I am three episodes deep into Stranger Things and right now, I live for the end of the show’s cold opens so I can get straight to the John Carpenter-esque title theme and hum along to its spooky, driving groove. It is the perfect complement to the show’s eerie, supernatural elements and fans have already latched onto the song, tracking down the musicians responsible for its sinister thump. However, some musically inclined viewers have taken it a step further, remixing and covering the theme with their own equipment. Our favorite cover so far? Little V’s metal rendition.

Since the original song is essentially perfect, the metal cover isn’t so much an effort to improve the track as it is an example of how deeply evil the entrancing progression sounds. Little V’s cover is far more confrontational and abrasive than S U R V I V E’s roiling, disconcerting synth composition, but still manages to suck you into the same abyss, if you aren’t simply watching the incredibly hokey video of the musician going to town on an assortment of electric instruments. Visuals aside, can you imagine if this shredding opened the show? The style of the series would have to lean much harder into Rob Zombie, over-the-top-horror territory. I love the show as is, but that certainly would be a strange take.

What do you think of the metal version of the Stranger Things soundtrack? Think the original was already metal enough? Let us know in the comments below.

Image: Netflix

Matt Grosinger is the music editor for Nerdist and desperately needs to finish watching Stranger Things so that his coworkers don’t spoil him.