10 crazy metal collaborations that took us totally by surprise last year

Babymetal and Electric Callboy in 2024
(Image credit: Christian Ripkens)

Who doesn't love a good team-up? 2024 was the year that proved the art of the collaboration was still alive and well in the metal world, some of our scene's brightest and most fantastically weird acts uniting forces to create sonic mayhem. Hell, even our songs of the year vote was packed with collabs, Babymetal and Electric Callboy's electro-J-pop mashup Ratata even taking top spot.

That in mind, we've assembled a list of some of the best multi-artist mash-ups that set our heads spinning in the last year. Here's hoping for more in 2025.

A divider for Metal Hammer

Bad Omens x Poppy - V.A.N.

Bad Omens went all-out for the soundtrack to their graphic novel, Concrete Jungle, pulling the likes of Wargasm and Bob Vylan. The best thing was this collab with fellow genre-smasher Poppy, which saw her go from delicate croons to lung-busting screams.

BAD OMENS x POPPY - V.A.N (Official Music Video) - YouTube BAD OMENS x POPPY - V.A.N (Official Music Video) - YouTube
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Knocked Loose x Poppy - Suffocate

It’s that Poppy again, and this time she’s trading screams with Knocked Loose’s Bryan Garris, as well as adding ethereal vocals before that reggaeton breakdown. Some fans have called for her to become a full-time member. Not the worst idea…

Knocked Loose "Suffocate" Ft. Poppy (Official Music Video) - YouTube Knocked Loose
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Babymetal x Electric Callboy - Ratatata

The “funnest song of the century” is what Babymetal and Electric Callboy promised with Ratatata, and they delivered. Earworm melodies, hefty guitars, bouncing percussion - this was a killer East-meets-West culture clash.

BABYMETAL x @ElectricCallboy - RATATATA (OFFICIAL VIDEO) - YouTube BABYMETAL x @ElectricCallboy - RATATATA (OFFICIAL VIDEO) - YouTube
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Bring Me The Horizon x Aurora - Limousine

Oli Sykes originally wanted Billie Eilish, but Norwegian art-pop star Aurora added a slice of Nordic moodiness to this industrial-goth mash-up from BMTH’s Posthuman: Nex Gen. She’s said she wants to make more metal. Here’s hoping.

Bring Me The Horizon - liMOusIne (Lyric Video) ft. AURORA - YouTube Bring Me The Horizon - liMOusIne (Lyric Video) ft. AURORA - YouTube
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Bad Omens x Health x Swarm - The Drain

Bad Omens teaming up with Health was really a matter of ‘when’ not ‘if’. Another cut from Concrete Jungle [The OST], The Drain found Bad Omens frontman Noah Sebastian providing a sensual counterpoint to the robotic voice of Health’s Jake Duzsik. Throw Florida-based artist/producer Swarm into the mix, and you can see how the song ended up as pure, pulse-pounding industrial noise.

BAD OMENS x HEALTH x SWARM - THE DRAIN (Official Visual) - YouTube BAD OMENS x HEALTH x SWARM - THE DRAIN (Official Visual) - YouTube
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Ice Nine Kills ft. Reel Big Fish - Walking On Sunshine

The weirdest union of 2024? Ice Nine Kills teamed up with ska-punk vets Reel Big Fish on this cover of breezy 80s pop hit Walking On Sunshine, for the soundtrack to Sumerian Records’ American Psycho comic series. Cue an unholy mix of heavy metalcore guitars and happy-go-lucky horns. Like we said, weird.

ICE NINE KILLS x REEL BIG FISH - Walking On Sunshine (Official Music Video) - YouTube ICE NINE KILLS x REEL BIG FISH - Walking On Sunshine (Official Music Video) - YouTube
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Halestorm x I Prevail - Can U See Me In The Dark?

Is there anything Lzzy Hale can’t do? Not content with saving Skid Row’s arses, she teamed up with Michigan’s I Prevail for this slab of electronic-tinged modern metal. Next month: Lzzy Hale sorts out the US economy.

Halestorm & I Prevail - can u see me in the dark? (Official Lyric Video) - YouTube Halestorm & I Prevail - can u see me in the dark? (Official Lyric Video) - YouTube
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Lamb Of God x Mastodon - Floods Of Triton

Mastodon and Lamb Of God celebrated the 20th anniversaries of Leviathan and Ashes Of The Wake by touring together in 2024. They capped it with this hook-up, a roaring noise that sounds exactly how you’d expect it to.

Mastodon, Lamb of God - Floods of Triton (Official Audio) - YouTube Mastodon, Lamb of God - Floods of Triton (Official Audio) - YouTube
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While She Sleeps ft. Malevolence - Down

Two of the hottest British bands of the last 10 years teamed up here. Malevolence’s Alex Taylor brought an extra level of aggro to this seething electrocore rager. The perfect collab at the perfect time.

While She Sleeps - DOWN - Featuring Alex Taylor (Malevolence) - YouTube While She Sleeps - DOWN - Featuring Alex Taylor (Malevolence) - YouTube
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Megan Thee Stallion ft. Spiritbox - Tyg

Spiritbox’s second hook-up with hip hop force of nature Megan Thee Stallion (after a rock remix of the latter’s Cobra) was a seething trap-metal bombshell, with Courtney LaPlante offering screamed support to the raging Megan. The sound of boundaries being broken.

Megan Thee Stallion - TYG (feat. Spiritbox) [Official Audio] - YouTube Megan Thee Stallion - TYG (feat. Spiritbox) [Official Audio] - YouTube
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Matt Mills
Contributing Editor, Metal Hammer

Louder’s resident Gojira obsessive was still at uni when he joined the team in 2017. Since then, Matt’s become a regular in Prog and Metal Hammer, at his happiest when interviewing the most forward-thinking artists heavy music can muster. He’s got bylines in The Guardian, The Telegraph, NME, Guitar and many others, too. When he’s not writing, you’ll probably find him skydiving, scuba diving or coasteering.