There is a certain charm to metal songs and the melodies that have become memorable from ages past. Covers are one way that bands pay homage to the tunes and the influential bands that have made them. The covers are an interesting exploration into how a melody sets a mood and paints our mood and life.
Steve ‘N Seagulls are a country band from Finland and play bluegrass versions of popular metal/hard rock songs. They blew up in the scene with their cover of “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC that had a bunch views (25 million and counting) on Youtube. Since then, they’ve garnered a steady following and an ardent fan base. The band is made up of Remmel on vocals, acoustic guitar, balalaika and mandolin; Herman on vocals, banjo and guitar; Hiltunen on accordion, kantele, mandolin, keys and flute; Pukki on double bass and vocals with Puikkonen on drums, percussion and vocals.
Their recent release ‘Brothers in Farms’ is warm and wonderful in every aspect. I was very surprised at how well the songs were handled and how innovative the approach was to deal with the melodies. These guys are very intelligent in how they incorporate even the most intense, heart-wrenching and mean sounding songs into the happiest, uplifting and inspiring tunes that will brighten up your day. They’ve played at concerts like Wacken Open Air and probably played at a street in near you and that’s how awesome this band is.
As a follow up to their 2015 album titled ‘Farm Machine’ , ‘Brothers in Farms’ gives you fourteen awesome bluegrass covers of your favourite rock and metal songs, featuring hits like “Aces High” by Iron Maiden, “Sad But True” by Metallica, “November Rain” by Guns N Roses, “The Pretender” by Foo Fighters , “Symphony Of Destruction” by Megadeth, “In Bloom” by Nirvana to name a few. My most favourite track off the record is “Aces High” because I am a huge Iron Maiden fan and this song never ceases to put a smile on my face. There isn’t a whole lot to be said about this band just because quite simply they do their job ridiculously well and play at a consistent rate that never makes you feel like you are missing something, considering the absence of thundering guitars or bone-crushing drums. Some might say they are not be taken seriously but I strongly disagree. These are very talented musicians who have made very impressive renditions of songs that we all love and have grown up with. That is a huge thing.
I would urge everyone to go ahead and buy this record. It’s great music for a get-together, singing aloud and feeling absolutely brilliant. Please catch them live as they may play in a city near you. Having said that, I am going to go out, visit my local farm and blast this album aloud to get into the feels. The production is on spot with such organic treatment to the sound, it almost makes me want to go out and buy the vinyl. I have nothing bad to say about the production, the arrangement or the way all of this is put together. I found the album art to be a bit silly, but hey, I am not complaining.