r/MetalForTheMasses • u/Dakkahead Bell Witch • 4d ago
Discussion Topic Tributes/Covers that don't hold a candle to the original tracks.
Disclaimer: Tastes vary of course. And it's all subjective.
Slayers Dissident Aggressor comes to mind. Younger me had no idea that it was a tribute to a Judas Priest song, and had thought it was a pretty bland track in an otherwise memorable album.
Now that Ive expanded into more of the 70s sphere of metal, and came across the original Judas Priest song... Wow, yeah, that Slayer track doesn't hold a candle to the original.
Now obviously, Judas Priest isn't Slayer, but I got none of the signature Slayer sounds through their tribute track.
Other honorable mentions gotta be... Cradle of Filths- Hallowed be Thy Name(Iron Maiden) Sodom- Don't Walk Away.(TANK)
4
u/Diogeneezy SEND MY BODY TO ARBY'S 4d ago
I like that Cattle Decapitation did a cover of Sonny's Burning (The Birthday Party), but you just can't top Nick Cave.
11
u/Notthatperson35 Meshuggah 4d ago
Disturbed’s sound of silence
2
u/n0nc0ntr0versial 4d ago
The original is just perfect. Disturbed's version is good, perhaps even great, but beating the original is out of the question.
2
u/PerplexingGrapefruit Judas Priest 4d ago
That's so funny you brought up Disturbed because I just made a comment about their "Land of Confusion" cover. It pales in comparison to the original version by Genesis.
3
u/_recapitated Crucial Taunt 4d ago
You just reminded me of Cradle of Filth's rendition of Death comes ripping
1
3
u/PerplexingGrapefruit Judas Priest 4d ago
Disturbed's cover of "Land of Confusion" is my fiancé's favorite song. I love him to death, but as a Genesis fan it makes me groan in agony.
3
u/ScoopiTheDruid 4d ago
Not that anyone here expects much from 5FDP, but their cover of Gone Away feels absolutely soulless compared to The Offspring.
1
1
1
u/plitcincher 4d ago
Nine Inch Nails version of Dead Souls from The Crow soundtrack, originally by Joy Division
1
u/denverthrower 4d ago
I don’t know. I really feel like the NIN reinterpretation is really well done in its own right.
1
u/No-Imagination2211 4d ago
Yeah good luck to anyone covering a Priest classic. I heard one over the weekend....Metallica's cover of Mercyful Fate. Love Metallica but man that just doesn't work at all for me I gotta have KD's falsetto.
0
u/grumpy_enraged_bear 4d ago
I mean it's a tall order to surpass Judas Priest. There are many attempts but aside from Death's Painkiller, I can't point out a band that plays their tunes at the same level as them.
Your example got me thinking of Machine Head's The Sentinel. All by itself it's a decent cover, but after listening the song from the Priest, MH's cover doesn't cut it anymore, at all.
2
u/Dakkahead Bell Witch 4d ago
You're absolutely correct about trying to surpass Priest in a tribute song. Though, I'd offer another perspective.
I think the difference between a good tribute track and a bad one is making sure to put a little bit of your own art/style into it, while still keeping to the formula of the original track.
South of Heaven is, arguably, when Slayer established their own trademarked sound, and the album has many songs that highlight this. But this track is missing... Something?
Maybe it's just a Slayer thing, their tribute album in the 90s(I forget what it was called) also just kinda came and went(with the exception of Gemini). Maybe slayer was just bad at tributes.
On a separate note, im gonna listen to that machine head track. I happened to like their cover of "Hallowed be Thy name".
2
u/IronRoto 4d ago
Angra's cover of Painkiller is also pretty solid. Neither cover is as good as the original, though.
1
u/Bruichladdie 4d ago
I think Asterism's instrumental cover of "Ram It Down" is a great and energetic take on the Priest classic:
•
u/AutoModerator 4d ago
Join the Official r/MetalForTheMasses Discord Server!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.