Ed Sheeran Wants to Make a Death Metal Album, Dani Filth Responds

Pop star Ed Sheeran, despite his sultry, sweet voice and knack for catchy choruses, began his journey into music like so many of us on the dark side: hacking his way through metal riffs on the guitar in his bedroom.

The singer, best known for the xylophone-laden hit song “Shape of You,” has discussed his love of metal before: in 2018, he mugged for a photo with Korn guitarist James “Munky” Shaffer (while attending a Marilyn Manson concert), and a few years before that he sang a version of Iron Maiden’s “Run to the Hills” on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

But, to my knowledge, this is the first time Sheeran has spoken about any desire to make metal himself. Chatting with The Sun, the English-born singer elaborated on his early fandom of metal, saying:

“I was really into death metal as a kid. I listened to Cradle of Filth and Slipknot and all that stuff. I’m not saying I could ever step into that world.

“I learnt all those riffs on guitar as a kid. That’s something I’ve never thought about doing – but something I would not be opposed to creating.”

Sheeran’s metal project isn’t exactly around the corner; indeed, it’s unlikely it’ll ever happen. And, naturally, we’ve got to take issue with his use of the phrase “death metal,” which describes neither of the two bands he name-checked. That said, I’ll give him points for referencing Cradle of Filth instead of, say, Godsmack, and those riffs he learned — as well as some Slipknot material — aren’t necessarily easy. Sheeran gets a few Metal Cred points here from the MetalSucks Mansion overlords.

Cradle of Filth namesake and frontman Dani Filth caught wind of The Sun story and offered his take on the situation in a post to social media, saying:

“I’ll believe it when I see it. Fellow Suffolk lad could come good in the end. ‘Dracula’s Castle On The Hill’ anyone?”

While you wait for the inevitable Sheeran + Corey Taylor collab, here’s a melodic death metal cover of “Shape of You” by MetalMax of the band Light of Disaster.

[via Metal Injection]