Matt Heafy joins forces with Richard Marx for metal-heavy reimagining of pop classic Right Here Waiting

Over the years, we here at Guitar World have seen our fair share of cross-genre collaborations – Joe Satriani’s project with orchestral composer Kitt Wakeley springs to mind – and so it takes something suitably surprising to have us truly taken aback.

Yet nothing could quite prepare us for what Trivium frontman Matt Heafy and pop icon Richard Marx had in store when they released a super-heavy reimagining of Marx’s 1989 classic, Right Here Waiting.

Gone are the synth pads, strings, ethereal keys, subtle shakers and warbling basslines. Instead, Heafy kits the ballad out with everything you’d expect from a Trivium-tweaked track. Riotous, chugging guitar parts? Yep. High-octane, rapid-fire kick drums? You betcha. A healthy helping of shredding? Oh, absolutely.

For good measure, Marx’s serene voice is propped up by Heafy’s guttural, bordering-on-screamo backing vocals, which transform the track from a sultry heart-string tugger into a monstrous metal power anthem.

Enough words trying to describe it, take a listen for yourself in the video below.

While Marx helped out in the vocal department, Heafy recorded all of the electric guitar, bass guitar and drum parts himself. 

Of the totally unexpected but incredibly welcome crossover, Heafy commented, “Richard is one of the greatest songwriters of our time and an incredible human being, so it’s unreal that we were able to create this metal version of his mega-hit together.”

During an interview on the Bringin’ It Backwards podcast, Heafy elaborated on the origins of the project, saying (via Blabbermouth), “I saw [Richard Marx’s] son wearing a Trivium shirt, so I hit him up on social media.

“[He’s a] super-amazing guy. We stayed in touch. One day, I [wrote to him], ‘Hey, let’s do a song together.' Then he texted me, ‘Let’s do it.’”

“The crazy talented Matt Heafy of Trivium came up with an amazing metal version of my song,” wrote Marx on Twitter. “We did vocals together and it’s out today! Check it out!”

Okay, now we really are prepared for whatever comes next. Nothing will surprise us now. Surely this is as crazy as it gets, right? Right?!