Guns n Roses – Live in Rio Review

Posted on by edwardlayland

wp_20161116_005-3So, a few months back I wrote a piece on the much lauded Guns n Roses “reunion”, saying what an awful idea it was. My argument was basically that it was a cynical money making venture and that Axl could not and would not cut it, as he has been largely shit for the last 20 years. I also suggested that the shows would be nowhere near as good as they were back in the day and that it was one more nostalgic nail in the coffin of modern rock.

However.

Then I saw the videos of the performances from the U.S and it was pretty damn obvious that Axl was actually cutting it. Maybe not like a hot knife through butter, but there were high notes and enthusiasm, and not just in GnR, but in AC/DC too. And with a broken foot.

Then, as the tour showed little sign of imploding and actually decided to roll on down to South America, what else could I do, but see for myself. wp_20161116_005-2

So the question is, did I eat my words?

Kinda.

After a functional set from the uninspired choice of opening act, Brazilian rockers Plebe Rude, and a surprisingly short interval, in which we got to see the really quite beautiful logo variations on the backdrop, the Looney Tunes theme blared out and it was showtime.

‘It’s So Easy’ kicked things off and we all went mental. Seriously. Once upon a time Guns n Roses was known as the most dangerous band in the world and for the first 15 minutes or so it was easy to see why. The crowd was like a raging sea as it bounced as one to the punk energy of the opener and the swagger of ‘Mr. Brownstone’, even ‘Chinese Democracy’ got people jumping before the teased intro to ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ eventually sent everyone ballistic. For a few moments Axl, Slash, Duff and Co rocked as hard as they ever did; sure they are a little slower and a little rounder, but they still know how to deliver a good old fashioned hard rock banger.

‘Double Talkin’ Jive’ immediately calmed things down a little and calm they stayed, for the underrated ‘Better’ and an absolutely epic performance of ‘Estranged’. Despite proving spectacular and one of the highlights of the night, this was the first of many rather indulgent mega ballads – we got them all, bar ‘Patience’.

‘Live and Let Die’ was predictably frantic, prior to the cool bass groove of the sorely underrated ‘Rocket Queen’; the already lengthy track gaining an extended midsection and sexy skeletons on the backdrop. There was another surprise in ‘Out Ta Get Me’ before the heroin chic of the tireless Duff McKagan pounded out the bass riff to ‘You Could Be Mine’ to get the crowd bouncing again. Although Axl was mostly excellent, reaching most of the high notes, it was here and more notably on ‘Coma’ that he struggled – the fast sections tripping him up a little. A mid set breather was due – cue Duff and his version of the Misfits‘ ‘Attitude’.

img-20161119-wa0002-2‘This I Love’ preceded the epics ‘Civil War’ and ‘Coma’ before the obligatory Slash solo of Speak Softly Love (Love Theme From The Godfather). It was all great stuff and the top hatted one still shreds, but the dude has been playing the same damn thing since I was a kid – talk about playing it safe. Was it then necessary to do an instrumental duet with Richard Fortus on ‘Wish You Were Here’? Sure, it was awesome, the crowd sung it, people cried and Slash and Richard nailed it, but two solo slots?
Sandwiched in between were the unbeatable ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ and the surprisingly fun ‘Yesterdays’, which proved much more enjoyable in the live arena than on record. In a neat twist they then segued ‘Wish You Were Here’ into the piano outro from ‘Layla’ to get Axl on the piano.

Only one song could follow, and follow it did. On the one hand November Rain epitomizes everything that is pretentious and overblown about GnR and can so easily turn into an awful lumbering spectacle of over indulgence. Thankfully though, the front man seems to be in a good place right now, despite him and Slash virtually ignoring each other all night, and he crooned his way though with technique and urgency, delivering one of the best vocals of the night. For some reason most of the crowd seemed to have balloons to go with cell phones and it all made for a quite beautiful spectacle, even more so as the massive full moon emerged above the stadium right on cue – I guess these kind of shared moments are the whole point of such nostalgic outings. Fair play Axl.img-20161117-wa0007-2

Two hours in and the vocalist was visibly enjoying himself as he rolled back the years to dart around the stage to conduct the crowd in a sing off on ‘Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door’. By now it was utterly shameless enjoyment of timeless classics, and we were certainly getting our money’s worth.
We rocked again for set closer ‘Nightrain’, but it was back to the ballads in the encore of ‘Don’t Cry’ with more extended guitar work. The Who‘s ‘The Seeker’ offered an irresistibly big riff, but we were really only waiting for ‘Paradise City’ to rock to an explosive close. And it did not disappoint – mosh pits opened up, swathes of bodies bounced as one and it was genuinely wild abandon in the crush – it almost felt like 1990 again.

The crowd actually demanded another encore, but the band returned merely to take a bow, all hugs and smiles.
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So, all in all, I guess you have to take your hat off to Guns n Roses – they are still a mighty proposition and deliver a fine performance. They are seasoned pros and know how to work a stage and get a crowd going, despite the minimal interaction between band members and between band and crowd.
Are they still dangerous? Not really, but they do rock and they are a pretty tight unit; they put on a show but it’s not over produced and works well with less people on stage – no horns, no backing singers, a cool backdrop of images and minimal pyrotechnics keeps it lean.

Is Axl the vocalist he was 25 years ago? He’s a damn sight closer to it now than he has been in the last 15 years. His range is impressive and he works the mic, but the impression is that age has taken it’s toll a little and slowed up the delivery, there may be an element of tiredness too.

Are they just in it for the money? Surely that is a factor, but then again they do seem to be enjoying themselves, so I’ll reserve judgement. Also, they may be raking in the cash, but at two and a half hours long their set is pretty damn good value.

Is it all just shameless nostalgia? Sure, of course, but when you are this good and the material still cuts it, then why the hell not? Quite how long the night train can roll on without new product though is open to question, as is whether or not the relationships will endure. In the meantime though, they are well worth the trip down memory lane.

Revoada

Posted on by edwardlayland

Revoada é o projeto que reúne duas bandas finas da cena Niteroiense, Barcamundi e Gragoatá, cujas trajetórias vêm entrelaçando há tempo. As bandas se conheceram nos meados de 2015, dividindo palcos, emprestando apoio uma á outra, criando uma afinidade e amizade entre os nove integrantes que se realiza num grupo só no EP audiovisual ‘Revoada.

“Revoada, bando de pássaro ou o voo da ave que volta ao local de onde partira, remete ao início das duas bandas, cujas primeiras músicas lançadas foram O Trem e o Pássaro (Barcamundi) e Passarinho (Gragoatá). O nome do EP simboliza um ciclo de renovação natural, simboliza revisitar as origens com perspectiva para os próximos voos. Revoada é um fruto pelo parentesco, que aponta para o semeio de novas ideias.”

O EP conta com seis músicas, sendo cinco inéditas, gravadas e filmadas ao vivo no Espaço Multifoco, na Lapa, pela Selo AudioVisual Útero, cujo produção é estilosomente executada em mais um trabalho de alta qualidade. A gravação do som é impecável, deixando espaço suficiente para os múltiplos instrumentos, enquanto a fotografia está sempre em busca de uma perspectiva inovadora.

O EP começa com o clima intimo, mas animado de ‘Menina’ (Renato Côrtes) em que as duas bandas entrelaçam numa entidade só; as vozes de João Barreira e Rebeca Sauwen se complementando lindamente. O conjunto de influências e instrumentos ajuda cria um som suavemente mesclando mpb, folk e indie com um leve toque de animação.

A meu ver ‘Balão’ (João Barreira) é o destaque. Partindo de um melancólico violão, a musica se constrói em camadas ricas criando uma textura linda em que a emotiva performance vocal duela com o excelente trabalho dos guitarristas. A intensidade cresce nas costas de um slide sublimo de Leon Navarro, (esse cara toca tudo!) e chega à apoteose com a emoção viva na voz da Rebeca – arrepiante!

‘A Grama do Seu Jardim’, uma musica antiga da Barcamundi é gostosamente reinterpretada aqui, beneficiando de uns integrantes a mais e varias toques pequenos que combinam numa musica gloriosamente rica – bom trabalho.

‘Novembro’ do excelente Fanner Horta se beneficia de um clima mais relaxada em que os integrantes se complementam perfeitamente. É uma musica quase infantil com suas toques sutis de instrumentação, mas sucede em criar uma textura rica, especialmente quando os vozes se juntam.

‘Amor Concreto’ (João Barreira), com a bela contribuição vocal da Gabriela Autran, é basicamente uma musica da Barcamundi levando uma melodia e groove típica da banda,. A guitarra do João adiciona um vibe levemente roqueira, enquanto os floreios de flauta levam para free jazz numa mistura surpreendente.

Em contraponto, ‘Rio Abaixo’ (Fanner Horte e Esther Martins) é mais de Gragoatá; a balada levando um toque de blues no ritmo, enquanto a acordeão dar uns ares franceses para complementar a personalidade no vocal Piathesque da Rebeca.

As seis músicas reveladas aqui são um exemplo do que essas bandas são capazes, mostrando os talentos invejáveis de todos os integrantes. Com a filmagem impecável do Útero o EP consegue ser uma produção muito gratificante e é esperançoso ver que existe tanto talento atuando de uma forma tão competente, mesmo comprometidos pelas limitações financeiras do atual cena musical. Parabéns aos todos envolvidos.

Metallica – Atlas, Rise! Review

Posted on by edwardlayland

I think the most striking thing about ‘Atlas, Rise!’, the third track to drop from the new Metallica album, is the obvious Iron Maiden influence. It’s there in the straightforward riffing, the high flying guitar lines, extended mid-section and slightly over-long running time. As such, it’s actually another pretty damn good track – high energy rather than thrashy – echoing much more of ‘Kill ’em All’ than of the convoluted ‘Justice’ era tracks.

Although there is an obvious step back in time, it doesn’t feel like a going back to their roots just to regain some credibility, it kinda sounds like they’ve maybe been listening to some old school tunes and rediscovered what got them excited in the first place. This, and the obvious hooks, succeed in lending an air of vibrancy that was lacking on ‘Death Magnetic’, making it as immediate a listen as ‘Hardwired’ and ‘Moth Into Flame’. Another plus point is that ‘Kirk Hammett is sounding rejuvenated as he delivers more fine soloing and if the video clip is anything to go by, James, Lars and co seem to be enjoying themselves. Whether ‘Atlas, Rise!’ stands the test of time remains to be seen, but it is certainly another promising snippet of what is to come. I haven’t been this excited about a Metallica album in years. Roll on November 18th.

What’s Hot In My House – October 2016

Posted on by edwardlayland

It’s been slightly weird musicwise of late. I’ve been kinda stuck, well, not exactly stuck, just dominated by Metallica, I guess. It went from revisiting ‘Master of Puppets’ to working my way through the back catalogue. Basically, with the upcoming release of ‘Hardwired…’ I’ve been writing a beginner’s guide for the good people at Already Heard, which involves gargantuan amounts of research, and I’ve also done my own top ten of Metallica covers and a piece on the big four of thrash.

https://hardpresseded.wordpress.com/2016/09/14/metallica-top-ten-covers/
https://hardpresseded.wordpress.com/2016/09/10/the-big-four-part-1-thrash/

Metallica aside, I can’t seem to put down the awesome Black Foxxes record and I keep going back to Pixies’ ‘Head Carrier’ too. It’s been like my default record and I am now convinced it’s a cracker. Anyway, what all this has meant is that the rest of my listening time had been restricted to what I have been reviewing, which has actually been of pleasingly good quality, albeit not exactly plum in the middle of my comfort zone. So, here are the mosh pit fillers and sweaty back room bangers that have been vibrating in my cans of late. Check em out.

I had the distinct pleasure of reviewing the reflective break up album ‘You Make Everything Disappear’ by Trade Wind. This is an interesting side project from members of a couple of (post) hardcore groups, Stick to Your Guns and Stray from The Path, on which singer Jesse Barnett bares his tortured soul in emphatic style. It’s a deeply atmospheric record that slips easily between the tender and the vitriolic to a musically exploratory backdrop that includes spacious piano melodies, subtle touches of electronica and hard edged riffs to stunning effect; great record.

Now here’s a record that surprised the shit outta me. Cove are essentially a hard core band, which normally would have me enjoying the odd song, but not really going back for more – it’s the constant angst filled screaming you see, gets on my tits. However, these guys incorporate some serious metal riffing and certainly know how to structure a good tune, which makes for a vibrantly energetic record with plenty of depth. So if you like a bit of barbed wire to your emotion and can take a little hard edged pummelling, this is well worth a look.

At the completely opposite end of the spectrum is the ragged beauty of the warm hug of a record that is The Lion and The Wolf‘s ‘Cardiac Hotel’, reviewed here: https://hardpresseded.wordpress.com/2016/10/07/the-lion-and-the-wolf-cardiac-hotel-review/
Simply put, this is a gorgeous album that keeps me coming back for more, sure it is wrapped in sadness and some of the tracks are like open wounds, but it also a record that offers comfort and warmth, I cannot recommend it more highly.

The Lion and The Wolf – Cardiac Hotel Review

Posted on by edwardlayland

tlatw-cover-digitalwebresThomas George is the misty voiced curator of The Lion and The Wolf and his second album The Cardiac Hotel is quite something. A whole lotta heartbreak has been poured into this record, yet its atmospheric mix of indie folk rock boasts an enviable maturity and poise that give it a warm intimacy. Although he may be dealing with difficult subjects like his father’s illness, grief and lost love, it is very accessible and something we can all relate to, as the intimate nature of the songs wrap the listener in comfort and understanding.

‘Don’t Fail Me Now’ sets the tone with an aching yet uplifting ode to love, the melancholy horns almost half heartedly tickle a wry smile onto the lips of those who’ve loved and lost. This is immediately followed by what, for me at least, is one of the album’s finest moments on ‘Heaven Forbid’. This is a darkly sublime beauty of an open wound, its layered textures of ponderous percussion and spacious guitar lines make room for an emotional vocal.

There’s plenty more feelings on display as the record progresses through the soothingly reflective ‘My Father’s Eyes’ and the melancholy ‘The Hospital Floor’, with its subtle touches of horns that punctuate the lilting piano melody. Things take a folky turn on ‘The Pinching Point’, which features a heartbreaking violin in the mid section, while ‘Walk on The Moon’ is more upbeat and offers comfortable melody.

To be honest, there’s not one song on here that doesn’t work; every single track has something to offer, whether it’s the late night sorrowful lament of ‘Barstools’, with its air of bitterness and defeat or the coolly delivered ‘Past The Point of Fair’. Then there’s the more powerful ‘December’, which sounds like something Ben Watt might do, with lyrics like “The body I have is a ghost town” and the slight drama to the percussion that builds as the song gathers an emotional urgency and Thomas delivers his most complete vocal performance; great stuff.

The bittersweet reflection of the smooth ‘Witness’, with its tumble down piano, precedes the subtle beauty of ‘Find the Time’ which eventually gathers into a rousing barrage of horns to round this fine record off in style. It is a fitting finale to an album that will endure; one that is peppered with many a moment of sublime beauty and that possesses a wonderfully human quality that speaks to us all. Sublime, beautiful, heartbreaking and hopeful – like a warm hug from a good friend – immerse yourself.

9/10

‘Cardiac Hotel’ is out now on Xtra Mile Recordings.

Check out The Lion and The Wolf at https://m.facebook.com/thelionandthewolf and https://thelionandthewolf.bandcamp.com/

The Mission – Another Fall From Grace Review

Posted on by edwardlayland

the-mission_another-fall-from-grace_front_cover_onlyIt was a brave step by Wayne Hussey to set out to make an album that sounds like 1985, yet it is one that by and large he manages to pull off. ‘Another Fall From Grace’ plays like an echo, an echo of former glories when The Mission were riding on the cusp of a wave towards being the UK’s biggest alternative rock band, or an echo of days gone by, when making epically dramatic tunes was de rigueur in the realm of Goth.

Tentative drum beats signal the opening of title track, ‘Another Fall From Grace’, but it soon takes shape around a rumbling bass line as layers of jangly 12 string guitars weave a tapestry of wonderfully bombastic Goth drama reminiscent of Tower of Strength’. Hussey sounds a little older and wiser, but there’s still a powerful richness to his voice and this deeply layered epic is surely one of the finest tunes this band has ever produced.

They seem to have rediscovered their signature sound and on ‘Met-Amor-Phosis’, featuring Ville Valo, it effortlessly translates into the type of song that would’ve bothered the top twenty back in the day. ‘Blood On The Road’ is in a similar vein, but despite being rockier, it is actually a little lacklustre and doesn’t quite nail it.

Nevertheless, there are plenty of moments when they do totally nail it, whether it’s the brooding drama of the atmospheric ‘Within The Deepest Darkness (Fearful)’, featuring excellent vocal contributions from Martin Gore and Gary Numan, or the instantly likeable ‘Can’t See The Ocean For The Rain’; a quality, largely acoustic number with a wistful air.

However, it’s on ‘Tyranny of Secrets’ that they are firing on all cylinders; there’s a distinct Sisters of Mercy feel to the driving electronica of the opening, but it’s got everything else that we know and love about the Mission besides a surprising element of vitriol to the vocal; great tune.

In fact, this opens a section of the album that is pure class, as the wonderfully overblown ‘Never’s Longer Than Forever’ and the intricate intensity of ‘Bullets and Bayonets’ follow stylishly before the spoken word reflections of ‘Valaam’. This segues neatly into my favourite moment of the album, the emotionally charged ‘Jade’ with its signature guitar lines and a haunting piano melody typically reflective of glories past. The song meanders along in darkly atmospheric fashion until Simon Hinkler finally lets rip with a soaring solo, before an emotional finale where Wayne gives it both barrels. This is the Mission at their finest, talk about recapturing whatever it was that once made them great.

Despite being firmly rooted in the past, it is interesting that on closing track ‘Phantom Pain’, another dark 7 minutes, there are some skittering saxophone touches to add a little extra depth. It is a cool touch and offers a hint that this creative well is far from running dry.

All in all, ‘Another Fall From Grace’ is a deeply satisfying record full of great touches, including a number of subtle backing vocals from long term collaborator Julianne Regan; long time Mission fans will surely be overjoyed that they have managed to recapture the essence of what it was that we fell in love with all those years ago, whilst also looking forwards. Sure, at 12 tracks and over an hour long there’s probably one too many pedestrian paced sweeping epics making it a little OTT, but I’m sure Wayne wouldn’t have it any other way, especially when it is such a strong album both musically and vocally.

9/10

Get the bombastic new album right here: https://the-mission.tmstor.es/

Metallica – Moth Into Flame Review

Posted on by edwardlayland

Hold the phone, Metallica just dropped another track from the forthcoming album, ‘Hard Wired’, and much like the first single there is a nagging sense of familiarity about it. This, however, is no bad thing, as it sounds like the Metallica we know and love being the Metallica we know and love – it’s like they’re done pissing around and have gone back to writing quality heavy metal.

‘Moth Into Flame’ is not quite the full on thrash fury of the first single, but this take on the attractions and pitfalls of fame is a satisfying listen and worth it for the blazing Kirk Hammett solo alone, heavy wah wah and all. The track opens with a Maidenish lick that soon turns into a chugging riff straight out of the bay area, featuring those little rising licks on the end of riffs, besides the typical Lars stops and fills, a slick vocal from James and even a hint of harmony on the chorus.

Ok, so there’s plenty of recycling going on, including a mid section tempo change, lines with only one word – ‘Decadence!’ – and I’m sure I’ve heard that melody somewhere before, but hey, who really cares? They’ve proved everything they’ve ever needed to prove, conquering the rock world in uncompromising fashion, I mean, when you’re heavy metal champion of the world you can do a lot worse than sound like a copy of yourself with a few of your influences and contemporaries thrown in for good measure. Sounds like the new album will rock.

Love/Hate – Blackout In The Red Room

Posted on by edwardlayland

lovehateBack in the late eighties hard rock was fast disappearing up its own rectum; the proliferation of hair metal bands had reached epidemic proportions and each and every one of them was following the same formula of massive choruses, massive heels and at least one massive power ballad. Quality hard rock was hard to come by, except, of course, in the form of Guns n Roses, who totally dominated the HR/HM scene, and to a lesser extent Skid Row, who were somewhat unfairly lumped in with the sunset strip wannabes, when in fact they were substantially heavier and had a lot more going on in the songwriting department, especially on ‘Slave To The Grind’. Anyway, in the midst of all this a band that had been struggling to be heard and get a record deal finally got signed and delivered a quality slice of hard rocking, Jack soaked tunes with barely an eye liner in sight.

In simple terms ‘Blackout In The Red Room’ rocks, and hard. The refreshing thing about the album was that it wasn’t just copying GnR, it wasn’t just following the formula of all the hair bands and although there are a few clichés, it wasn’t all high hats, cow bells and radio friendly harmonies. Instead, what you get is a bunch of dirty sounding riffs, abrasive vocals and some coolly arranged tracks largely about getting wasted. Oh yeah, and no power ballad.

The title track sets the pace with a mid tempo swagger and some serious groove; it may be a true headbanger, but in rock clubs it was a surefire floor filler. ‘Rock Queen’ is a stylish second track featuring a stack of hooks and the wonderfully bizarre line of “Let me touch your cookies/Let me eat your cookies”!

The album continues in a flurry of hard riffs and well worked tunes, with highlights like ‘Fuel to Run’ and ‘Tumbleweed, which are good hard rockers and the frantic old school finale ‘Hell, Ca., Pop.4’. Although ‘She’s an Angel’ borrows heavily from the book of hard rock clichés for its more serious tone, it is as quality a slice of metal lite as you’re likely to hear.

Ok, so one track or another doesn’t exactly set the world on fire, i.e ‘Slutsy Tipsy’ and ‘Slave Girl’, but in general the standard is high. For example, the ode to weed that is ‘Mary Jane’ is a nicely arranged number with some cool twists to the tempo and more great guitar work. The standout track though, is the song which got heavy rotation on MTV, ‘Why Do You Think They Call It Dope, a killer tune with a great hook and some funky assed bass.

On the whole ‘Blackout…’ stands up as a damn good record that was a cut above a lot of what was coming out of sunset strip at the time. They may not have been PC or had the general appeal of a GnR or a Skid Row, but there was some serious talent in the band and some hard rocking bangers on this record. If dirty riffs, blazing solos and raspy vocals are your thing, it’s well worth revisiting.

8/10

What’s Hot In My House – September 2016

Posted on by edwardlayland

There aren’t that many benefits to writing a music blog or contributing to independent music websites; it involves quite a lot of work, you end up listening to a lot of stuff you might not choose to and financial recompense is a non-starter. The words labour of love spring to mind. However, there is the great satisfaction of having an outlet for your opinion (and occasionally gaining some respect for it), it’s kinda cool to be a part of the industry in an albeit minuscule way and, most importantly, you get to hear (and sometimes download) new releases before everyone else. When people ask me if I get paid, I always tell them I get paid in music! Anyway, every now and then, the humble music writer might be privileged enough to get to hear about a particularly cool new talent way before the rest of the public, or, be lucky enough to receive the new release of a genuinely iconic band almost a month before it hits the racks. This might explain one of the big spinners on my digital turntables this month – check it out….

Yes folks, the Pixies are back! Friday the 30th will see their sixth studio album ‘Head Carrier’ unleashed on their expectant public, which is sure to provoke stacks of debate in internet land. Having spent the last couple of weeks playing my advance copy on an almost daily basis for my review for Already Heard, I have a few observations. First up, it’s a grower – don’t expect to be blown away on first listen – give it a chance and it’ll eat into your subconscious. Second, it was never going to be the same cutting edge experimental slop of yester year, that was nearly thirty years ago and they just ain’t that hungry anymore, so tone down your expectations. Finally, they always had an ear for a melody, think ‘Here Comes Your Man’, and this record has a bunch more to get your toes a tappin’, as well as the irresistible ‘Um Chagga Lagga’, which is a fucking tune.

Besides Pixies, I have also been listening the shit out of the Black Foxxes record, the brilliantly titled ‘I’m Not Well’. The British three piece offer up a loud chunk of cathartic indie rock with an enviable sense of melody that is nothing short of awesome. It is sure to be among my records of the year – this is a band that deserves to be massive.

Another recent release that I have been slipping into with frequency on early morning and late night journeys, is the beautifully melancholic folk of Lisa Hannigan. It’s lyrically sharp, wonderfully sung and avoids the whimsically bland trappings many singer songwriters so often succumb to, instead she delivers a contemplative mix of quite lovely tracks that is very easy on the ear.

Metallica Top Ten Covers

Posted on by edwardlayland

With the coming release of the new Metallica album in November there’s gonna be a whole lotta words dedicated to the San Francisco Metal titans in the next couple of months. As I’m currently researching a mega piece for Already Heard, I’m listening to pretty much everything they’ve ever done and have to say the awesomeness of their back catalogue is really quite something.

I’m finally giving the ‘Load’ and ‘Reload’ albums the chance they always deserved and can now grudgingly admit to their undeniable quality (I prefer Reload) even if they’re not the sound of James and Co in full thrash fury. Anyway, when it comes to Metallica, there’s nothing more divisive than a top ten, and as good as their entire catalogue may be, mine would be firmly rooted in the glory days of the band’s career. Unless, of course, we do an alternative top ten, say of cover versions…. because if there’s one thing the Metallica boys like doing, it’s loosening up on someone else’s songs. Check it out.

10/9 Last Caress and So What
The Misfits’ ‘Last Caress’ originally featured on the $5:98 Garage Days EP and is basically an ode to rape, murder and the longing for death and is enjoyable and disturbing in equal measure (check this explanation! https://medium.com/school-of-pop/the-misfits-last-caress-is-one-of-the-best-punk-songs-ever-here-s-why-db9e67df6b90#.c7n12c8ds). However, with references to cock sucking, goat fucking and piss drinking, ‘So What’ is probably the most politically incorrect song in history and Metallica make it sound as fun as it was always intended to be. British punk band Anti Nowhere League originally wrote the song to poke fun at people telling exaggerated stories, but given the offensive lyrics it tends to stir a little controversy, especially when it’s played with ‘Last Caress’ live on MTV when the band were supposed to be airing a brand new song, oops!

8 Helpless
Lars must love Diamond Head because this is not the only song of theirs Metallica have covered. Anyway, this was the first song to feature Jason Newstead on bass on the $5:98 EP and it fucking rocks! In fact the whole EP is great and Newkid played a blinder, quite why they then smothered the bass with layers of guitar on the Justice album is beyond me (now there’s a remastered version waiting to happen).

7 Tuesday’s Gone
James has been out of the country closet for sometime now and there’s no better way to marry that passion to his first love than by covering Lynyrd Skynyrd with a bunch of rock n roll friends. Great song, great version.

6 Remember Tomorrow
This is a great version of the Iron Maiden “ballad” – Metallica being Metallica, there´s a bit more meat on this than the original, but the quality of the song itself cannot be denied and they certainly do it justice – killer!

5 The Wait
Not the most obvious song to include, but personally I love this track and think it’s seriously underrated. Killer riff, killer bass line and a dark pulsating groove, this is a great version of the Killing Joke track – love it.

4 Turn The Page
Like many of their covers, I don’t know the original (by Bob Seger), but that doesn’t really matter. Although it’s obviously a departure from their normal style, it suits Metallica’s penchant for a big rock ballad; tune.

3 Stone Cold Crazy
Such is the lightening fast riffing that this Queen track is now actually considered as a precursor to thrash, making it the perfect song for Metallica to cover. As with most of their covers they stay true to the original, but also add that little dash of metalligrit, making for a super fast barnstormer – what’s not to like?

2 Breadfan
I first heard this on the b-side of my ‘Harvester of Sorrow’ cassette single (seriously), which I still have somewhere, and immediately fell in love with it. Obviously, I’ve never actually heard the original by British seventies rockers Budgie, and to be frank, why would I, no way can it be better than James and co in full flight. Go.

1 Am I Evil
This has been part of Metallica’s live set for so long that there are probably people that don’t even realise it’s a cover, talk about owning it. This version is mind blowing.