Most metalheads know that DragonForce play a particularly challenging brand of power-speed metal. So challenging, in fact, that many who’ve seen them play live swear they can’t even play it themselves.
This makes the fact that a 10-year-old kid from Canberra just shredded the hell out of one of their songs on live TV particularly impressive.
Primary schooler Callum McPhie appeared on the grand final episode of the unapologetically insipid reality TV talent show Australia’s Got Talent and *literally* set the stage on fire with a rendition of the UK power metal act’s song Through The Fire And Flames.
And even more impressive? He did it single-handedly, tackling both lead guitar and vocals and thus proving that the show’s contestants and judges don’t *always* contradict the title every single second that the show is on the air.
When your 10-year-old son can shred DragonForce better than DragonForce can?
“They say it’s the hardest song to play on Guitar Hero and that you should just actually learn guitar instead,” Callum’s dad Doug said.
“It takes two of the top fastest metal players in the world and a singer to perform what Callum tackled himself.”
Unsurprisingly, heavy metal forefather Ozzy Osbourne’s daughter Kelly, who is one of the judges on the program, heaped praise on the 10-year-old’s performance.
“Callum, you are such a rare breed of human being….You are born a rock star and I’m just so proud of you,” she said.
As Blabbermouth points out, earlier in the competition, the little bruiser performed the Prince Of Darkness’s Blizzard Of Ozz hit Crazy Train in front of Kelly and she later got her old man to check it out.
“I showed my dad and he was in shock and he couldn’t believe it,” Osbourne said.
However, despite all the accolades, the metal child prodigy failed to attract enough votes to make it through to the top five and stay in the running to take home the $250,000 first prize on Monday’s decider.
But ‘sif a metal act was ever gonna win an Australian TV talent show anyway. The only reason metal even gets a guernsey is because the added shock factor gives the baby boomers something to gawk at and gossip about at bingo the next day.
But feel free to gawk away, because this badass kid is a legit guitar wizard at the age of 10 and the next time you see him will probably be on stage at Wacken.
We’d call him adorable, but we’d be scared he’d actually kick our ass.
Watch: Australia’s Got Talent – Callum The Heavy Metal Kid
