Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Cemetery Gates

I'm all about doing covers of bands that have inspired you at one point or another, but leave Pantera alone already. Pantera is one of those bands that transcend most other bands in the genre, and if you can't do an original cover, just leave it alone. Your cover will never be better than the original. I wasn't fond of Avenged Sevenfold's cover of Walk, and today as I was driving into work, I heard a cover of Cemetery Gates by a band called Evile. They tried to duplicate the song exactly, and failed miserably. The little ornamental notes that are present in the original were omitted (understandably - I mean not many guitarists are up to par with the talent of Dimebag), and the ending wails of the singer were pitchy and were full of effects. What a shame. If you're going to do a cover, at least make it your own. You could tell that the effects were put on the voice at the end because the singer just couldn't cut it. On the TV show American Idol, they say that there are some artists that you just shouldn't attempt, like Alicia Keys and Whitney Houston. Pantera is their equal in the metal world. If you can't do it right, or make it your own, then LEAVE IT ALONE!