THROWBACK THURSDAY - HEAVY COVERS

What does one make of cover songs?  It seems like a common response to most covers is, "this is terrible, the original is so much better".  Well obviously!  99 percent of the time a cover is not going to be as great as the original, but it seems to me that many people are not looking at it from the right perspective.  Instead of shitting on a cover song for not being as good as the original, people should really consider how cool it is that a classic song is being covered in the first place.  Heavy metal has its fair share of classics, and they're classics for a reason; they were influential.  Cover songs are interesting to listen to because it gives the listener an opportunity to discover some of the influences of their favorite bands.  Below are a collection of cover songs that I found to be particularly interesting.

1. Upon a Burning Body - 5 Minutes Alone (Pantera Cover)

Pantera is easily one of the most influential metal bands from the 1990's.  5 Minutes Alone is easily one of their crunchiest tunes.  It's only natural that the Texas based deathcore act Upon a Burning Body would cover this song. This is a cover that definitely did the original justice.  And the fact that they gave the late Dimebag Darrell a shout out in the middle of the the song is nothing short of heartwarming.  Check it out!

Links: Pantera Facebook // Official Website // iTunes
Upon A Burning Body Facebook // Twitter // iTunes

2. The Dillinger Escape Plan - Paranoid (Black Sabbath Cover)

Boy has this cover gotten shit over the years.  It's understandable; how can The Dillinger Escape Plan cover a Black Sabbath song?  Part of the beauty of this cover comes from the fact that they didn't try to stay true to the original.  Dillinger has their own unique sound and it seems as though they stick to that even while doing covers.  Yeah, it's gonna piss off some old school metal fans but this is a cover definitely worth checking out.

Links: The Dillinger Escape Plan Facebook // Twitter // Official Website
Black Sabbath Facebook // Official Website // iTunes

3. Periphery - New Millenium Cyanide Christ (Meshuggah Cover)

Djent dj djent dj djent dj djent djent djent bowww... Well, you know where I'm going with this.  Periphery covering a classic Meshuggah song, how appropriate!  Meshuggah is one of those bands that only comes around once in a life time.  They are responsible for the creation of the sound that is commonly referred to as djent, and Periphery is partially responsible for bringing that sound into the mainstream.  Two great bands, one awesome tone, and one excellent cover!

Links: Meshuggah Facebook // Twitter // iTunes
Periphery Facebook // Twitter // iTunes

4. As I Lay Dying - Electric Eye (Judas Priest Cover)

"A Judas Priest cover? The nerve!  These little metalcore kids can't possible cover a song written by the metal gods". - elitist douche.

Yes, Judas Priest is awesome, but so is this cover.  In the contemporary metal scene, As I Lay Dying is one helluva band.  If anyone were to cover a Priest song I'm glad it was them.  As I Lay Dying demonstrates impressive technical skill, and as a whole, they are capable of covering some of the best heavy metal tunes.

Links: Judas Priest Facebook // Official Website // Twitter // iTunes 
As I Lay Dying Facebook // Official Website // iTunes

5. Children of Bodom - Aces High (Iron Maiden Cover)

If you spit in the air the chances are it's going to land on somebody that's an Iron Maiden fan.  Seriously though, who wasn't influenced by this band?  Just about every power metal and melodic death metal band was, therefore it wouldn't be surprising to hear band that embodies elements from both of those sub-genres cover a classic Maiden tune.  Children of Bodom not only did the original justice with this cover, they made it their own.  The keyboard especially added a nice touch.

Links: Iron Maiden Facebook // Twitter // iTunes // Official Website
Children of Bodom Facebook // Official Website // Merch

6. Killswitch Engage - Holy Diver (Dio Cover)

It takes guts to even decide to record a cover of Dio.  The man's voice is legendary.  Well in 2007 Killswitch Engage pulled it off, successfully.  Obviously no mortal man can top Dio, but Howard Jones did a damn good job as far as cover standards are concerned (and I don't mean that in a condescending way, Howard is an excellent vocalist).  The cover was very well received by critics and fans, and six years later Killswitch is still playing it live.  I can't speak for the masses, but I hope it helped to turn the younger generation of metal heads onto the classic metal act that is Dio.

Links: DIO Facebook // Twitter // iTunesKillswitch Engage Facebook // Twitter // iTunes      

THE WEEKEND MOSH

Introducing The Weekend Mosh. This is a collection of awesome songs / artists / albums hand picked by the team for your listening pleasure.

Links: Facebook // Twitter // Official Website

Links: Facebook // Twitter // iTunes

Links: Facebook // Twitter // Bandcamp

Links: Facebook // Twitter // iTunes

Links: Facebook // Official Website // iTunes

Links: Facebook // Bandcamp // Subliminal Groove Records

Links: Facebook // Twitter // iTunes

Links: Facebook // Twitter // Bandcamp

Links: Facebook // Twitter // iTunes 

Links: Facebook // Twitter // iTunes

Links: Facebook // Twitter // iTunes

Links: Facebook // Official Website // Twitter // iTunes 

Links: Facebook // Bandcamp

THROWBACK THURSDAY - JUDAS PRIEST

Well here we are, over 7 months into the throwback segment and yet we still haven't talked about the metal gods.  Judas Priest has been around since the early 70's and is easily one of the most influential bands in the history of heavy metal.  Hell, they are the type of band that deserves not only a throwback, but an entire discography review.  Several bands have already paid tributes to Judas Priest, and today The Circle Pit will pay it's respect to this juggernaut of a band.

Judas Priest made their entrance into metal music when the genre was still very young.  Bands such as Black Sabbath and Deep Purple had already begun experimenting with a sound that was much heavier and darker than the standard rock n' roll of the time, but these groups were still heavily influenced by the blues.  The same can be said about Priest's debut album, but by the time they released "Sad Wings of Destiny" in 1976 they had established a unique sound that would go on to influence an entire generation of young rockers.  This album contained musical elements such as dueling guitars, operatic lead vocals, and faster tempos than any preceding band could concoct.  Not to mention they also introduced the leather-and-studs clothing image to the metal community.  All of these became trademarks of Judas Priest, and were later adopted by several metal bands in the 1980's.

So how was this band able to create such an influential sound?  Well, with incredibly talented musicians of course.  Every member of Judas Priest brought something special to the table.  Guitarists' Glenn Tipton and K. K. Downing worked well together and managed to construct a massive duel guitar attack on every album.  Ian Hill provided a thunderous bass tone that served as a perfect backdrop to the band's music.  Every drummer sounded good in the mix, whether it was Les Binks' cool drum fills, Dave Holland's driving rhythms, or Scott Travis's pummeling double bass.  And Rob Halford seriously has one of the greatest voices in metal music.  His vocals are gritty, high-pitched, and can span nearly four octaves! 

The Judas Priest line-up remained fairly consistent through out the 70's and 80's (with the notable exception of their drummer position).  This was a great thing for the band, as it allowed them to grow together as musicians and gradually evolve their sound over time.  Even the frequent change in drummers didn't force them to change their sound drastically on any releases.  With a solid line-up they were able to release many classic heavy metal albums, such as "Stained Class" (1978), "Screaming for Vengeance" (1982), and "Painkiller" (1990).  Judas Priest is a classic band with a rich discography worthy of every metalhead's time and affection.  Horns up!

  
Links: Facebook // Official Website // Twitter // iTunes 

SIR CHRISTOPHER LEE (FROM LORD OF THE RINGS / STAR WARS / DRACULA) RELEASING A METAL ALBUM!

You've seen him as Saruman, Count Dooku, and Dracula, but have you seen this super villain play heavy metal? Rumor has it you'll see this soon. Very soon. In fact, Sir Christopher Lee will be releasing his first ever metal album, "Charlemagne: The Omens of Death", just in time for his 91st birthday - tomorrow!

This is actually the actor's fourth album to date. The previous one did feature some symphonic metal elements, but this will be his first full venture into the genre. And judging from the song titles / cover, it might just be epic. Take a listen to the preview down below.

Just to make the package even better... The album was arranged and recorded with Richie Faulkner, lead guitarist of the legendary Judas Priest. What a combo!

 

Links: Facebook // Official Website // iTunes