When cover-versions are done right!

[SoundMaster]

I've never been a fan of covers. In my view, only rarely is a cover even remotely interesting and often they tend to sound like a mockery (unintentionally of course) of the original. For one, the Iced Earth covers record is entirely embarrassing...just dreadful, IMO.

With that said, there have been a lot of really strong covers done over the years. Some of the best, IMO, are:

Nevermore - Love Bites (Priest)
Glenn Hughes - Kings and Queens (Aerosmith)
Stone Temple - Dancing Days (Led Zep)
My Dying Bride - Roads (Portishead)
Van Halen - You Really Got Me (Kinks)
Maiden w/Blaze - Doctor Doctor (UFO)

Any covers that you totally love?

 

[MURAI]

I like metal bands doing covers actually.

Angel Corpse - Kill Again (Slayer)
Decapitated - Mandatory Suicide (Slayer)
Helloween - Electric Eye (Judas Priest)
Impious - Inner Self (Sepultura)
Malevolent Creation - Piece by Piece/Raining Blood (Slayer)
Obituary - Buried Alive (Venom)
Opeth - Circle of the Tyrants (Celtic Frost)

I dont even care for Opeth but I liked their cover.

 

[ElectricWiz]

Slayer - Dissident Aggressor
Dream Theater (featuring Bruce Dickinson) - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath - They also did a cover of Perfect Strangers together, but that didn't rival the original.
Iron Maiden - Cross Eyed Mary
Saxon - Court of the Crimson King
Tool - No Quarter

....might think of some more too...

 

[Unfaithfully Metalhead]

alot of them skip my mind right now... but two that come to mind are:

Dimmu Borgir - Burn in Hell ( Twisted Sister)
Emperor - A Fine Day to Die (Bathory)

Both of these are great covers but especially the Emperor cover of the Bathory song.... that one rules....

 

[Wyvern]

Nevermore - Love Bites (Priest)

Hate that one (although it was original in conception), another reason for which I dislike Nevermore.

Since I'm a collector of tributes I have heard tons of covers, but some indeed stand above the rest or have qualities that make them wonderful even if not original:

Heavens Gate - 'The Sentinel' (Judas Priest)
Judas Priest - 'Diamonds And Rust' (Joan Baez)
Nazareth - 'This Flight Tonight' (Joni Mitchell)
Saxon - 'Set Me Free' (The Sweet)
Overkill - 'Tyrant' (Judas Priest)
Skyclad - 'Dreamer Deceiver' (Judas Priest)
Therion - 'Southbound' (Thin Lizzy)
Ugly Kid Joe - 'N.I.B.' (Black Sabbath)
Type O Negative - 'Black Sabbath' (Black Sabbath)
Lisa Loeb - 'Goodbye To Romance' (Ozzy Osbourne)
Steel Prophet - 'The Ides Of March/Purgatory' (Iron Maiden)
Demonios - 'Fear Of The Dark' (Iron Maiden)
Doro - 'Egypt (the chains are on)' (Dio)
Angel Dust - 'Temple Of The King' (Rainbow)
Yngwie Malmsteen - 'Carry On Wayward Son' (Kansas)
Therion - 'Summer Night City' (ABBA)
Rough Silk - 'Take A Chance On Me' (ABBA)
Glow - 'Dancing Queen' (ABBA)
Sargant Fury - 'Eagle' (ABBA)
The Sensational Whiskiteer Band - 'Live Wire' (AC/DC)
Quiet Riot - 'Highway To Hell' (AC/DC)
Megadeth - 'Paranoid' (Black Sabbath)
Sinergy - 'Hanging On The Telephone' (Blondie)
Shaaman - 'More' (Sisters Of Mercy)
Riot - 'Burn' (Deep Purple)
Testament - 'Rapid Fire' (Judas Priest)
Saxon - 'In The Court Of The Crimson King' (King Crimson)
Wardog - 'Purgatory' (Iron Maiden)
Sonata Arctica - 'Still Loving You' (Scorpions)
Prolopower - 'Dampflockfuhrer' (Scorpions)
Rough Silk - 'Is There Anybody There?' (Scorpions)
Steel Prophet - 'Top Of The Bill' (Scorpions)

I better stop here

NP: Force Of Evil - 'The Calling'

 

[#1_Droogie]

Skyclad - 'Dreamer Deceiver' (Judas Priest)
Testament - 'Rapid Fire' (Judas Priest)

NP: Force Of Evil - 'The Calling'

Skyclad covered Dreamer Deciever?????? Is it on any of their albums? Or a compilation album? I MUST hear this!

By the way, I love the Priest cover by Testament, it's amazing.

 

[T_man357]

Aerosmith - Come Together (Beatles)
Joe Cocker - With a Little Help From My Friends (Beatles)
Jackyl - We're An American Band (Grand Funk Railroad)
Van Halen - You're No Good (Linda Ronstadt)
Anthrax - Antisocial (Trust)
Type 'O Negative - Cinnamon Girl (Neil Young)
Shinedown - Simple Man (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
Metal Church - Highway Star (Deep Purple)
Aerosmith - Train Kept A Rollin (Yardbirds)
Voi-Vod - Astronomy Domine (Pink Floyd)

 

[kittybeast]

only one comes to mind for me right now, while I'm at work and supposed
to be working....

Klaus singing "love of my life" Queen/Freddie Mercury

 

[Death Animal]

well
W.A.S.P:Baint it black ( Roling stones)

Saxon - 'Set Me Free' (The Sweet)

That rocks

 

[ElectricWiz]

well
W.A.S.P:Baint it black ( Roling stones)

That rocks

These are both great. Especially the Saxon track.

 

[Wyvern]

Skyclad covered Dreamer Deciever?????? Is it on any of their albums? Or a compilation album? I MUST hear this!

By the way, I love the Priest cover by Testament, it's amazing.

Like I said I'm a sucker for tribute albums, but some of them are genuine pieces of art, stuff made with devotion and respect from bands to their heroes and forefathers. One of this gems is "A Tribute To Judas Priest - Legends Of Metal" vols. 1 & 2, put by Rock Hard through Century Media in 1996.

Actually there are two versions of this 2-CD tribute, I advise to get the European one not the US.

vol 1:

Helloween - 'The Hellion/Electric Eye' (7/10)
Fates Warning - 'Saints In Hell' (7/10)
Gamma Ray - 'Victim Of Changes' (7/10)
Devin Townsend - 'Sinner' (8/10)
Mercyful Fate - 'The Ripper' (8/10)
Rage - 'Jawbreaker' (7/10)
Radakka - 'Nightcrawler' (8/10)
Doom Squad - Burnin' Up (9/10)
Lions Share - 'A Touch Of Evil' (7/10)
Testament - 'Rapid Fire' (10/10)
U.D.O - 'Metal Gods' (0/10)
Saxon - You've Got Another Thing Comin' (5/10)

vol. 2:

Iced Earth - 'The Ripper' (7/10)
Blind Guardian - 'Beyond The Realms Of Death' (7/10)
Heavens Gate - 'The Sentinel' (10/10)
Nevermore - 'Love Bites' (1/10)
Gamma Ray - 'Exciter' (9/10)
Forbidden - 'Dissident Aggressor' (9/10)
Angra - 'Painkiller' (7/10)
Overkill - 'Tyrant' (10/10)
Kreator - 'Grinder' (8/10)
Skyclad - 'Dreamer Deceiver' (10/10)
Stratovarius - 'Bloodstone' (6/10)
Virgin Steele - 'Screaming For Vengeance' (5/10)
Leviathan - 'Night Comes Down' (8/10)

NP: Judas Priest - 'Lochness'

 

[Platinum Maze]

Most tribute albums bore me quickly. There's usually only a few good moments on each. HOLY DIO and the 2 Priest ones being exceptions to the rule. That being said, I love a good cover.

from HOLY DIO:
Dont Talk to Strangers - Blind Guardian
Neon Knights - Steel Prophet
Egypt - Doro
Sign of the Southern Cross - Fates Warning
Gates of Babylon - Yngwie
Children of the Sea - Jag Panzer

others:
In Trance (Scorps) - Fates Warning
Stargazer (Rainbow) - Loudness
Astronomy (BOC) - Metallica
Set Me Free (The Sweet) - Heathen
Sacred Reich (Sacred Reich) - Dark Tranquillity
One Nation (Sacred Reich) - Soulfly
Babe I'm Gonna Leave You (Led Zep) - Great White
Gonna Get Close to You (Dalbello) - Queensryche
Trapped Under Ice (Metallica) - Death Angel
I've Got the Fire (Montrose) - Iron Maiden
Remember Tomorrow (Iron Maiden) - Opeth
Metal Heart (Accept) - Dimmu Borgir
The Green Manalishi (Fleetwood Mac) - Judas Priest
Where Have All The Good Times Gone (Kinks) - Van Halen
Tie Your Mother Down (Queen) - Lynch Mob
The entire 5.98 EP, Am I Evil?, Blitzkrieg - Metallica
Creatures of the Night (KISS) - Iced Earth
Children of the Damned (Maiden) - Sebastian Bach
Walkin the Dog (Aerosmith) - RATT
Parasite (KISS) - Anthrax
C'mon and Love Me (KISS) - Skid Row
She (KISS) - Anthrax
Time (Pink Floyd) - Wrathchild America
Nobody's Fault (Aerosmith) - Testament
War Pigs (Black Sabbath) - Sacred Reich
I Ain't Superstitious (Jeff Beck?) - Megadeth
Helter Skelter (Beatles) - Motley Crue
From The Beginning (ELP) - Dokken
Shapes of Things (Jeff Beck) - Gary Moore
The Sails of Charon (Scorps) - Testament
The Sails of Charon (Scorps) - Yngwie

...and a shitload of stuff you guys already mentioned.

I'll be adding more...I'm sure.

 

[thomas_j]

Megadeth - Anarchy in the UK (Sex Pistols cover)
Rammsten - Das Modell (Kraftwerk cover)
and recently I got this, very fun cover:
Anal Cunt - Unbelievable (the hit song, I don't know the original artist, not even sure if this is meant to be a cover )

 

[Soul of Ice]

I probably have heard a lot of covers and never realised it. Here are a few that I don't think that have been mentioned.

Spiral Architect - A Prelude To Ruin (Fates Warning)
Blind Guardian - Mr. Sandman (don't know)
Toxik - Out On the Tiles (Led Zep)
Vintersorg - Rainbow Demon (Uriah Heep)
Prototype - Metal Church (Metal Church)

 

[zeppelin]

Shout (Tears for Fears) - Disturbed
Land of Confusion (Phil Collins) - Disturbed
Hellion (WASP) - Children of Bodom
Wicket Games (Chris Isacs) - Him
Immigrant Song (Led Zeppelin) - Demons and Wizards
Stripped (Depeche Mode) - Rammstein
Easy Livin' (Uriah Heep) - WASP

 

[Wyvern]

I probably have heard a lot of covers and never realised it. Here are a few that I don't think that have been mentioned.

Blind Guardian - Mr. Sandman (don't know)

Yeah that's a good one. The original was recorded by The Chordettes and it's composed by Pat Ballard.

I have to add also:

Conquest - 'Evil Thet Men Do' (Iron Maiden)
Evoken - 'Strange World' (Iron Maiden)
Annihilator - 'Hell Bent For Leather' (Judas Priest)
Wolf - 'Deja Vu' (Iron Maiden)
In Flames - 'Eye Of The Beholder' (Metallica)
Last Chapter - 'Escape' (Metallica)
Fates Warning - 'Closer To The Heart' (Rush)

And special combos:

Chuck Billy/Jake E. Lee/Jimmy Bain/Ansley Dunbar - 'Seek & Destroy' (Metallica)

Ronnie James Dio/Yngwie Malmsteen/Stu Hamm/Greg Bissonette/Paul Taylor - 'Dream On' (Aerosmith)

Tim Owens/Yngwie Malmsteen/Tim Bogert/Tommy Aldridge/Derek Sherinian - 'Mr. Crowley' (Ozzy Osbourne)

James Murphy/Matt Guillory/Deen Castronoco/Stu Hamm - 'YYZ' (Rush)

 

[zeppelin]

Forgot one of my fav's - Message in a Bottle (Police) - Machinehead

 

[Orklord]

Sodom - Turn Your Head Arround (Tank)

 

[SavaMaidenRay]

Little off topic, but I came upon an interesting cover the other day. A band I'm not very familiar with, Six Feet Under, did a Savatage cover for the song "Holocaust", off their first album Sirens. If you can find it, listen to it. It had to be the worst and funniest damn cover I've ever heard...

 

[Travisty]

planet caravan-pantera(black sabbath)
hole in the sky-pantera(black sabbath)
all along the watchtower-jimi hendrix(bob dylan)
turn the page-metallica(bob segar)
paranoid-megadeth(black sabbath)
no more mr. nice guy-megadeth(alice cooper)

i almost forgot paranoid-randy rhodes, ozzy(black sabbath)