Metal and pop are quite far in the music spectrum. However, some pop songs have lent themselves perfectly to metal fans in the form of a cover.
Many world-renowned metal bands broke out of their mold and covered pop songs. And they did so with grace. Here are 10 of those greatest tracks, and boy, are they great!
1. Metallica, “Turn the Page” (Originally by Bob Seger)
“Turn the Page” is a song originally by Bob Seger. Metallica’s cover became one of the band’s songs that stayed long in the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock number one position as reported by the top lifestyle magazines.
It stayed for a whopping 11 weeks. If you have heard the song, you know why it was so popular. Metallica’s lead vocalist, James Hetfield, lends his voice nicely to the track.
And you can thank Lars Ulrich for this masterful cover. It was his idea to cover it when he heard the original song.
2. Disturbed, “The Sound of Silence” (Originally by Simon & Garfunkel)
Here is how we like to imagine how this cover came to be. Disturbed looked at this song called “The Sound of Silence,” which is not a metal song, and thought to themselves that this should have been a metal track.
And the world was a better place after that. The original song is by Simon and Garfunkel. It is a classical folk-rock track.
Disturbed tried many innovative things with their cover, like not using electric guitars. And it worked. David Draiman’s voice shines through with this one. The whole track has an ominous vibe to it.
3. Halestorm, “Get Lucky” (Originally by Daft Punk)
Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” is a very upbeat song. It’s a funk-rock disco track, which makes it even more of an odd choice to cover for a metal band. But Halestorm did the song justice.
If you have not heard the original, this one will sound raw. And you might not even realize the original was not a metal track.
You know, sometimes you should not think about how a cover would sound and just cover a song you like regardless of its genre.
Sometimes, it might not work.
And other times, we will end up with a masterpiece of a track like this. Elizabeth Hale’s vocals, the guitar riffs, and the solo are all just perfect.
4. Lacuna Coil, “Enjoy the Silence” (Originally by Depeche Mode)
Covering a synth-pop band’s song when you are a metal band is not an easy task. And when it is one of the most popular songs by Depeche Mode, “Enjoy the Silence,” you better bring your A-game.
Lacuna Coil did. The metal thrash, the vocals, and how the band put a bit of themselves in the song show off Lacuna Coil’s insane musical prowess.
This song is easily one of the 10 greatest metal covers of pop songs. Speaking of synths, if you are a fan, you might also like the remastered version of the 81:03 album.
5. Children of Bodom, “Oops!… I Did It Again” (Originally by Britney Spears)
Oh, yeah. You read that right. A Britney Spears song covered by a metal band, which is Children of Bodom! (The original song by Britney came out 23 years ago, by the way.)
It really is not a song you would expect to have a metal cover of. But that is exactly why we love this one. This cover comes off almost as satire. But the Children of Bodom gave it their all.
And it is one fantastic track we didn’t know we needed. By the way, there’s a small Britney Spears sample in the track as well. You must listen to it yourself to truly appreciate what is happening here.
6. A Perfect Circle, “Imagine” (Originally by John Lennon)
“Imagine” by John Lennon is as legendary of a track as the legendary artist. So when A Perfect Circle released a cover, we were intrigued. If you have heard the original, you know it is a slow and soothing track.
John Lennon is hopeful in this track and advises us to sort ourselves out. A Perfect Circle’s cover, though, is a bit ominous. From the instrumental bit to the vocals, the vibe differs from the original. But we like it a lot.
7. Within Temptation, “Radioactive” (Originally by Imagine Dragons)
Imagine Dragons is one of our favorite musical groups. And “Radioactive” is arguably their best track. We remember the moment we first heard it and thought it would make a fantastic metal cover.
And thanks to Within Temptation, we have just that. Dan Reynolds has a powerful voice. And the original song flexes his vocal prowess. That is why if someone were to do a metal cover, Within Temptation would be the perfect one.
Sharon den Adel’s voice is equally powerful. The track starts with a bit of harmonizing, almost like an opera, and is just as energy-packed as the original.
8. Marilyn Manson, “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” (Originally by Eurythmics)
Marilyn Manson did not hold back on this cover. He took what is a very ppular and iconic song and gave it his own style and twist. This one is going to be one of the more polarizing covers in this roundup.
But even though we like the original better, Marilyn Manson did a fantastic job creating a metal track. He stuck close to the original song. You just need to let this track grow on you a bit.
9. Korn, “Word Up!” (Originally by Cameo)
Cameo is a soul-funk musical group through and through. And Korn is one of the most talented nu-metal bands around, which is why their cover of “Word Up” works so well.
We love how close Korn stays to the original piece. Make no mistake; their cover of “Word Up” is a metal track, for sure.
But they did it while capturing the soul of the original, no pun intended. And they did it not just by adding a couple of riffs, solar, and thrashes. Yes, there are metal thrashes, but they are tasteful and make the song what it is.
10. Apocalyptica, “Nothing Else Matters” (Originally by Metallica)
We have come full circle. We started with a cover by Metallica, and now the original band of this song is Metallica. Apocalytica’s rendition of “Nothing Else Matters” is an instrumental song with a haunting vibe almost.
There is a sort of ominous feeling to it. However, if you are not into instrumentals, this might not be your cup of tea. However, it is definitely worth a listen.
Moreover, Apocalytica’s cover of “Nothing Else Matters” was featured in Wednesday, the popular Netflix show. This should give you a good idea of what kind of mood this cover has.
Wrapping Up
There you have it. These were the 10 greatest metal covers of popular songs. Given how music evolves, we are sure that we will see a lot more interesting covers. And we will all be here for it.
