The Best Covers From The Metallica Blacklist
The best on the massive tribute album.
For better or worse, Metallica changed the face of metal in 1991.
Longtime vets of metal, the self-titled record propelled them to superstar status. “Enter Sandman,” “Nothing Else Matters,” “Sad But True,” all songs that stick out now as among the greats in the genre.
So it should come as no surprise that a tribute album was recently released, cleverly called The Metallica Blacklist. At around 4 hours, it’s a mammoth of renditions of the classic songs.
From J Balvin to Darius Rucker back to Flatbush Zombies, there’s a lot of ground covered in these tracks. There are over ten covers of “Nothing Else Matters” alone! Let’s illuminate the covers worth listening to.
Rina Sawayama
“Enter Sandman” by way of Rina Sawayama’s massive take on pop music. With her track “XS,” she showed her love for this style of music, but hearing it on an album dedicated to the metal greats, it goes off without a hitch. It re-imagines the classic as a pulsing pop-metal track to amazing effect.
St. Vincent
St. Vincent sounds industrial here, and it’s incredible. Trent Reznor would be so proud. It’s no surprise, though, St. Vincent is a rock legend and she is a perfect fit for this project.
PUP
Pop-punk kids PUP give a very convincing rendition of “Holier Than Thou,” sounding like Metallica by way of Fugazi. It’s one of the more direct interpretations, something that isn’t metal by uses it as a great jumping-off point.
Moses Sumney
If you’ve never heard of Moses Sumney until now, here’s your chance. He completely owns this track, sounding as ethereal and awe-inspiring as ever.
Flatbush Zombies
At the other end, we have Flatbush Zombies with “The Unforgiven,” reinforcing my belief that these guys are consistently underrated.
The pitch-shift the original song, laying down very personal verses that are more quality than these tribute albums usually get. For the metal fans, it may only use the original as a platform, but as a song, it’s a great display of creativity.
Phoebe Bridgers
It should come as no surprise that Phoebe Bridgers loves Metallica. She owns it on “Nothing Else Matters.” Her rendition is filtered through vocal modulation and with her voice, it becomes somehow more emotional.
IDLES
IDLES bring their post-punk style to “The God That Failed,” immediately blasting us with a wall of sound. Frontman Joe Talbot, as he does, exhibits complete control over the track, echoing and oozing charisma.
Kamasi Washington
Who knew jazzy Metallica could sound so good?
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Mexican acoustic guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela breathes new, slide-driven life into “The Struggle Within.” It’s a re-contextualization that closes out the album and sounds completely at home, even without those snares and vocals.
