Brian - Metal Covers of Eighties Songs!

I've been gathering covers of 80's songs for awhile now, never sure what shape it would all take. My only parameters were they had to be covers of pop tunes: no college rock, metal, or rap songs. I've ended up with about 100 covers, almost all of them from actual releases - not so many YouTube rips as the R•diohead post. An interesting side effect of all this, I found myself with a whole album's worth of metal covers! Keep in mind, it's metal covers of pop songs. Several of these are some of my favorite covers ever, just great reimaginings! The other four volumes will be coming in a few days, but since this came together so easily I wanted to get it to you. I am cackling with glee at the thought of this one!

We start with Austrian Death Machine's version of the "T2 Theme". Remember those three albums of theirs I posted last year? Didn't think so. Disturbed's great cover of "Shout" comes from their first album. Linea 77 bring a dose of East Coast hardcore to "Walk Like An Egyptian". Leo Moracchioli's metal version of "Never Gonna Give You Up" came from YouTube. Look up the video; he plays all the instruments himself, and the guy is gonzo! It's fun to watch.

Colombian group Los Rabanes do a great Spanish language version of "Electric Avenue" that rocks like hell! American thrashers Lich King drop a meaty, pitch-perfect rendition of "Hot For Teacher"... love it. Downplay's cover of "Cruel Summer" owes more than a little to the earlier Disturbed song, but I like it. And a surprising find, Children of Bodom fucking rip up "Jessie's Girl", finding a song that suits their synthesizer proclivities.

Now, by this point you guys have heard any number of strange covers coming from me... but Panzerballet's version of the Dirty Dancing song almost defies description! Starting with a straightforward pop vocal, then moving into the jazz fusion verses, before it gets all metal on the choruses, it's gotta be heard to be believed! Northern Kings are a Finnish metal supergroup, and they bring the right amount of grandiosity to "We Don't Need Another Hero". Warmen is also a Finnish group, and they perform a sleek, metalicized version of "Like A Virgin" (still sung by a woman, fortunately).

In his career, Marilyn Manson has done many 80's covers, and his breakout song was his version of "Sweet Dreams". But I've always thought his cover of "Tainted Love" from Not Another Teen Movie was better, so that's here. Madison Apart turn "Love Is A Battlefield" into a still-melodic scream fest. Vision Divine are an Italian power metal band, and they swing for the fences with their cover of "Take On Me". With the overdriven synthesizers and the singer going for his Bruce Dickinson Award, it's a beauty!

"Beds are Burning" was always a fave of mine, and Devilment do a great headbanging version of it. Ten Masked Men (remember their version of "Goldeneye"?) warp Madonna's "Live To Tell" heavily out of shape. Scandinavian metal heroes In Flames give "Land of Confusion" a great crunchy update. And whereas Til Tuesday's original "Voices Carry" was kind of meek and gentle, Dear Enemy's version will fuck you up.

German Dark Wave metallers Umbra et Imago might be the only group that could do "Rock Me Amadeus" justice. Necronomiccon's cover of "Separate Ways" is brilliant, maintaining the melody of the original while still being hardcore black metal. Comes from their great album Mjølnir For Nothing. 

And we end things with the group Arsis. Remember their "Roses On White Lace" from the Alice Cooper comp? Well, their cover of Corey Taylor's "Sunglasses At Night" just rips from the get-go; metal as hell! I play these last two for people just to watch their expression change!

Hope you guys dig this. There'll be more covers on the way. Now, BANG YOUR HEAD!

1. Austrian Death Machine - T2 Theme

2. Disturbed - Shout

3. Linea 77 - Walk Like An Egyptian

4. Leo Moracchioli - Never Gonna Give You Up

5. Los Rabanes - Electric Avenue

6. Lich King - Hot For Teacher

7. Downplay - Cruel Summer

8. Children of Bodom - Jessie's Girl

9. Panzerballet - (I've Had) The Time of My Life

10. Northern Kings - We Don't Need Another Hero

11. Warmen - Like A Virgin

12. Marilyn Manson - Tainted Love

13. Madison Apart - Love Is A Battlefield

14. Vision Divine - Take On Me

15. Devilment - Beds Are Burning

16. Ten Masked Men - Live To Tell

17. In Flames - Land Of Confusion

18. Dear Enemy - Voices Carry

19. Umbra Et Imago - Rock Me Amadeus

20. Necronomiccon - Separate Ways

21. Arsis - Sunglasses At Night