System of a Down is known for its ferocious guitar shredding and staccato vocals. Musician Andre Antunes replicated their guitar sounds and melded them with the similarly rapid-fire vocals of Punjabi singer Daler Mehndi and his energetic 1998 Indi-pop track Tunak Tunak Tun. We’ve struck internet gold, baby.
Now that he’s schooled us on the history of heavy metal music, guitarist Andrea Boma Boccarusso is back with a medley of iconic rock riffs from 1965 to 2022. Crank up the volume to 11 on your headphones and see how many you can guess without looking.
Multi-instrumentalist Joe Porter is back with another medley of music performed on various percussion instruments. This time, he played rock tunes from bands like Metallica, AC/DC, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Iron Maiden. It’s also likely to be the only time you’ll hear Sweet Child of Mine played on a steel pan drum.
The members of The Main Squeeze and their guest musicians present a stellar performance of the Pink Floyd classic Comfortably Numb. They captured the mood and emotion of the original while adding a soulful new dimension, thanks to the fantastic lead vocals by Corey Frye and killer guitar work of Maximillian Newman.
Musician Steve Welsh imagines what it might have sounded like if the album Appetite for Destruction wasn’t just written by Guns N’ Roses, but they shared writing credit with 11 other bands. We can’t decide if Motörhead It’s So Easy or Mr. Brownstone by Oasis is our favorite.
Leo Moracchioli is feeling glad, and he’s got sunshine in a bag. So kick back, crank up the volume, and enjoy his amped-up rock cover version of Gorillaz’s 2001 hit track Clint Eastwood. It’s so good that we want him to cover Dare now.
Musician Will Wilde is an incredibly talented harmonica player. He’s especially adept at interpreting vocal and guitar solos from rock songs, including this jam from Pink Floyd’s The Great Gig in the Sky. His harmonica solos from Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven and Guns N’ Roses Sweet Child o’ Mine are equally compelling.
Musician Martin Miller and his bandmates Nico Schliemann, Marius Leicht, Ben Jud, and Felix Lehrmann got together in the studio to perform this great medley of tracks from the 1990s. There’s something for everyone, including Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Alice in Chains, Radiohead, Lenny Kravitz, and Bryan Adams.
Musician Joe Porter is back with another round of covers performed on unexpected percussion instruments. Crank up the volume for Ozzy Osbourne’s Crazy Train on slapaphone, Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit on marimba, Dick Dale’s Misirilou on hammer dulcimer, and Rush’s YYZ on drums and a hammered synth controller.
Andre Antunes takes a momentary break from riffing on viral videos to perform a new arrangement of the Metallica track Master of Puppets as if it was performed by Muse. He does an amazing job capturing the nuances of the arena rock masters while creating an awesome new version of a classic metal track.
Here’s another cool AI-generated video. Like SolarProphet did before, Daara used Midjourney to create a sequence of haunting and dystopian images based on the lyrics to the Styx classic, Renegade. Oh mama, I’m in fear for my life from the long arm of Cyberdyne Systems.
Musician Justin Johnson is a blues guitar master. This captivating 43-minute video features a series of classic rock songs he arranged and performed on a beautiful Gretsch slide guitar, including tunes from ZZ Top, The Beatles, The White Stripes, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Rolling Stones, and more.
During the 2022 Glastonbury Festival, Jack White performed one of his biggest hits, and blew the roof off of the place – despite it being an outdoor event. The White Stripes’ 2003 classic Seven Nation Army sounds as killer as ever, and is the ultimate crowd-pleaser.
The rock group Heart is known for its memorable melodies, awe-inspiring vocals, and killer guitar riffs. While Luna Lee’s gayageum version of Crazy on You has us missing Ann Wilson’s powerful lead vocals, it’s still a fantastic cover version.
Percussionist Dennis Chambers has performed with acts including Santana, Parliament/Funkadelic, George Duke, and CAB. Drumeo challenged the legendary jazz-funk musician to listen to Tool’s Schism for the first time ever, after which he improvised a killer new drum track.
The Stylophone is a very basic analog electronic instrument that uses a conductive pen and a metal circuit board of “keys” as its input device. But with the help of a Digitech Whammy effects pedal and some quick pen play, maromaro1337 jammed out some iconic rock riffs on the monophonic keyboard. More here.
“It’s been a long time since I made a new friend… waiting on another black summer to end.” The Red Hot Chili Peppers just dropped their first new song in six years. The intro track off their album Unlimited Love also marks the return of producer Rick Rubin and guitarist John Frusciante. The album drops 4.1.22.
The members of Epic Symphonic Rock provide their orchestral take on three rock classics by Deep Purple: Smoke on the Water, Burn, and Highway Star, a song that brings back memories of getting our asses handed to us playing Rock Band on Expert difficulty.
During a halftime break, the Ohio State University Marching Band paid tribute to the legendary Canadian rock band Rush. The Buckeyes band added 20 extra toms and cymbals to their rhythm section for added oomph on tracks including Tom Sawyer, Limelight, YYZ, and Fly by Night. (Thanks Dave!)
Borrowing a page from Anthony Vincent, fellow musician Steve Welsh performs each of the songs from Nirvana’s Nevermind in the style of a different band or artist. The Green Day version of Lithium is our favorite, and we suggest listening to the full version of Weezer’s Come As You Are.
The sounds that Jimi Hendrix made with his electric guitar were unreal. Using a modified Hohner Clavinet D6 keyboard with a whammy bar, Aussie musician Lachy Doley rocked the house with a powerfully expressive performance of Voodoo Child. Doley and his band killed it with their cover of Steve Winwood’s I’m a Man too.
Most rock and metal songs get their edge with the help of an electric guitar. But what would Nirvana, Metallica, and Slipknot sound like if they could only play with acoustic guitars? Musician Jared Dines is here to show us just that.
“There’s evil in the air and there’s thunder in the sky, and a killer’s on the bloodshot streets.” These are not exactly the lyrics that you’d think would pair with a guy wearing a bowtie, a vest, and a flat cap, but Thomas Benjamin Wild Esq brings his own flair to a Meat Loaf classic with a cover performed on his banjo/ukulele hybrid.
