Could the Justin Bieber vs Tool beef be settled by this preposterous mashup?

(Image credit: Kevin Mazur/One Love Manchester/NurPhoto/Getty Images)

As far as popular music beefs go, James Maynard Keenan versus Justin Bieber might not be the most spectacular, but it's certainly generated the best mashup.

Last month, Canadian pop idol Bieber proclaimed his love for Tool in an Instagram post. James Maynard Keenan responded with a single word, "#bummer", before Bieber's wife Hailey became embroiled in the action.

"You must be unhappy with yourself that you want to make people feel small who express their admiration for you," she wrote. “Very childish and hurtful thing to do. I hope you find security within yourself. Sad place to be.”

Now, reigning mashup supremo DJ Cummerbund has stepped in to referee the bout, creating a mashup that manages to wrangle Tool's Parabola and Bieber's Love Yourself into something new and magnificent, yet also deviant and sacrilegious.

You may be startled at how similar both vocalists sound once brought together in this unlikely fashion, but relief is at hand in the form of rapper Ludacris, who pops up to spin a few lines from his 2001 hit Area Codes.

Top work, Mr Cummerbund! As always, we salute you!

Previous mash-ups from the talented Mr Cummerbund include a Bandersnatch-style mash-up adventure alongside more traditional examples of the artform including Old Staind Road featuring Lil Nas X, Billy Ray Cyrus, Staind, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Nirvana, Alice In Chains vs. Katrina & The Waves, Rammstein vs. Wild Cherry, Kiss vs. B-52's, Eagles vs. Dragonforce with added Beyonce, Zeppelin vs. Greta Van Fleet, Metallica vs. Earth, Wind & Fire, Ozzy Osbourne vs. Earth Wind & Fire, the Foo Fighters vs. funk king Rick James, Twisted Sister vs. Blind Melon, and Rush vs. R&B superstar Kelis.

Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 40 years in music industry, online for 27. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.