Gibburt

I never thought the day would come when I’d discover a great new band through my little sister. But the concert of local band Hellsongs she recently dragged me to at one of Gothenburg’s culture houses turned out to be highly entertaining. The three-piece cover hard rock and metal classics in laid-back acoustic arrangements. With only Björk-esque vocals, acoustic guitar, piano and occasionally cello, they uncover unexpected facets of material such as Judas Priest’s “Breakin the Law”, Maiden’s “Run to the Hills” or Slayer’s “Seasons in the Abyss”.

Mind you, this is not (just) an elaborate joke. Hellsongs’ re-interpretations may have none of the rhythmic drive or crunchy sound of the originals, but they are arranged and performed with such conviction and honesty that they gain a whole new dimension of subtle emotionality. Have a listen to their version of Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It” on their Myspace page and see if you don’t agree that it’s rather uplifting.

Filed under: Leisure by Ralf Damaschke | Social tagging: heavy metal