A Grove of Ashes and Aspens

Now Playing: Penny Dreadful by Elvenking

It’s not uncommon for bands to cover songs from other artists that have served as inspirations to their sound or songs that fit their lyrical theme, both in metal and in other genres. This can either go really well or really poorly, depending on how a band goes about making a song their own.

One of my personal favourite examples of this is Elvenking’s cover of the Skyclad song Penny Dreadful. Both bands are pagan themed folk metal bands, though they do have their own unique sounds.

Elvenking went about making it their own not only with Damna’s unique vocal sound and texture, but with a sound that, at least to me, feels a lot more textured. Damna brings a certain passion to any vocal part he has, catching the ear of listeners and making even the rhythm guitar parts sound more energetic in a way. The mix on the Elvenking cover also seems more melodic, but that could be me noticing the melodic aspects of the song more on the Elvenking cover.

Another little interesting thing that’s on the Elvenking cover of Penny Dreadful that isn’t on the original is the little violin motion at the end. It’s not often you hear metal songs end on a violin solo, so hearing it here is nice. It also gives a certain unique flair to the Elvenking cover, beyond the more energetic and vibrant feel of the mix.

Overall, I think it’s a cover that was really well done. This is one of those situations where I like the cover more than the original, even though it’s the same song at the core.