Following the success of their recent sophomore EP ‘Goldpark 2!,’ indie-rock trio Goldpark are back today with their festive cover of “Last Christmas.”
Goldpark put their own spin on Wham!’s hit song by infusing the iconic holiday track with their energetic indie-rock sound and glistening pop melodies. “‘Last Christmas’ was one of the first songs that came to our minds when thinking about Christmas songs that we would like to cover,” the band says. “It strikes this interesting balance of being warm and bringing a smile to your face while also giving you a sense of sorrow. Those two things together tend to make a great Christmas song.”
Check out Goldpark’s cover of ‘Last Christmas’ below.
After dropping their second album and label debut, Nightfall, a few months ago, German metalcore powerhouse SETYØURSAILS have just unveiled another new outburst, showcasing their variety and multifaceted sound in the best way with a powerful cover of Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper‘s soundtrack hit “Shallow”. Joining forces with Mike Perez from No Bragging Rights, they turn the ballad upside down and into a modern and massively energetic hardcore performance.
The new single is visually underlined via an intense music video capturing the band’s eclectic attitude and framing it with eccentric lighting in different colors. In addition, the video marks a new chapter in the band’s history, as it features new band members Hendrik Kellershohn (drums) and Nicolai Hoch (bass) for the very first time.
SETYØURSAILS about “Shallow”: “We are very happy to release the video for our fourth single ‘Shallow’ feat. Mike Perez today. Yes that’s right ‘Shallow’ by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper! Since Mike Perez of No Bragging Rights is one of Jules’ favorite singers, we feel it is a great honor to have him on board. We are not fans of judging genres, which is why covering ‘Shallow’ made us extremely excited. It’s an incredibly well written song, with wonderful melody lines. To transform this into our style was just mega exciting. Our producer and friend Julian Breucker did a really great job. Love greetings at this point.We hope that people like it as much as we do. Since we’re on tour right now, we’ve already had the opportunity to play it live for the audience.”
One of the most recognizable songs by Brazil’s Sepultura is 1996’s Roots Bloody Roots. A cultural statement on the social trife between the different groups present in the country spoke to classically-trained native Bruna Wanderley who picked up her cello to create a new rendition of the classic song. She speaks to the meaning behind the track:
“Twenty-six years ago, Roots Bloody Roots pleaded for the preservation of Brazilian cultural diversity. Today, Kapitur’s distinctive revisit of the song revolves around the historical alienation of common people regarded as different, the bloody roots of us outsiders. It grips on the struggle of finding oneself estranged from one’s original and adoptive cultures, to the ongoing murder and colonization suffered by many in a land that was theirs for centuries; from immigrant, racial, religious intolerance to the global, modern alien anxiety suffered by African descendants and their relationship to an inaccessible homeland. Roots Bloody Roots is about you, or someone you know and care for.”
Check out Kapitur’s cover of ‘Roots Bloody Roots’ below.
Evanescence have dropped a cover of The Beatles’ Across The Universe’
The cover is taken from the Fab Four’s final record ‘Let It Be’ was originally a part of their Synthesis setlist, and it was then released on the Bonus CD ‘A Live Session From Rock Falcon Studio’ which came with the band’s latest album ‘The Bitter Truth’.
Irish pop-punk newcomers CROWN THE KING have released a cover of Westlife’s ‘When You’re Looking Like That’ as a gift to fans this festive season.
“Okay, so technically it’s not a Christmas song, but we did a cover of Westlife’s ‘When You’re Looking Like That’ for TikTok earlier in the year and people got really into it. I had written a full arrangement even though we only needed a chorus for the TikTok and it was just too good not to release in full,” says guitarist Seán Hodson. “As a fellow Irish boyband it seems fitting that we would pay homage to the lads and since Christmas is coming up it’ll be much easier to tell my extended family that I’m in a Westlife tribute act than it would be trying to explain to them what pop punk is,” he adds.
“The first album I ever got for Christmas when I was a kid was Westlife’s ‘Coast to Coast’ and though my tastes (obviously!) changed over the years, ‘When You’re Looking Like That’ has always stuck out for me as a great song! For years I’ve wondered how it’d sound in a pop-punk setting – and thanks to Sean’s absolute wizardry, now we know! We are so happy with how it came out and hope you all enjoy it too,” says bassist Eanna Brown.
The band are also gearing up to release their anticipated 4-track debut EP ‘Groundhog Day‘, set for release on 2nd February (self-release), and will be playing their first ever live show on 11th February at Whelan’s in Dublin.
Check out the cover for ‘When You’re Looking Like That’ below.
New Zealand’s highest streaming rock band, Written By Wolves, have released a version of Linkin Park’s ‘Papercut’ as a gift for fans this holiday season.
Vocalist Michael Murphy says of the track, “‘Without Linkin Park there is every chance that Written By Wolves would not exist. They paved the way for our band and for many others like ours and were pioneers of a whole new sound. We have talked for a long time about recording a tribute to Linkin Park – especially since the tragic loss of Chester. With all that has happened in the last 2 years we figured now was the time – a last minute holiday gift to our fans to end 2021…’
The band’s latest EP, The Collab Project, released earlier this year, is a collection of re-imagined collaborations of tracks from their debut album ‘Secrets’. Sonny Sandoval (P.O.D.), Trenton Woodley (Hands Like Houses), Kellin Quinn (Sleeping With Sirens), and others collaborated on tracks for the EP. Find out more about ‘The Collab Project’ initiative as explained by Murphy here.
Switzerland’s industrial black metal force SAMAEL are back with a brand new music video for their cover version of The Beatles“Helter Skelter”. On the occasion of the 53rd anniversary of the release of “Helter Skelter”, SAMAEL celebrates the legacy of the band and the birth of heavy metal. The song originally appeared on their latest album, Hegemony.
On “Helter Skelter” the Industrial formation travels way back to the end of the 60s, examining the dark sides of technology and spirituality, including numerous references to the song’s original time frame. With whispering screams, metallic drums, shredding guitar play and targeted string inserts, SAMAEL create a majestic yet intimidating, cuttingly clear soundscape that presents the legendary The Beatles composition in a whole new light while still staying true to its roots.
SAMAEL on“Helter Skelter”: “To the question ‘what is the first Metal song ever recorded‘, we’ve decided to answer “Helter Skelter” from The Beatles! To commemorate the 53rd anniversary of the first release of “Helter Skelter” and consequently the birth of Heavy Metal, we present you with a video of our own version of the song. The video exposes the dark side of technology and spirituality with numerous references to the time frame in which the song was originally released. Musicwise, we’ve tried to stay true to the original version of the track but we’ve approached it like it is our own composition. The song appears on our latest album, Hegemony.”
We Came As Romans recently have been touring their long-overdue ‘To Plant A Seed’ anniversary tour, which featured The Devil Wears Prada as support.
And with the two bands touring with one another, WCAR took the opportunity to prank TWDP in quite possibly one of the best ways on the last date at The Crofoot Ballroom in Pontiac, MI and how did they do that? Oh by covering Prada’s 2006 scene classic ‘Dogs Can Grow Beards All Over’ on stage with them.
And there’s a bit of fan shot footage to go with it!