Underrated Melodeath Gems

CENOTAPH: RIDING OUR BLACK OCEANS
Cenotaph is a Mexican death metal band that was the precursor to The Chasm. I have covered them a couple of times in recent series. Although their later releases were more of a straightforward raw death metal, this release actually bears a striking resemblance to early At The Gates material. It is present in the dark, ominous atmosphere and in vocalist Edgardo Gonzalez's manic screams. Perhaps the most shocking thing is that this was released in 1994 in Mexico, around the same time as the Gothenburg scene was rising, but half a world away.

DAWN OF TEARS: DESCENT
Dawn of Tears is a terrific melodeath band from Spain. They are a bit closer in sound to Finnish band Insomnium in that their music is more emotionally powerful and possesses a somber atmosphere. Dawn of Tears is a bit more diverse than some melodeath bands in that their songs are easily distinguishable, the vocalist does not limit himself to just one style of vocals, and the music is driven by the guitar riffs and leads. This is the band's only full-length so far and I am eagerly anticipating more.

GARDENIAN: SOULBURNER
Gardenian is actually from Gothenburg, but somehow flew completely under the radar in the scene, which is kind of a shame because Gardenian is at least the equal of Soilwork, who did achieve a lot of success. Gardenian's sound is very heavy melodic death metal, but the band occasionally breaks and plays acoustic parts or cleaner riffs. This causes those sections to really stand out from the rest of the heavier material. The band does feature some of the standard good cop/bad cop vocals and catchy melodies that people deride melodeath for, but this is an outstanding example of the genre done right.

NIGHT IN GALES: THUNDERBEAST
I would like to say that the only reason Night in Gales is not more well-known is because they formed in Germany instead of Sweden. I would like to say that, but look at Gardenian above. They are not the most original band in the world, preferring to stick pretty close to the structure laid out by the Gothenburg bands, but the songs are infectious and interesting, making this an often overlooked melodeath gem. The title track in particular is incredible.

Metal Cover Songs Pt. 1: Metal Goes Pop

This is Part 1 of a possible new series on cover songs. In this one I will examine some metal covers of popular pop songs.

I get a kick out of metal bands covering pop songs. I'm not totally sure what the fascination really is, perhaps it's a deep-seeded desire to actually listen to the original pop songs. Probably not. Actually it's more likely the fact that it is a novelty and I find them really funny. That being said, I prefer the non-obvious jokes. Children of Bodom covering Britney Spears isn't nearly as entertaining as some of the below.

Here's a list of some of the more interesting metal covers of pop songs:

1. Graveworm: "I Need a Hero" (Bonnie Tyler)
Okay, this one's just plain weird. Graveworm is a melodic black/gothic metal band from Italy who seem to enjoy covering pop songs. They have also done the Pet Shop Boys song "It's a Sin" and the R.E.M. classic "Losing My Religion". I remember this song playing in a cooking scene in the movie Bandits, the Bonnie Tyler version obviously. Things would have been tragically different with te Graveworm version. Definitely a bizarre cover choice. The Graveworm version is significantly faster, heavier, and featuring growling shrieks for vocals.

2. Machine Head: "Message in a Bottle" (The Police)
Machine Head, the trend-hopping bandwagon band, is more of a groove/nu metal band on the album this song is featured on. The song has a dreamlike feel to it in the early moments. The song actually turns out to be a rather faithful version for awhile, although vocalist/guiarist Robb Flynn is pretty much tonedeaf and should stick to metal. The song builds several times, then wanes again before kicking into a more metallic riff. The song remains aggressive and heavy the rest of the song.

3. In Flames: "Land of Confusion" (Genesis)
One of the pioneers of the Gothenburg melodic death metal scene in Sweden, In Flames chose to cover this extremely political song by the progressive rock act Genesis. This one is not a horribly shocking song to cover, and I do really enjoy the original. The song actually sounds similar musically, although faster and complete with heavy power chords. The vocals are made up of Anders Friden's typical shrieking screams. The chorus does feature clean vocals, but the backing vocals which gave the original song its kick, are a little sloppy and too fast. The entire song is very fast and goes by in the blink of an eye.

4. Amorphis: "Light My Fire" (The Doors)
Amorphis is one of the first bands to blend folk elements with metal and the Finnish band influenced countless other bands. On this song, they cover the classic by the 60's rock group The Doors. Musically, the band does a decent job of putting their own spin on the well-known melodies. Much of the musical qualities are similar other than the use of power chords. The vocals are where the song completely differs with Tomi Koivusaari's death growls replacing Jim Morrison's crooning baritone. The use of the organs is very faithful to the original.

5. Firewind:"Maniac" (Michael Sembello)
This one seems completely bizarre, but the band does a surprisingly faithful version of it. Firewind is a power metal band with members from Greece, Sweden, and the U.S. The song sounds very much like the original which was featured in the movie Flashdance. The familiar keyboard lines and vocals are present. The only difference is the addition of power chords underneath the keyboards. The climax of the song is also a little more powerful.

6. Night in Gales: "Black Velvet" (Alannah Myles)
Night in Gales is a relatively unknown German band that plays a style of melodic death very similar to In Flames. They chose to cover this massive hit by the Canadian singer Alannah Myles. This version of the song is not even close to the original. The only time it can even be identified is during the chorus, and even then, the melody is significantly different. The song features heavy riffs and screaming vocals. The song is missing the charm and feel of the original version. It's a decent song for a Night in Gales song, but if expecting something close to the
original it's disappointing.

7. Grenouer: "Take On Me" (A-Ha)
Grenouer, a Russian metal band in the vein of Fear Factory, covers this 80's pop classic with the iconic video. The recorded version of the Grenouer track is a live version, with fairly bad production values. It is difficult to hear the music, although it is there, but definitely faster. The growling vocals detract from the song. The familiar chorus is very weak, which is unfortunate.

There it is, a few of the pop songs covered by metal bands.