In addition to charting their own unique course through the realms of metalcore and hard rock, Atreyu have often shone a spotlight on some of their most formative influences. That’s why the past 25 years have seen the band dip into covers of Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love a Bad Name,” Aerosmith’s “Living on the Edge” and more.
That said, while the California quartet’s forthcoming The Pronoia Sessions album — which hits streamers this Friday (October 25th) via Spinefarm — features an airy, Southern-stomped redo of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” and a stirring take on Audioslave’s “Like a Stone,” it’s not exactly a full-blown covers set.
It does, however, double as a tribute to some of the band’s key influences and their own early days, with the new LP boldly reimagining pieces of Atreyu’s broader catalog through acoustic arrangements and electronic accoutrement.
As Atreyu went about remaking and remodeling material for The Pronoia Sessions, they also put some thought into times in music history where a cover elevated an established classic cut in a most exciting new way.
“The best thing a cover song can do is breathe new life into a song, becoming its own beat and story,” the band — vocalist Brandon Saller, guitarists Dan Jacobs and Travis Miguel, bassist Porter McKnight and drummer Kyle Rosa — tell Revolver in a joint statement. “Covers let generations of music lovers get reintroduced to classics.
“Here are some of our favorites!”
Limp Bizkit – “Faith”
BRANDON SALLER There’s something to be said about a band that makes the same, if not bigger, impact with a song than the original. When this cover came out, I feel like millions of younger-generation kids heard “Faith” and had no idea who George Michael was. It almost stood on its own as a Limp Bizkit song.
The Black Crowes – “Hard to Handle”
DAN JACOBS Being a big Otis Redding fan, the Black Crowes’ cover of “Hard to Handle” has always resonated with me. In fact, I went 20 years after hearing the Black Crowes’ version before realizing that it was originally an Otis Redding song. It’s such a great song, and I had no idea it was a cover until I discovered the original, which is incredible as well.
That’s the beauty of a good cover song — it can breathe new life into a track and introduce it to new fans long after it’s left the limelight.
Johnny Cash – “Hurt”
PORTER MCKNIGHT “Hurt” by Nine Inch Nails is one of my all-time favorite songs. That song, and record [The Downward Spiral], helped me discover that there were other worlds that music can take you to. Growing up as a massive Johnny Cash fan, it was absolutely mind-blowing to hear him not only cover “Hurt,” but arguably make the song better!
The Clash – “I Fought the Law”
JACOBS Our band grew up on punk, and because we came of age in the Nineties, punk from the Seventies and Eighties had a huge influence on us, especially during our formative years. The Clash, in particular, were one of the greatest and most influential punk bands of all time.
Their cover of “I Fought the Law” [originally performed by the Crickets, and popularized by Bobby Fuller Four] is yet another testament to their brilliance, as they took a classic song and made it their own.
Metallica – “Whiskey in the Jar”
TRAVIS MIGUEL Metallica has a long history of choosing just the right songs to cover. Everything from underground punk (Discharge, Anti-Nowhere League, Killing Joke), to American dad-rock anthems (Bob Seger), to classic European/NWOBHM jams (Mercyful Fate, Maiden, Diamond Head, Sweet Savage). They even single-handedly put the Misfits back on the map in the late Eighties with a cover that I don’t even need to bother mentioning.
“Whiskey In The Jar” is no exception. When you add the weight and heaviness of Metallica to the undeniably melodic toe-tapping fun of the classic Thin Lizzy song, you can’t go wrong.