When we think of cover bands, several things come to mind: bad singing, drunken musicians, and overplayed classic rock, just to name a few. One thing that doesn’t instantly jump to mind is an orchestra. If The Rock Orchestra has anything to say about it, that will all change very soon.
The Rock Orchestra describes themselves as classical musicians, breathing dark energy into legendary metal tracks. While for the most part that’s true, Classics, Vol. 1 leaves a little to be desired.
AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” opens the album with loud drum thumps and a series of strings that well mimic the guitar chords of the original. It’s a bit of a surprise to hear female vocals replace the iconic Brian Johnson, but in all honesty, the energy is still there for the most part.
Oddly enough, even with everything properly placed, halfway through the listener’s attention span begins to wane. It is hard to put your finger on where and why things derail, but when the skip track button is found, you will more than likely hit it twice for good measure.
Linkin Park’s “Numb” is the follow-up track, and it doesn’t fare much better.
Here, the orchestrated instruments offer a lot of promise, starting ever so lightly before building into a crescendo, but once the vocals hit, everything comes to a screeching halt like two vehicles in a car crash. Gone are Chester Bennington’s crisp and clear vocals, and instead, there is a woman who sounds like she is singing to her elementary school class. Just when you think things can’t get much worse, the floor-shaking power of the original’s refrain is marked impotent on the spot.
No one is asking you to copy Bennington’s voice note for note. Heck, no one asked you even to cover the song at all, but if you are going to do it, please apply a little more effort. Leaving things this way is tragic when it could have been a tribute.
Can’t you see that you’re smothering me? Holding too tightly, afraid to lose control.
Next up is Evanescence’s “Bring Me To Life.” This is the first song on the album that isn’t instantly recognizable. There is an added ethereal sound at the beginning notes that suits the song well enough, if not completely organic. The problem, once again, comes down to the vocals.
Amy Lee sings the original with a beautiful innocence and an added sense of urgency. It’s not to say that these elements aren’t here, but they are delivered by someone who is better suited for karaoke. Once the rapper pops in, all hope of anyone redeeming this cover is lost.
It’s sad to think that this song could have been much more if the band hadn’t relied on random guest vocalists to fill the spot when needed. A designated lead singer can make all the difference when choosing songs to represent the band. After all, Pearl Jam wouldn’t be the same with Perry Farrell behind the microphone.
As Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters” opens, the instrumentation is nothing less than beautiful. Reminiscent of a music box until the somber strings chime in. Almost immediately, the listener knows this track is what The Rock Orchestra could have been.
Even if the vocals don’t quite measure up to the original, it is difficult to say anything bad about this track, giving one hope for what is to come on the rest of the album.
Sadly, the band commits a faux pas and covers “Enter Sandman” just a few tracks later. For everything good said about “Nothing Else Matters,” the opposite can be said about “Enter Sandman.” This seems like a nearly comical version done during the big band era, and the vocals sound like they are delivered by a hair band flunky.
It’s not to be said that one can’t totally change a song’s genre, but it should, at the very least, complement the song.
Such is the case with Aerosmith’s “Dream On.” This song is slowed down considerably, and that means a lot, given that it was already slow. The delicate instruments allow for the vocals to shine and the meaning of the lyrics to come through.
With only two listenable songs this far into the album, it is more than a little disheartening to see that there are only four tracks left on this debut LP. It gets worse when Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name” kicks in.
Possibly the worst cover thus far, everything seems to crumble here. Another set of big band era sounds set to a man trying his best at sounding menacing and failing miserably. His vocals aren’t quite a growl, but definitely aren’t singing either.
We’ll just call it experimental to be nice.
This literally feels like two bad songs mashed together into one monstrosity with no redeeming quality except for the final note. The first listen through practically had me laughing.
Of course, this album wouldn’t be complete without the overly covered “Zombie” by The Cranberries. Here, we get a passable version of the song that neither adds nor takes away from the original.
With their cover of “Nothing Else Matters,” it was easy to have high hopes for this one, praying that the musicians would find a way to take this song to the next level. Instead, we get phoned-in singing and bland instrumentation. Honestly, there isn’t much to complain about because there isn’t much here.
To end the album, The Rock Orchestra goes all out to cover Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven.” As in most of their other songs, the instruments are fine-tuned and accomplish the tone and depth they are meant to. There is a certain sway in your soul as each note is played that makes you want to dance.
One can’t help but feel that this is the way the band was meant to be: rock instrumentals without any vocals within earshot. So many songs on this 11-track album could have been saved with a different vocalist or none at all. The way we have it now, there are barely more than 3 songs worth listening to more than once, and zero that deserve hitting that repeat button.
What is your favorite track on ‘Classics, Vol. 1 ‘?
Listen to ‘Classics, Vol 1’.
Follow us on X and on Instagram!
Like us on Facebook!
Charles E. Henning
Self-proclaimed "entertainment guru" Charles E Henning fills his free time reading books, watching movies, and listening to music. While not always up on the latest trends, he is consistently willing to dissect the themes of pop culture.