Psychological horror extreme-metal outfit Thy Sanatorium have taken an unexpected left turn with the follow-up to their critically acclaimed debut album: a complete sonic reimagining of A-Ha’s iconic 1985 pop hit, Take On Me. Fresh off a spectacular global media reception for their full-length debut, an album I reviewed, adored, and will continue to champion until I drop dead, the band has taken one of the most universally recognizable melodies of all time and dragged it kicking and screaming into the abyss.

On the brilliant, unhinged logic behind the track, the band shares:

“Our debut album is heavy on psychological horror, so when it came time to record a cover we thought, ‘Let’s mess with people’s memories and twist something everyone is familiar with.’ So here we are. Regardless of whether you hate it or love it, we now live in a reality where this cover exists. That’s terrifying.”

The cover is an absolute triumph of subverted expectations. Rather than delivering a lazy, paint-by-numbers heavy cover, Thy Sanatorium weaponize the track’s inherent nostalgia, preserving the foundational synth-pop melody just enough to make transform it into an unsettling and brutal nightmare. It is a brilliantly executed experiment that proves exactly why Thy Sanatorium are such a compelling new force in extreme music.