A few weeks ago there was a post asking for suggestions for female fronted heavy music and I was really grateful to OP for starting the conversation and everyone in the comments for coming up with really great suggestions.
I’m wondering if we could have a similar discussion to share more mellow covers of heavier songs. Usually when I’m working I prefer listening to less intense songs and a chill cover of a heavy song I like is somehow very interesting to me.
The song that got me wanting more of this niche was a cover of Toxicity which I’ve had on repeat this week. I can also think of this cover of Seven Nation Army which is kind of similar as an example but I don’t really know a lot more like this.
Does anyone have any similar recommendations they enjoy?
Edit: All great suggestions so far, still working my way through them! I remembered another song which is this cover of Firestarter by The Prodigy
You must log in or register to comment.
Hurt by Nine Inch Nails covered by Johnny Cash.
Ah of course, that’s a good one! I sometimes forget the Johnny Cash version is a cover…
“Fuck the World” by Richard Cheese - cover of the Insane Clown Posse song in a “lounge” style. I think Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine does a lot of covers of “heavy songs” in that style but I dunno much about them: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Cheese
Richard Cheese’s version of Slipknot’s People = Shit must be the funniest song I’ve ever heard.
Pretty much anything by Richard Cheese, really.
That was a very funny cover, thanks! Turns out Richard Cheese has a whole back catalogue I haven’t heard of and some very funny album names too. Currently listening to Chop Suey from Tuxicity which is just delightful!
Paul Anka Smells like teen spirit
There’s a few more from that album, Rock Swings, like Black Hole Sun
That whole album seems great to be honest, the backing vocals echoing JUMP on the song Jump were a nice touch!
There’s a singer who goes by the name of
who specializes in doing “lounge-ified” versions of heavier songs. He’s probably best known for the cover of
he did for the Dawn of the Dead remake from 2004, but he has several albums filled with similar covers.
The names come up as dead images for me.
The first link is to Wikipedia, the second is a YouTube video.
No idea why, but earlier the links looked like box outlines with a question mark in the middle.
For some reason the links don’t load for me but based on an earlier comment I guessed this must be Richard Cheese’s cover of Down With The Sickness? It’s a good one if so!
Not really covers, but if you’re looking for a chill approach to metal/rock, you might like Pelican or Russian Circles. Both are kind of ambient rock/metal, but no lyrics, and the instrumentals are on the relaxed end of the spectrum… like you know how a normal metal song often has a more mellow intro, then all at once the tempo takes off, the volume skyrockets, and a howler monkey starts calling for a mate? …they’re like entire songs that have that intro energy.
Fantastic background music.
This was a bit of a happy accident, not really what I was looking for but still ended up being very cool! I hopped around a bit between both artists’ top songs and I think this could be great music to work to also when the howler monkeys would otherwise be a distraction!
Ramin Djwadi’s arrangements of various rock standards for the Westworld TV
Including Black Sabbath’s Paint It Black, for example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iZ9JRVmJ5o
Playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBKadB95sF457xDQY3CItUfiEnTeNBONC
Rolling Stones. Rolling Stones’ Paint It Black.
That Paint It Black cover was very cinematic, maybe not so mellow but I really liked it anyway. I haven’t seen Westworld at all but I can imagine a scene with a song like this in would be amazing! Is it worth watching?
The first 2 seasons are. I didn’t care for the third.
Dynamite Hack Boyz in the Hood
That was fun! I almost didn’t realise that I knew the original version because it’s so different!
The Vitamin String Quartet does a lot of instrumental covers of heavy music.
You can also try searching streaming services for phrases like “<band> and chill” or “lofi <band>”
That particular video wasn’t loading so I had to watch it on YouTube but I’m happy there are still working Invidious instances, I didn’t realise that was the case! Other videos loaded for me on there just fine. The cover was great too, I saw she also has a cover of Smells Like Teen Spirit which was also good!
It’s not strictly a cover since it’s oficially promoted by the band and even has Till Lindemann on vocals but Sven Helbig recorded a wonderful piano version of Mein Herz Brennt by Rammstein.
I hadn’t heard the original before so I listened to it afterwards, both are great for different moods!
This piano cover of NOFX’s Lori Meyers is still great 11 years later.
Another great suggestion, thank you! I liked this video but I was also really glad to see that they’re still making music and covering songs all these years later, it’s really nice to see!
I was not expecting that jazzy, big band shift right at the start, that was fun!
Rodrigo y Gabriela? They cover Battery and a few others, iirc. And their original stuff is pretty badass too.
This album contains beautiful covers of Queens of the Stone Age songs. Go With The Flow sung by Emiliana Torrini is especially beautiful.
This is a great album, thank you! Listened to Go With The Flow as you suggested and also No one Knows because I was especially curious about it. Looking forward to the rest of the album now!
It’s not necessarily heavy songs to begin with, but the soundtrack for Bridgerton has a few instrumental covers with string instruments that are an interesting take.
One of the groups that does these covers is Vitamin String Quartet and of the top of my head I remember a few of the songs they’ve done like Zombie, Yellow, Wrecking Ball, Thunderstruck, Smooth Criminal and whatnot.Might be something that interests you.
Thanks to both you and @m_f@discuss.online for reminding me that VSQ exists! I used to listen a lot to their covers over 10 years ago but haven’t heard anything by them lately, seems they’re even more popular than ever!
