Vocalist Turns Classic Death Metal Track Into a Brutal Ode to Kittens

"Eaten," the 2004 death metal song by the Swedish act Bloodbath, is transformed into a high-octane tribute to kittens and the throes of cat ownership in a vocal cover with new lyrics written and performed by Philipp Stroh, a German musician and influencer.

The original lyrics of "Eaten," as metal fans might recall, paint a grotesque portrait of human sacrifice — par for the course for many death metal tracks. In "Eaten (But It's About Kittens)," Stroh uses the same vocal pattens to describe the joy provided by kittens, even when they don't return the love.

The vocalist explains, "To make it more fun, I decided to write my own lyrics, with similar rhymes and rhythm as the original. I thought of a word that sounds similar to 'eaten.' So 'kittens' came to mind. Stupid enough to work. Who doesn't like kittens? I like the mix of death metal and cute animals."

Bloodbath's studio recording of "Eaten" appears on their second album, Nightmares Made Flesh. The Stockholm-based supergroup — Bloodbath includes Opeth's Martin Axenrot, Katatonia's Anders Nystrom and Paradise Lost's Nick Holmes — recently announced a new album, Survival of the Sickest, out in September.

Below, read Stroh's kitten-centric revision to "Eaten," followed by his vocal cover video of it, then the original Bloodbath cut. Stroh used an instrumental version of the song found here.

"Eaten (But It's About Kittens)" Lyrics

I've had one desire
Since I was young
To have my hand licked
By rough tongue
To see the big black circles
In your cute eyes
Only for you I'll tolerate
That you'll kill some random mice

Cheer my up, my counterpart
Arch your back and touch my heart
Scratch my couch and bring me some dirt
Drink my water and milk for dessert

Kittens
My one desire
My only wish is to have
Kittens
The longer I live
The more I'm dying to feel the fur
Kittens
I would do anything to pet
Kittens

I finally found you
My personal tiger
Sitting on my laptop
You're making my life brighter
Wake me up early
That's what I need
I know when you fall
You will land on your feet

Disrespect me
Hit me with your paw
Or just ignore me
I still love you to death

Philipp Stroh, "Eaten (But It's About Kittens)" (Bloodbath Cover)

Bloodbath, "Eaten"