weird tribute bands
[Photo via Galactic Empire/Spotify, Mac Sabbath/YouTube, Okilly Dokilly]

10 metal tribute bands you’ll be surprised exist

Metal has always been a ridiculous genre dating back to its beginnings. With the cheesy ways musicians dressed to their over-serious attitudes, there’s too much to keep track of. But there’s a ton of bands who take the hilarity to a whole other level. From tribute bands dedicated to Breaking Bad, McDonald’s or Star Wars, there’s a shocking amount who pay homage to absurd themes.

Check out some of the most surprising metal tribute bands below.

1. Okilly Dokilly (Ned Flanders-themed band)

Deemed a “Nedal band,” Okilly Dokilly are a pure laugh with their metal songs dedicated to The Simpsons character Ned Flanders. All of the band members dress up in his classic green sweater and pink dress shirt with that iconic moustache while shredding through some tunes.

2. Mac Sabbath (McDonald’s-themed Black Sabbath tribute band)

If you like Black Sabbath and a greasy burger, Mac Sabbath have everything you’re looking for. The McDonald’s and Black Sabbath tribute band have some awesome costumes of the company’s iconic kids’ meal characters, and their burger-worshipping twist on metal’s original band is a riot to see live.

3. Heisenberg (Breaking Bad-themed band)

Breaking Bad was a pretty dark show, so it’s fitting that a slam death-metal band were created in tribute to it. Heisenberg bring the blue-meth slinging stories of Walter White to life through crushing breakdowns, blast beats and swamp-monster vocals in a tightly written way.

4. Powerglove (Nintendo tribute band)

Power metal is easily the corniest subgenre in metal, and Powerglove do a great job of bringing that energy to video game-themed music. The band tear through thrashing versions of classic video game soundtracks, and their live show has been known to see the band busting out various props and tossing candy into the crowd.

5. Misfats (Fat guy Misfits tribute band)

The premise for this band is pretty simple but incredibly fun for any old-school punk fan. Misfats are a big-bodied Misfits tribute band who bring a fattening food take to the iconic horror-punk act with such songs as “Hungry Moments” and “Don’t Open That Mayonnaise.”

6. Hevisaurus (Dinosaur-themed band)

Hevisaurus are like a Finnish kids’ version of GWAR. The dinosaur-themed band built a world of lore around the various characters in the band and have sold thousands of records while introducing heavy metal to a legion of youth in a way that’s more relatable to children than serious metal bands.

7. Galactic Empire (Star Wars-themed band)

If you’ve ever watched Star Wars and thought it needed some metal mixed in, Galactic Empire are the band for you. They bring the dark side of the force and music together with heavy covers of classic songs from the film franchise and sport incredibly detailed costumes to boot.

8. Richard Cheese & Lounge Against The Machine (Lounge)

Technically, Richard Cheese & Lounge Against The Machine aren’t a metal band, but many of their covers are of metal songs. The band create lounge music versions of classic songs, including ones from System Of A Down, Slipknot, Disturbed and more.

9. Tragedy (Bee Gees metal)

Bee Gees are about as far away from metal as you can get, but Tragedy challenge that idea by giving the band’s music a heavy retouch. Bringing together metal, disco and glitter, Tragedy are a novelty who take themselves seriously with impressive musicianship that’s sure to put a smile on anyone’s face.

10. Beatallica (Metallica and the Beatles mashup)

Taking two of the world’s biggest bands, Metallica and the Beatles, and mashing them sounds like a recipe for disaster. But Beatallica balance them fantastically. They even got Lars Ulrich’s seal of approval. Despite a cease-and-desist order from Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Ulrich helped the band get back to creating music through his industry connections.