Accepted wisdom is that cover versions only succeed if you radically revise them. Don't tell Devil's Train.
On their debut album a couple of years back the Euro metallers blasted their way through a high energy hard rock and roll set.
Riff rockers such as Roll The Dice and Room 66/64 proved irresistible, runaway express trains to rival the Crue's Kick Start My Heart.
But they ended the set with a cover of American Woman, the classic rock single that once made The Guess Who temporary titans.
And, defying expectation, it became a huge youtube hit.
Little surprise then that the band, originally a part-time project for members of Stratovarius, Mystic Prophecy and Evergrey, have gone and done it again.
Sophomore set Devil's Train II owes much to Guns 'n Roses and, more recently, Black Stone Cherry (check out Mr Jones) with its helter skelter rock and roll and southern holler.
But fast forward to track nine and Steppenwolf hallmark Born To Be Wild leaps from the speakers.
It hasn't been turned into an acoustic strum; they haven't added a choir and strings; there's not a rap at the bridge.
Aside from a little more contemporary crunch, they've just rocked the f*** out of it - and it's revisited in all its original glory.
Perhaps it`s just that we don`t get to hear the likes of American Woman and Born To Be Wild anymore that both work so well.
They try for the hat trick, by the way, with a bonus track cover of Zeppelin's Immigrant Song that's unnecessary.
The album's stong enough without over-egging the pudding.
Best bets: Mr Jones, Born To Be Wild, Hollywood Girl.
No comments:
Post a Comment