7-year-old metalhead rips through Slipknot's “Sulfur” on ‘Ellen’

Heavy metal is being brought to the mainstream by an unlikely source: a little kid. When a video of 5-year-old Caleb Hayes air-drumming at a Slipknot concert went viral in 2020, it caught the attention of the band, as well as the producers of The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Hayes, now 7, made his talk-show debut yesterday (March 2). DeGeneres described him as “the cutest heavy-metal drummer I have ever seen.” He came all the way from Cumbria, England, to perform “Sulfur” off Slipknot‘s 2008 album, All Hope Is Gone. You can check the performance out below.

Read more: Slipknot’s Corey Taylor says band is “dusting” off older songs for tour

After the performance (which he absolutely killed, by the way), the young metalhead sat down with DeGeneres. He told her he’s been drumming since he was 2 years old, and his dad helped teach him. Unsurprisingly, he revealed that heavy metal is his favorite genre and Slipknot are his favorite band. He also provided a tip for dealing with nerves before performing in front of people: think about chocolate. (We’re thinking about adopting it as the AP mantra!)

DeGeneres ended the interview by gifting Hayes a Jay Weinberg signature snare drum, something he’s been saving up for. The look of utter excitement mixed with disbelief on his face when they brought it out is truly priceless.

Weinberg himself praised Hayes on Twitter, saying, ”Once again, you’ve made all your big brothers in Slipknot proud! What a way to own the moment, and deliver a fantastic performance. So stoked to see you rip it up on The Ellen Show, and that you’re heading home with a new SJC Drums snare.”