In my own illustrious musical career, I’ve been the drummer for several bands and with each one, we’ve always learnt a couple of cover songs. The reasons for this are pretty simple: when your band is new and hasn’t written many originals, it’s an easy way to fill your set so that you can start booking gigs. And let’s be honest, there’s usually an element of fear that goes into this decision as well! “Okay, so it’s possible that the audience will hate all of our songs, but perhaps they’ll enjoy our punk-rock version of ‘Gotta Get Thru This’ by Daniel Bedingfield?” (okay, none of my bands have ever tried this, but I think it’s a great idea!) However, most of those covers stayed very faithful to the original track. I’ve never attempted anything as ambitious as Exit Eden’s first album ‘Rhapsodies in Black.’

The concept was fairly simple: take the best musicians and singers from the European symphonic metal scene, give them a set of well-known hits, put them in the studio and turn these pop songs into heavy rock anthems. For those who don’t know any symphonic metal bands, like Nightwish or Within Temptation, the way I’d describe it is to imagine if Evanescence recruited a string quartet…and then entered Eurovision.

The singers are an all-female quartet, each coming from different countries and all bringing a unique vocal style to the group. Amanda Somerville and Marina La Torraca both performed in the German rock opera project Avantasia and as such, they sound the most like classically trained singers, with Somerville in the deeper contralto range and La Torraca in the mezzo-soprano range. In contrast, Clémentine Delauney from Visions of Atlantis sounds to me the most like a pop singer and if you hear a raspy rock vocal, it’s probably German singer Anna Brunner. If you need help matching each voice to the singer, the music video for Unfaithful has a handy credit sequence at the start. (And incidentally, if you’re a fan of haunted houses and ridiculous costumes, their videos on the Napalm Records Youtube channel are a goldmine!)

The album opens with the gentle sound of flutes and panpipes before crashing into the first cover, Depeche Mode’s ‘A Question of Time.’ I wasn’t familiar with the original track beforehand but after listening, I wasn’t too impressed. The main riff is certainly catchy but the synthesiser backing track is very dated, and the song all sounds a bit flat. Exit Eden, on the other hand, use the full dynamic range of their musicians to breathe new life into the track, ranging from crunchy distorted guitars in the verses to a soothing string section in the bridge. And it’s all topped off by a powerful lead vocal from Somerville, wringing every inch of drama from the dark lyrics. This song exemplifies all the strengths of this new musical direction and it’s a fantastic start to the album.

Another great example is their version of the Shontelle song ‘Impossible’ which reached greater recognition after being covered by X Factor winner James Arthur in 2012. I was apprehensive about this track because I so strongly disliked the James Arthur version (seriously, the guy sounded like he needed painkillers during the recording session) but Marina La Torraca takes the lead for the first time on the album and she sounds absolutely fantastic! Meanwhile, the band show great creativity in writing a very Dream Theater-esque main riff, complete with a very emotive guitar solo, which really helps to build this song about overcoming the odds into something truly epic.

Closing track ‘Fade to Grey’ is another favourite of mine. Similar to ‘A Question of Time,’ the original song was by an 80’s New Wave band (Visage) with a somewhat dreary male vocal. However, replacing the disco rhythm with nu-metal power chords and double bass drumming, Exit Eden have turned this synth-pop track into a heavy rock anthem. And Anna Brunner sounds totally at home belting out the chorus like a rock goddess!

As you would expect from such an experimental album, not all the covers hit home. For me, the version of Rihanna’s ‘Unfaithful’ falls into this category. While adding rock elements to a song like ‘A Question of Time’ helped to emphasise the sinister message of the track, I felt that turning a ballad about guilt into a heavier song worked against the meaning of the song. When Brunner sings the second verse with her aggressive punky voice, she sounds more like the angry victim of infidelity, rather than the remorseful perpetrator! Another song I feel could have been adapted better is their version of Adele’s ‘Skyfall.’ It starts well enough with a bluesy acoustic guitar intro and a great guest vocal from Epica singer Simone Simons. However, it starts going wrong when they try to add the classical elements to such a jazz-influenced song. Adele’s voice was perfectly suited to a James Bond theme song but when the chorus hits in this version, Amanda’s operatic vocals feel really out of place to me.

However, not all the songs alter the source material as much as we’ve seen so far. The Backstreet Boys ‘Incomplete’ was already a fairly melodramatic power ballad, filled with strings and group harmonies. The Exit Eden version just turns the band up to 11 and lets the ladies push their vocal talents above and beyond their male counterparts. We see the same on the Bryan Adams cover ‘Heaven.’  The original track had a fairly simple, slow arrangement, which unfortunately highlighted a lot of the limitations of Adams’ singing. However, the orchestral backing and faster tempo of this new version brings excitement to the track, while the beauty of the vocals makes the song soar. To put it another way, the original tracks sound like songs you’d want to sing in the car. The Exit Eden versions feel like songs you want to shout from the top of a mountain.

Final thoughts

My initial reaction to this album was definitely mixed. After a lifetime trying to avoid listening to any opera singing, I found it quite a struggle to appreciate some of the vocals. And being so familiar with most of the original songs, it took me a while to adjust to the new, heavier arrangements. But there were several tracks I instantly loved, such as ‘Incomplete’ and ‘Fade to Grey.’ And after listening to the album multiple times, most of the tracks, especially ‘Frozen’ and ‘Heaven,’ really grew on me! With my personal exceptions of ‘Unfaithful’ and ‘Skyfall’, I think they picked a wise selection of songs to adapt to a rock setting. The production value is brilliant, blending the classical instrumentation with the heavy metal band seamlessly, and the musicians all get plenty of moments to show off. But of course, the stars are the four lead singers. Even though I prefer some of their vocal styles over others, they complement each other perfectly during their harmonies, and their superior singing ability really elevates the songs.

Exit Eden have mentioned getting pushback from both pop fans and their own rock fans for making an album like this and to me, that seems kind of ridiculous. If you check out this album and decide you’d rather listen to the original versions, that’s cool. Those songs aren’t going anywhere! But it’s not a zero-sum game, and neither version of these songs diminishes the other. And honestly, the whole thing is just fun! The singing, the guitar solos, the costumes, the music videos: it’s all completely over-the-top. But I’d love to experience it live some time!

Recommended Listening

The Deep and the Dark – Visions of Atlantis

Fallen – Evanescence

In a Reverie – Lacuna Coil

S&M – Metallica

Going into this review, the only Megadeth album I was really familiar with was the predecessor to this one, 1990’s Rust in Peace. That was the first album to feature the ‘classic’ Megadeth line-up which appears on Countdown to Extinction: Dave Mustaine on lead vocals and guitar, David Ellefson on bass and backing vocals, Marty Friedman on lead guitar and Nick Menza on drums. And for those of you who are unfamiliar with metal music, it’s also regarded as one of the greatest heavy metal albums of all time, still influential 30 years later. After the success of Rust in Peace and the subsequent world tour, expectations were huge for Megadeth’s fifth album, as fans wondered how the band would follow an album featuring all-time classics like ‘Holy Wars…The Punishment Due’ and ‘Hangar 18.’

Despite their longstanding rivalry with Metallica, the members of Megadeth admitted that they took inspiration from the worldwide success of Metallica’s self-titled album in 1991 and Mustaine wanted to reach the same level of mainstream popularity. On Rust in Peace, instrumental virtuosity was pushed to the forefront, with all songs featuring complex guitar riffs played at a frantic pace. But if Megadeth were to replicate the success of the ‘Black Album’, a new radio-friendly approach to songwriting was needed.

With this in mind, the first four tracks are about as solid a start to an album as one could hope for. Opener ‘Skin o’ My Teeth’ sounds to me like an almost glam-rock song, with a bouncy rhythm and incredibly catchy riffs, which sets the tone for the new musical direction of the album. It’s amazing how a song about failed suicide attempts can feel so upbeat! It’s followed by the ominous ‘Symphony of Destruction,’ with a slower, thumping rhythm and clever lyrics about political power and complacency. With it’s simple structure and singalong chorus, this was an easy choice for lead single and quickly became one of their most iconic songs. ‘Architecture of Aggression’ sounds more like a classic metal song, with a warfare theme and darker guitar tone, but played at a groovy medium tempo. And ‘Foreclosure of a Dream’ switches gear once again to a folk-rock vibe, with a fingerpicked acoustic guitar riff and lyrics about economic deprivation, alternating with heavy choruses. These songs broadly represent the different music styles of the rest of the album and are great examples of Mustaine’s ability to write memorable hit songs.

But if this all sounds too mainstream for the metalheads, fear not! Because these tracks also showcase the talents of ex-Cacophony guitarist Marty Friedman, who for my money is one of the best players to come out of the 80’s shred guitar scene. To quote the man himself, “shredders are the guys in your friend’s basement who play insanely fast…but if you close your eyes and actually listen, what you hear is a pile of shit” and Friedman certainly avoids this trap. His solos on ‘Foreclosure of a Dream’ and ‘Symphony of Destruction’ are exciting because of their impressive speed but they’re so melodically written, they sound just as epic when slowed down (set your Youtube speed settings to 0.75 and see for yourself!) The guitar playing throughout the album is stellar and although Mustaine mostly sticks to rhythm playing, we do get a tasteful dual-guitar solo on ‘Countdown to Extinction’ and the way both men trade solos in closing song ‘Ashes in Your Mouth’ rivals the ending to ‘Hangar 18’

As mentioned, this album was written in response to Metallica so I expected plenty of moments to remind me of Mustaine’s former band. And there are certainly several riffs over the album which sound influenced by James Hetfield’s songwriting, notably anti-hunting anthem ‘Countdown to Extinction’ which opens with a dead ringer for the chorus of ‘Fade to Black’. However, what surprised me was the amount of moments that brought to mind Alice in Chains. The Seattle grunge band were the opening act for Megadeth on their last two tours before they began writing Countdown and it sounds to me like their music rubbed off on Mustaine. The opening riff to ‘This Was My Life’and the chorus for ‘Captive Honour’ both sound like they could have been lifted from AIC’s 2^nd album Dirt and the way Mustaine growls the high notes in the outro of ‘Sweating Bullets’ sounds eerily like the late Layne Staley. As well as these bands, the complicated main riff and punky attitude of ‘High Speed Dirt’ instantly made me imagine some Van Halen track about driving fast cars (although it’s actually about jumping out of a plane when your parachute doesn’t work, because this is metal and metal takes things one step further)

Unfortunately, the album is not without weak points. ‘Psychotron’ managed to keep my interest with Friedman playing multiple short guitar solos but overall, I found the song too repetitive to warrant the almost 5-minute length. And the album has a few slightly cartoonish tracks, such as ‘Captive Honour’ which includes a long voiceover section in which they act out a trial verdict, or ‘Sweating Bullets’ where Mustaine pulls out his best Mike Patton impression to portray a mental patient. I’m not sure whether these moments were intended to sound genuinely intimidating or they were aiming for dark humour but in either case, these songs fell a bit flat for me.

Fortunately, the album ends strong with ‘Ashes in your Mouth’* At 6 minutes long, this is the longest track on the album and for fans of their earlier work, this song is a welcome return to their thrash metal roots. With thoughtful lyrics about the pointlessness of war, a string of ripping guitar solos and a thunderous performance from Nick Menza, this is one of my highlights of the album.

(*well, this is the final track on the original version. The 2004 remastered version I listened to continues with 3 demo tracks and a bonus track, co-written by Diamond Head singer Sean Harris, called ‘Crown of Worms.’ It sounds like a Motorhead song. It’s pretty cool.)

Final Thoughts

With Countdown to Extinction, Megadeth set out to write a Number One album and although they ultimately lost the top spot to Billy Ray Cyrus (ouch) it’s not hard to see why the album was so successful. Mustaine really showed the range his songwriting ability with a mix of stomping rock anthems, punky glam-rock tunes and even a few rock ballads. His distinctive voice has often been mocked for being too nasal, but I was pleasantly surprised at how expressively he was able to sing throughout the album, especially on slower tracks such as ‘Foreclosure of a Dream’ and ‘Countdown to Extinction.’ The rhythm section of Ellefson and Menza give a restrained performance compared to earlier albums, with each only getting small moments to show off, but they both work well together to create heavy grooves and elevate these songs to their full power. Meanwhile, Friedman constantly steals the show with incredible guitar solos on almost every song. I didn’t feel that all of the tracks were as strong as the singles, particularly towards the end, but I enjoyed the whole album. This is a fantastic ‘gateway’ album for anyone who’s unfamiliar with metal music and for the purists who heard that Megadeth went ‘poppy’ for this album, I encourage them to take another listen!

Recommended albums

‘Metallica’ by Metallica

‘Dirt’ by Alice in Chains

‘Rust in Peace’ by Megadeth

‘Cowboys from Hell’ by Pantera