By Andrew Bansal
The term ‘Big 4’ has been thrown around in the heavy metal universe a lot lately, and now we have in front of us what many people have been asking for, the Teutonic version of the Big 4, featuring Kreator, Sodom, Destruction and Tankard. Fans of Teutonic thrash have been eagerly waiting for some kind of union between these forces, and although the dream of seeing them perform together on stage still lives on, at least there’s hope now as the awesome foursome have decided to release a 4-track covers compilation, paying tribute to two of their major influences, Iron Maiden and Motorhead. This was released in December as a CD in Germany’s Legacy magazine, and is ready for release on February 15th in 10-inch mini-LP form via Nuclear Blast Records. I’m loving the influx of short-play releases this year. Easier to review and probably more enjoyable to listen to. So here goes yet another review of mine!
Messieurs Kreator and Tankard have picked Iron Maiden as their band of choice for tracks #1 and #4 respectively, while sandwiched in between are two Motorhead covers by Sodom and Destruction. Kreator kick things off with their version of ‘Number Of The Beast’, and I have to say this might be one of the best Maiden cover I’ve ever heard. It makes total and perfect sense, the manner in which Kreator have laid down the tune. In essence, it’s a thrashed-up version of the original, and showcases Kreator’s Maiden influence. Mille Petrozza does a fantastic job on the vocals, keeping the original patterns but lending his own angst to it. I wish Kreator does an all-Iron Maiden covers album some day, because I’m convinced that the band will sound exactly like how Iron Maiden would have sounded if they were a thrash band.
Sodom follows up this glorious start with their version of ‘Ace Of Spades’. I’m a little disappointed with their choice to be honest, considering the fact that this very song has been covered in the past only like 600 times. I would have preferred some other Motörhead tune, anything but ‘Ace Of Spades’! Sodom does a killer job with the tune nonetheless, and even though it’s not the ideal song choice for this compilation, I’d love to see them play it in their live shows.
Destruction do a better job with the Motörhead song selection than their 3-piece German counterparts in Sodom, going with ‘The Hammer’. Now here’s a song that deserves to be covered more often, and the mighty Destruction shows us how it’s done. Be it their original material, live performances, or indeed cover tunes, Destruction simply never disappoint, and this is just further proof.
The final track is Iron Maiden’s ‘The Prisoner’ by Tankard. I was pleasantly surprised by this choice to be honest, and I thought Tankard would go for something a little simpler, some tune that would fit a thrash band more. But kudos to them for doing justice to The Prisoner. The beer-fueled thrash vibe is evident even in a Maiden cover, such is the impact of Tankard. Besides Gerre’s amazing vocal delivery, guitarist Andreas Gutjahr has lent his own touch to the guitar solo and improvised on it to good effect. I can never get tired of hearing this song, and hails to Tankard for bringing it into spotlight again in front of the Teutonic thrash fans, some of whom might not have appreciated Maiden until now.
All in all, this is a very cool idea executed well by the bands involved. The mini-LP of this compilation should be a nice little collector’s item for fans of any of these four bands, and for fans of Maiden and Motörhead too. Now, if only the Big Teutonic Four can unite on stage, that would be the pinnacle of joy for every thrash metal fan.
Rating: 9/10
Record Label: Nuclear Blast
Release Date: February 15th 2013
Track Listing:
1. KREATOR – “The Number Of The Beast” (by Iron Maiden)
2. SODOM – “Ace Of Spades” (by Motörhead)
3. DESTRUCTION – “The Hammer” (by Motörhead)
4. TANKARD – “The Prisoner” (by Iron Maiden)
Links:
www.kreator-terrorzone.de
www.destruction.de
www.tankard.info
www.sodomized.info