This Alice In Chains and Rick Astley mash-up sounds even better than you'd imagine

A collage of Alice In Chains' Dirt album cover and Rick Astley — (Image credit: Columbia | RCA, PWL)

While mash-ups are ten-a-penny is this crazy digital world, it's extremely satisfying to hear something which works on every possible level.

If you're a person of a certain age, you'll know Rick Astley's 1987 hit Never Gonna Give You Up, the single taken from his best-selling album Whenever You Need Somebody. It's the song that spawned many memes, thanks to the now ancient art of Rickrolling, an internet prank which guided unwitting victims to the YouTube page playing his song.

The joke's on us, as at the time of writing, the Slipknot loving singer's video has had 1.2 billion views.

If there was an internet medal of honour, then Otu, the Finnish creator of the System Of A Down version of Barbie Girl, would surely be deserving of such an accolade. Like a rock mixologist, he's successfully distilled the essence of the Stock Aitken Waterman-penned classic and paired it magnificently with Alice In Chains' classic riffs for a grunge reboot of the pop hit.

Otu, who performs every instrument and sings on this track, nails Alice In Chains' unique sound; there's brief snippets (or at least homages) of We Die Young, Man In The Box and Get Born Again alongside those sublime Layne Staley/Jerry Cantrell harmonies on their 1992 album Dirt.

Be sure to check out his YouTube page, and watch his interpretation of Slayer performing The B-52's Rock Lobster, System of a Down tackling Madonna’s La Isla Bonita and a black metal version of Randy Newman’s You’ve Got a Friend in Me. The man's a genius.

Watch the clip below and get ready to sign that petition for that internet medal:

Born in 1976 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Simon Young has been a music journalist for over twenty-six years. His fanzine, Hit A Guy With Glasses, enjoyed a one-issue run before he secured a job at Kerrang! in 1999. His writing has also appeared in Classic Rock, Metal Hammer, Prog, and Planet Rock. His first book, So Much For The 30 Year Plan: Therapy? — The Authorised Biography is available via Jawbone Press.