It shouldn’t matter what the original song genre(s) were, just as long as it was done in a metal music style for the cover.
Tragedy, in general. Death to false disco metal is a great album.
Napalm Death - Nazi Punks Fuck Off
I really like Ensiferum - Battery (Metallica)
I keep coming back to Sienna Skies’ cover of Fireflies (originally by Owl City).
Some current favorites: Judas - Rage of Light (Lady Gaga cover) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7cvquM3zNc&t=287
The entire album “Epica vs Attack on Titan Songs” by Epica
Powerwolf’s multiple bonus albums where they have other bands cover them or collab. Interludium, Communio Lupatem. This gave us the awesome Battle Beast cover of Resurrection by Erection, where you can tell they were having a blast.
Equilibrium - Himmelsrand (skyrim theme song)
Forgot holy diver in my list, that cover is excellent 🤘
So, a note. There’s two kinds of covers. Covers where the band tried to do exactly what the band they’re covering did. And covers where bands made it their own.
If you want a whole album of some excellent examples of the former, look no further than BTBAM’s “The Anatomy Of”. Whole album is covers.
If you want the latter… What comes to mind is Children of Bodom. They did like 30+ covers that metal fans love. Off the top of my head:
Children of Bodom - Hellion (W.A.S.P)
Children of Bodom - Oops I did it again. (Brittney Spears)
Children Of Bodom - Somebody Put Something In My Drink (Ramones)
Then we got
In flames - Everything Counts (Depeche Mode)
In Flames - Hurt (Trent Reznor)
I’ll keep updating this. More are coming to mind.
System of a down - Snowblind (Black Sabbath)
Shadows Fall - Bark at the moon (Black Sabbath)
Dark Tranquillity - Acacia Avenue (Iron Maiden)
Soilwork - Burn (Deep Purple)
Ooh, just remembered:
Avenged Sevenfold - Retrovertigo (Mr. Bungle)
I saw Shadows Fall do that cover live, it was the worst live performance I’ve ever seen. Don’t know how anyone could recommend them
I am not a fan of that In Flames cover of Hurt 😂 He Fridened all over it.
With in flames vocals you either get quiet whispered fries or high fry screams.
It’s what I expected. I can see why it never made it to a record, but it’s what an in flames fan would expect of an In Flames cover of Hurt 🤷♂️.
Yeah Anders has only 2 modes 😂
Bodom really did insanely good covers. The Rebel Yell cover is my favourite.
Death’s version of Painkiller is wild too.
Havok released a recent cover of Metallica’s ‘Eye of the Beholder’ and it’s absolutely killer.
A lot and i can’t think of them all atm. But here’s one. I’m at work and brain hurts
Revolting Cocks - Do Ya Think Im Sexy.
God Rest ye Merry Gentlemen - Dio & Iommi
I know it’s a Christmas song, but they really do make it epic!
I’m a sucker for melodeath.
- Benighted - Slaughter of the Soul (At the Gates)
- Fleshgod Apocalypse - Blinded by Fear (At the Gates)
- Mors Principium Est - Livin’ la vida Loca (Ricky Martin)
- Arch Enemy - Kill With Power (Manowar)
- Dark Tranquility - Bringer of Torture (Kreator)
- In Flames - Land of Confusion (Genesis)
- Raintime - Beat It (Michael Jackson)
- Heaven Shall Burn - Black Tears (Edge of Sanity)
- Disarmonia Mundi - Mouth for War (Pantera)
Every time we touch by Electric Callboy
And still waiting
If dwarf metal counts then it’s got to be the Wind Rose cover of Diggy Diggy Hole
OriginalThis is power metal and I don’t see why it wouldn’t count.
Oh for sure it counts! This is for fun after all.
Obituary - Buried Alive
Obituary (90s Death Metal) covers Venom (1st Wave Black Metal)Vader - Raining Blood
Vader (2000s Death Metal) covers Slayer (80s Thrash Metal)Vader - Freezing Moon
Vader (2000s Death Metal) covers Mayhem (2nd Wave Black Metal)Totenmond - Macht kaputt was euch kaputt macht
Totenmond (Crustcore Death Metal) covers Ton Steine Scherben (1970s Protopunk Rock)Blackbraid - A Fine Day To Die
Blackbraid (2020s Black Metal) covers Bathory (1st Wave Black Metal)Sodom - Iron Fist
Sodom (80s Thrash Metal) covers Motörhead (70s Protometal Rock)Dying Fetus - Unleashed Upon Mankind
Dying Fetus (Brutal Death Metal) covers Bolt Thrower (Death Metal)Death - Painkiller
Death (Melodic Death Metal) covers Judas Priest (Heavy Metal)In Extremo - Herr Mannelig
In Extremo (Medieval Heavy Metal) covers Swedish folk songSomething is missing…
I’m not a huge fan of the whole lo-fi recording/editing that’s especially prevalent in early black and thrash metal genres so many of my favourite covers will be from more recent bands covering old classics. Many Bathory covers, especially, such as Emperor doing call from the grave, Cradle of filth covering bestial lust or the many a fine day to die covers (emperor, ereb altor, blackbraid, etc)
Also, Metallica has been covered a ton. And many of them are great. Not hard but yeah… Revocation - dyer’s eve or Vader - fight fire with fire
And ofc there’s also the many cool pop song covers. Someone already mentioned CoB (rip Alexi) and there’s Turisas - Rasputin or Avantasia - lay all your love on me or Nanowar’s Norwegian reggaeton (which I think it’s technically a parody rather than a cover, but amazing nonetheless) or Leprous - take on me or Elvenking - heaven is a place on earth
