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Iron Horse: Fade to bluegrass - the bluegrass tribute to Metallica

08/03/10 || InquisitorGeneralis

Alabama pickin’ pluckers Iron Horse have made a career out of transforming rock and metal songs into sister bangin’, hooch sippin’ good bluegrass tunes and “Fade to Bluegrass” is definitely the best of the bunch. Shit, I listen to this morn that any Metallica disc except for “Kill Em All” and “Ride the Lightening”. “Master of Puppets’ just does not do it for me anymore and anything after that can go fuck itself. Yeah, you heard me. “…And Justice for All” just sounds too shitty for me and besides “Wherever I may roam” there is nothing much on the Black album I care about either. After that…well do we really even need to discuss that bullshit? Sometime the Metallica fanboyness on the site runs deep, and yes they were the biggest and most influential metal band in the world for a while. Still, I rarely, if ever, listen to anything after “Ride the Lightening”… and you know you do to unless your name is Smalldickor AnalTrauma who are at the time of this review both writing pieces for “…and Penises for All”.

Bluegrass is one of the few types of music we yanks can claim as our own and I’ll be a monkey’s toothless uncle if Iron Horse does not perfectly adapt some of Metallica’s most well known songs to it. Probably the most shocking thing is that my favorite song on here is “Hero of the day”, a song originally done on the atrocious cumbucket pissfest known as “Load”. Something about poor southern guys singing about how much life sucks seems more true than a bunch of rich fucken Californians who just released one of the most popular albums in the history of music. “The four horseman” also translates incredible well to the bluegrass way of life. Again, something about hearing about Biblical subject in a southern twang just seems to fit. All kidding aside, it is impressive how Iron Horse is able to translate the classic Metallica thrashin’ sound into enjoyable ‘grass tunes.

“Fuel” is probably the weakest track on here but “Wherever I may roam”, “Unfrogiven”, “Fade to black” and the surprisingly included “Ride the lightening” are all pretty spectacular. Honestly, really do enjoy these songs and not only for the novelty effect. Did I mention the fact that, for the most part, I hate country music except for some of the old school wifebeater drunks like Waylon Jennings, David Allen Coe, and Bocephus.

Something about “Fade to Blugrass” though gets me in touch with my hilltopping roots and I would recommend this to anyone who is feeling the urge to step outside the realm of metal and hear some classic songs done in a completely different, and extremely enjoyable, new light. If you feel like do some experimenting that does not involve your men’s racquetball partner at the gym pour yourself a big jug of moonshine and check out “Fade to Bluegayness”.

Seriously, ignoring all the previous bullshit I’ve written this album is pretty fucken cool and very enjoyable. It gets what it’s earned bitches.

Information
Released: 2003
Label: CMH
Website: Ironhorsebluegrass.com
Band
Vance Henry, guitar: lead & tenor vocals
Anthony Richardson: banjo, baritone & bass vocals
Ricky Rogers: bass, baritone & lead vocals
Tony Robertson: mandolin, lead & tenor vocals

Tracklist
01. Unforgiven
02. Nothing Else Matters
03. Enter Sandman
04. Hero Of The Day
05. Fade To Black
06. One
07. Ride The Lightning
08. Wherever I May Roam
09. Fuel
10. The Four Horsemen

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