Your controversial opinions/thoughts on music

[The Walrus]

Ooh, I've got a new one: most metal covers of pop and "mainstream" rock songs are usually terrible. I think it's because the original choice of chords, lyrics, and melodies convey a sense of brightness and joy and that doesn't really work well when you slap super distorted guitars, fast drumming, and screamed/growled vocals underneath it. I don't think I've heard a metal cover of a pop song that I would say unquestionably improved on the original. Very few are even on par with the original.

I tend to agree with this although there have been a COUPLE that I really like. There's a power metal cover of Katy Perry's I Kissed A Girl that's actually kickass. My local friends know me as a metalhead and also know that Africa by Toto is my favorite song ever, but I get tagged way too often in "Metal cover of Africa by Toto!!!" videos and I have yet to see a good one.

[King Postwhore]

The only band I've enjoyed their covers have been Disturbed.

[Ninjabait]

Ooh, I've got a new one: most metal covers of pop and "mainstream" rock songs are usually terrible. I think it's because the original choice of chords, lyrics, and melodies convey a sense of brightness and joy and that doesn't really work well when you slap super distorted guitars, fast drumming, and screamed/growled vocals underneath it. I don't think I've heard a metal cover of a pop song that I would say unquestionably improved on the original. Very few are even on par with the original.

I tend to agree with this although there have been a COUPLE that I really like. There's a power metal cover of Katy Perry's I Kissed A Girl that's actually kickass. My local friends know me as a metalhead and also know that Africa by Toto is my favorite song ever, but I get tagged way too often in "Metal cover of Africa by Toto!!!" videos and I have yet to see a good one.

It's funny you mention that, because Metal versions of Africa are exactly what I had in mind when writing that haha.

The only band I've enjoyed their covers have been Disturbed.

Disturbed's cover of Sound of Silence is really good because they actually did something new and different with it and gave a different tone to the same song. A Perfect Circle's cover of John Lennon's Imagine is another one of the few metal covers of pop songs that I think is actually incredible. It COMPLETELY changes the meaning of the song and still works with what's there.

[Stadler]

Ooh, I've got a new one: most metal covers of pop and "mainstream" rock songs are usually terrible. I think it's because the original choice of chords, lyrics, and melodies convey a sense of brightness and joy and that doesn't really work well when you slap super distorted guitars, fast drumming, and screamed/growled vocals underneath it. I don't think I've heard a metal cover of a pop song that I would say unquestionably improved on the original. Very few are even on par with the original.

I agree with this 99.9%.  The one exception is, I like Disturbed's "Sounds Of Silence".   I'm not a Disturbed fan - at ALL - but I like that.   I don't care for the song much, but Geoff Tate's version of "Scarborough Fair" is a vocal tour de force, but I don't like the song. 

[TAC]

I've never heard the Disturbed song, but generally these always blow.

Does Quiet Riot's Cum On Feel The Noise count?

And at the risk of being a total geek, Chris Daughtry's version of Walk The Line on American Idol was incredible.

[The Walrus]

That Disturbed cover annoys the shit out of me personally, which I think might be controversial because of how popular it is. Talk about being way too dramatic. "Less is more" doesn't just apply to the quantity of notes played.

[Anguyen92]

I've never heard the Disturbed song, but generally these always blow.

Does Quiet Riot's Cum On Feel The Noise count?

And at the risk of being a total geek, Chris Daughtry's version of Walk The Line on American Idol was incredible.

It's all right.  I like Daughtry and he sang Shinedown's I Dare You (my favorite Shinedown song from them) during American Idol, so that's a plus for him in my books as well.

As for the Disturbed covers, I enjoy Land of Confusion.  Must be the "WHOA"s that gets me.

[MirrorMask]

I think that the trick with doing pop songs in metal style is to not overblow it, and just add some more punch and heaviness without destroying the mood of the song.

Halestorm's cover of Bad Romance is a masterpiece for me, and on YouTube there are selected covers of songs who manage to insert some heaviness in the songs without making them a parody. But I agree that some other covers just come out terrible.

[WildRanger]

As a Maiden fan I really don't find The Trooper to be that great or something special, it's just a decent tune to me, nothing more than that. I just don't get why it became one of the most popular Maiden songs.

[MirrorMask]

Because it's anthemic, has a chorus that isn't even a chorus but can be sang along to anyway, and it has all the trademarks of Iron Maiden. It's one of their quintessential songs.

[nobloodyname]

Anyone familiar with these two covers? Ghostbusters by Xentrix and Eleanor Rigby by Realm. I always think if you're going to cover a tune, do your interpretation of it. For me, both of these covers work very well.

[pg1067]

Ooh, I've got a new one: most metal covers of pop and "mainstream" rock songs are usually terrible. I think it's because the original choice of chords, lyrics, and melodies convey a sense of brightness and joy and that doesn't really work well when you slap super distorted guitars, fast drumming, and screamed/growled vocals underneath it. I don't think I've heard a metal cover of a pop song that I would say unquestionably improved on the original. Very few are even on par with the original.

I don't know about "most," but you make a good point about why many such songs don't work.

I've heard a couple covers of Toto's "Africa" that I think are great.

Also, last week, a guy at work was talking about Chris DeBurgh's "Don't Pay the Ferryman" and asking if I liked it.  I've probably only heard it a couple of times in the last 30 years, but the song was all over MTV when I was a teenager and spent hours a day watching MTV.  I said that it was a good song and suggested it might make a good metal song, so we went to YouTube and listened to a half dozen (or so) metal covers.  About half were really good and the other half not so much.  The half that weren't good tended to overdo the distorted guitar and had Cookie Monster vocals -- i.e., no subtlety at all.

[Crow]

It's okay to take influence from another band's style if you're actively improving the sound because that's how genre development works

[TAC]

Todd LaTorre is a better drummer than Scott Rockenfield.

[King Postwhore]

Um.  No.

[KevShmev]

Todd LaTorre is a better drummer than Scott Rockenfield.

That's like saying Tom Petty is a better singer than Bob Dylan. 

[TAC]

Anyone is a better singer than Bob Dylan.

[TAC]

Todd LaTorre is a better drummer than Scott Rockenfield.

That's like saying Tom Petty is a better singer than Bob Dylan.

I read this post as Tom Brady!

[Setlist Scotty]

Anyone is a better singer than Bob Dylan.

AMEN!

[Grizz]

That Disturbed cover annoys the shit out of me personally, which I think might be controversial because of how popular it is. Talk about being way too dramatic. "Less is more" doesn't just apply to the quantity of notes played.

this is the correct opinion

I think that the trick with doing pop songs in metal style is to not overblow it, and just add some more punch and heaviness without destroying the mood of the song.

Halestorm's cover of Bad Romance is a masterpiece for me, and on YouTube there are selected covers of songs who manage to insert some heaviness in the songs without making them a parody. But I agree that some other covers just come out terrible.

Axxis' cover of My Heart Will Go On does this similarly. I mean it's kind of a joke and it's funny as all hell but it's also the epitome of late 20th-century power ballads. (It probably doesn't hurt that, being born in 1998, I don't remember the song's original massive overplayment.) Or this guy's cover of a track from Donkey Kong Country.

[Ben_Jamin]

That Disturbed cover annoys the shit out of me personally, which I think might be controversial because of how popular it is. Talk about being way too dramatic. "Less is more" doesn't just apply to the quantity of notes played.

this is the correct opinion

I think that the trick with doing pop songs in metal style is to not overblow it, and just add some more punch and heaviness without destroying the mood of the song.

Halestorm's cover of Bad Romance is a masterpiece for me, and on YouTube there are selected covers of songs who manage to insert some heaviness in the songs without making them a parody. But I agree that some other covers just come out terrible.

Axxis' cover of My Heart Will Go On does this similarly. I mean it's kind of a joke and it's funny as all hell but it's also the epitome of late 20th-century power ballads. (It probably doesn't hurt that, being born in 1998, I don't remember the song's original massive overplayment.) Or this guy's cover of a track from Donkey Kong Country.

That Donkey Kong Country cover is great. Reminds me of something that would be great on OC Remix, a site dedicated to covers/remixes of video game music. Some great covers that do just what he said.

I'll add Within Temptations cover of Skyfall. They made it sound like a WT song, mainly like their song Jane Doe.

[The Walrus]

Controversial: Tool is bad, Maynard isn't special, the rest of the band is talented but the music is ultra boring

Somewhere in the distance, Puppies_On_Acid just screamed in a rage. 

[Cool Chris]

That Donkey Kong Country cover is great. Reminds me of something that would be great on OC Remix, a site dedicated to covers/remixes of video game music. Some great covers that do just what he said.

Dang I forgot about that site, I used to visit that site all the time many years ago.

I'll add Within Temptations cover of Skyfall.

Wait, this exists?! Must check out now.

[Ben_Jamin]

That Donkey Kong Country cover is great. Reminds me of something that would be great on OC Remix, a site dedicated to covers/remixes of video game music. Some great covers that do just what he said.

Dang I forgot about that site, I used to visit that site all the time many years ago.

I'll add Within Temptations cover of Skyfall.

Wait, this exists?! Must check out now.

OC Remix still exists and is still producing remixes. They comprise most of my music storage.

Sadly, I can't find a way to get that cover of Skyfall.

[The Walrus]

Hey Ben... do you know the Tears of Contention remix for the game Chrono Trigger? That piece, and Green Amnesia (also a remix from Chrono Trigger), are my two favorite pieces on that site. I've had Tears of Contention as a phone ringtone for almost 10 years. 

[Ben_Jamin]

Hey Ben... do you know the Tears of Contention remix for the game Chrono Trigger? That piece, and Green Amnesia (also a remix from Chrono Trigger), are my two favorite pieces on that site. I've had Tears of Contention as a phone ringtone for almost 10 years. 

I'm sure I do. I'll have to look it up and hear it again.

Edit: Just looked it up, and instantly remembered it from the opening piano notes. That is one of my favorites as well. Thanks for that, as I am also trying to find those old ones I liked that were lost in my old laptop crash.

[romdrums]

Maynard isn't special

I'll second that.  I think he plays his audience for suckers and they lap it up.  He could have been a highly successful televangelist.

[pg1067]

Todd LaTorre is a better drummer than Scott Rockenfield.

That's like saying Tom Petty is a better singer than Bob Dylan.

My overweight cat at 5:00 a.m. is a better singer than Bob Dylan.

Todd LaTorre is a better drummer than Scott Rockenfield.

That's like saying Tom Petty is a better singer than Bob Dylan.

I read this post as Tom Brady!

Tom Brady is also a better singer than Bob Dylan, as are/were Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Thomas Edison, Thomas Jefferson and Tommy Lee Jones.

[cramx3]

Controversial: Tool is bad, Maynard isn't special, the rest of the band is talented but the music is ultra boring

Somewhere in the distance, Puppies_On_Acid just screamed in a rage. 

I don't think Maynard is anything special at all.  He kind of is uninteresting live from the footage I've seen.  Their music isn't that boring though, some is.  I do think Tool is overhyped at this point, but they were pretty deserving 20 years ago.  Kind of amazed they were able to keep such a big fan base.

[Ruba]

Maynard's lost a lot of range and power, but at his peak he was a force of nature.

[ReaperKK]

Maynard isn't special

I'll second that.  I think he plays his audience for suckers and they lap it up.  He could have been a highly successful televangelist.

I agree with him playing up to his fans. If you listen to his interviews on Joe Rogan he comes off as just a regular (albeit rich and famous) dude who likes making wine.

[King Postwhore]

I am not the same person as I was in my 20's and I'll bet that goes for most people including Rock Stars.

[Ruba]

Todd LaTorre is a better drummer than Scott Rockenfield.

He's flashier to say the least but better? Probably not.

E: After reading up a little on Todd, I actually think you might be onto something. Of course, TLT was never a full-time drummer but he has been playing drums for longer than I've been alive. While I hold a great respect for ScottRock, I still can't really name one favourite performance by him. He's been doing reliable job in the background but could he be replaced? Probably yes.

[Zantera]

I think Tool's one of the prog bands that has aged the most gracefully for me. The vocals aren't cheesy and over-the-top, the lyrics are quite decent and in some cases really good and musically I think their style of prog holds up well for me as well. For a band with only 1 drummer 1 bassist 1 guitarist I feel Tool gets a lot of mileage out of a simple setup. The drums are really groovy and stand out, the bass is actually audible compared to many other bands and really stands as the center piece that holds some of their songs together, and when it comes to the guitar you get a lot of variety too. Vicarious for me has one of the best metal riffs and a song like Jambi has some really amazing experimental guitar stuff in it.

[King Postwhore]

The band can breath with only one of each instrument.