Each week, HEAVY will run a fresh list of 15 things to do with metal. They could be anything from metal karaoke songs to bands that have been banned from playing to horror-themed metal bands. You name it, if there are 15 or more of them out there, then HEAVY will assemble them into a list for you! This week’s list is Metal Tribute Albums.
When bands get together to cover another band’s music, that’s a fair sign that the band being covered is something pretty special. Bands invariably want to record their own material, but there will always be times when the urge to pay respect to a band/s that have played some role in their own development is impossible to resist.
And so HEAVY scoured the lands in search of some of the better Tribute albums in metal, and this is what we found…
SHOW NO MERCY: A TRIBUTE TO WASP
W.A.S.P. are a band who have influenced everybody, so it was no surprise when this was released in 1997 via Dwell Records.
The album features 14 tracks of cover versions of classic W.A.S.P. songs, such as I Wanna Be Somebody (covered by Aurora Borealis) and Wild Child (covered by Black Earth). Other artists featured on the tribute include Seven Witches, Abattoir, and Soulless.
GATEWAY TO HELL – TRIBUTE TO SLAYER
Around the turn of the century, you either hated Slayer or you were a devil worshipper, and the world has never seen so many people openly put their hand up in favour of the dark side if it meant getting to listen to one of the greatest thrash metal bands to ever grace the stage.
This 1999 tribute saw Dark Funeral cover Dead Skin Mask, Monstrosity give their take on Angel Of Death, and Imprecation take on Show No Mercy with 13 Slayer tracks in all featured.
WORLD OF PAIN – A TRIBUTE TO SEPULTURA
1999 seems to be the year of the tribute album, so it is only fitting Sepultura were bestowed one the year before the Y2K bug was supposed to end humanity. This is a good effort, featuring Pain Corporation, Hostile Intent, Hate Theory and others.
STRAIT UP – SNOT
Following the tragic loss of SNOT frontman Lynn Strait in 1998 and after just one album, the sense of loss in the music community was so high that the best of the best got together to release this album in honour of Lynn Strait and his dog Dobbs, who also died in the accident.
Bands such as KORN, Slipknot, Sevendust, Papa Roach, System Of A Down and others all poured their souls into the songs on Strait Up, making it one of the best tribute albums ever released in HEAVY’s humble opinion…
A TRIBUTE TO THE BEST BAND IN THE WHOLE GODDAMN WORLD! TRIBUTE TO IRON MAIDEN
Released in 1998, Made in Tribute: A Tribute to the Best Band in a Whole Goddamn World! is the first tribute compilation to Iron Maiden and features covers from established bands such as Arch Enemy, Therion and In Flames. There are a plethora of other tribute bands – as expected – but in the words of the mighty Highlander, today There Can Be Only One…
ROADRUNNER UNITED: THE ALL STAR SESSIONS
Roadrunner United was a project organized by American heavy metal record label Roadrunner Records to celebrate its 25th anniversary. It culminated in an album released worldwide on October 11, 2005, entitled The All-Star Sessions.
Four “team captains” were chosen to lead 57 artists from 45 past and present Roadrunner bands, and produce and oversee the album’s 18 tracks: then-Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison, Trivium frontman and guitarist Matt Heafy, Fear Factory guitarist Dino Cazares, and Machine Head frontman and guitarist Robb Flynn. While not actually a tribute album per se, it still features a shitload of great bands and even better music.
NATIVITY IN BLACK – TRIBUTE TO BLACK SABBATH
Nativity in Black: A Tribute to Black Sabbath is a two-part tribute release, with the first coming out in 1994 and the other 6 years later. The albums feature various heavy metal groups performing cover versions of Black Sabbath songs in tribute to the band.
All of the tracks featured on the Nativity in Black albums cover material strictly from the band’s 1970s heyday with vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. Bands include White Zombie (Children Of The Grave), Megadeth (Paranoid), Sepultura (Symptom Of The Universe) and Ugly Kid Joe (N.I.B).
RONNIE JAMES DIO TRIBUTE: THIS IS YOUR LIFE
Ronnie James Dio – This Is Your Life is a 2014 tribute album to Ronnie James Dio, lead singer of several heavy metal bands, including Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, and his own band Dio. The album features many of Dio’s contemporaries performing songs originally recorded by Dio. Tenacious D won the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance at the 57th Grammy Awards for their cover of The Last in Line, and Anthrax were nominated in the same category for their cover of Neon Knights.
A TRIBUTE TO JUDAS PRIEST – LEGENDS OF METAL
A double tribute album, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, A Tribute to Judas Priest: Legends of Metal features bands such as Helloween, Overkill, Saxon, Heavens Gate, Blind Guardian, Mercyful Fate, and Iced Earth paying respect to Judas Priest.
Not all songs were recorded specifically for the albums, with some having been previously released by the artists.
BAT HEAD SOUP – TRIBUTE TO OZZY
You could put out 100 tribute albums to Ozzy Osbourne, and it still wouldn’t be enough, but this 2000 effort isn’t a bad place to start.
Featuring guest artists on each instrument in a band setting, this is as complete a tribute as you can get. Check out this line-up for the song Desire to get an idea… Bass – Tony Franklin, Drums – Vinnie Colaiuta, Guitar – Richie Kotzen, Vocals – Lemmy Kilmister. Need I go on?
EYEHATEGOD – FOR THE SICK
For the Sick is the title of the various artists tribute album to one of the most influential sludge metal bands, Eyehategod. It was released through Emetic Records on March 20, 2007. Featuring bands like Byzantine, Raging Speedhorn and The Esoteric, this is one hell of an album!
RE-MACHINED: A TRIBUTE TO DEEP PURPLE’S MACHINE HEAD
Re-Machined: A Tribute to Deep Purple’s Machine Head is a 2012 tribute album that features a variety of hard rock and heavy metal bands covering songs written by Deep Purple. Groups on the multi-artist collection include Black Label Society and Iron Maiden, among others.
DREAM THEATRE: A CHANGE OF SEASONS
While not strictly ALL metal, this album features bands that influenced Dream Theatre and their music, including Iron Maiden, Metallica, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Deep Purple.
VARIOUS ARTISTS: A TRIBUTE TO THE LEGENDARY TWISTED SISTER
Twisted Sister shocked a generation of teens and parents with their wild, carefree music and attitude, so it is only fitting that a tribute album to the band be something a little outside the box.
Black metal, Speed, Thrash, Power and more genres are represented here, with bands from Lit to Motorhead to Anthrax to Nashville Pussy paying their respects.
WE’RE A HAPPY FAMILY: A TRIBUTE TO THE RAMONES
Covering songs from a band like the Ramones would be hard enough, but when original member Johnny Ramone is overseeing the whole album, it would be almost impossible to stay calm.
But that’s what happened here as Marilyn Manson, Metallica and Red Hot Chilli Peppers were amongst the bands lending their talents to this tribute album. Throw in a hidden track from John Frusciante and you can pretty much sign straight off on it…
