”
It’s one of the greatest songs of the famous heavy metal band which was originally released back in 1984. The interwoven acoustics and quasi-classical structure were completely new to thrash metal at the time, to say nothing of the fact that an actual ballad on a heavy metal album was, well, completely unheard of at the time.
With the song’s reputation, these high schoolers knew that they needed to step it up and bring an explosive performance.
Four teenagers and a school gym, it’s nowhere near the impression of a heavy metal band. However, looks can be deceiving, as they say- but just wait until these boys start to perform.
They began with the song’s guitar-plucking intro and some drops on the drums.
From the second they started with their performance, we were blown away. Seriously, did they really just have weeks of practice? They’re nailing each transition from the song’s complex arrangement. Everything was on point and there’s no denying that each of the band members is incredibly talented.
Maiers began singing solo.
Though it may not be growly and guttural like that of Hetfield, he was still able to bring the house down!
To be honest, he sounded amazing. The rest of the band’s accompaniment made everything fall into its proper place. These young boys gave quite a good impression of an amateur heavy metal band. Everyone was punching it real hard.
They gave everyone present that day a performance that they’ll never forget. Can we just also note the exceptional guitar-playing skills of these young fellas, as well as Peterson’s drums that brought the crowd into a wild wave of onlookers?
If they said that they only had a couple of weeks to practice, then they’ve got to be practicing 24/7 during those days. It surely takes a lot of time, effort, and energy to come up with an awesome performance like this.
They won the heart of the crowd, the judges, and also the people on the internet.
With the spectacular performance that they gave, the group landed in second place. Though they weren’t hailed as the champions in their school’s talent show, they managed to wow the online viewers. Peterson uploaded the video on his YouTube account and it has racked up an eye-popping 6.6 million views. Isn’t that amazing for some high school performers?
The question now is, did they pursue their love for music, particularly for rock music? If yes, then we can’t wait to see them perform on the big stage someday. Sadly, if not, we still hope that they get the chance to remake this jaw-dropping performance that they did years back.
