Top 20 Heavy Metal Cover Versions Ranked

In writing this article, I was more than a little surprised at just how many Heavy Metal bands have done cover versions over the years. Then I was even more surprised at the sheer breadth of songs that have been re-imagined. The hardest thing was actually narrowing the list down to twenty, and the second hardest thing was putting them into some kind of order of preference.

It certainly was not an exact science, and as I was writing this piece, the pecking order changed repeatedly. By no means exhaustive and definitely not authoritative, here is my best pick for the Top 20 Heavy Metal Cover Versions.  

20. Take On Me – Vision Divine – Send Me An Angel (2002).

Italian rockers Vision Divine took A-ha’s ’80s pop classic and turned it into a very credible Metal track. It’s still got a poppy feel, and yes, keyboards as well, but the galloping guitars and drums announce this version’s genre trip, and Fabio Lione’s vocals absolutely nail this. 

19. Live And Let Die – Guns N’ Roses – Use Your Illusion Part 1 (1991).

There are stranger songs for a Metal band to cover than a Bond theme performed by Wings, but maybe not many. Guns N’ Roses really go for it with their version of this song, much less restrained than the original, and with a fabulous pre-grunge over-the-top-ness that made the late ’80s and early ’90s a great place to be for Metalheads.

18. Black Sheep of the Family – Rainbow – Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow (1975).

This is a cover of the Quatermass original version, which actually gave the original artists a shot in the arm and shifted an extra twenty thousand copies of their album. Anyway, Rainbow really let rip with their version of this song, with lots of nice bluesy licks from Blackmore, and on-point vocals from Ronnie James Dio.

17. Something ‘Bout You Baby I Like – Status Quo – Never Too Late (1981).

Much like the Quo themselves, this is a song that’s been around the block, and then some. Previously recorded by Tom Jones, and then as a duet by Glen Campbell and Rita Coolidge, the Frantic Four’s incarnation is by far the most, well, frantic. This song really sits well with Status Quo’s signature sound, and it’s no surprise that A: it was released as a single, and B: it did rather well in the charts.

16. Tantric – The Chain – After We Go (2004).

Tantric really updated and beefed up this Fleetwood Mac classic from the ’70s. Deeper, more threatening vocals, dirty guitar and tight, encircling drumming keep this song intense and an absolute pleasure to listen to. And while the original always seemed to me to be two songs stitched together, this version effortlessly combines both acts into one awesome whole.

15. Set Me Free – Saxon – Crusader (1984).

Biff and the boys from Barnsley crank up the volume and do what they do best with this reworking of an old Sweet song. And that’s not to say the original wasn’t chock-full of jumping beans. It was. And sure, I may be showing my bias here, but Saxon took that hot rocking powderkeg that is this song, gave it an added kick in the guts, and sent it into orbit, in a very good way.

14. Born To Be Wild – The Cult – Electric (1987).

The Cult went right back to Heavy Metal basics with this album, and especially so with this song, with the riffs even more pared down than the original, although the solo is immense. Covering a bona fide Metal classic is always taking a risk, but The Cult hit gold with this one, combining respect for the original with a twist all of their own.

13. Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) – Marilyn Manson – Smells Like Children (1995).

The Eurythmics original was an edgy, synthy ’80s song that showed that pop music could still have real depth. Marilyn Manson took that canvas and gave us a truly terrifying, slime-soaked, gruesome version in a way that only he can. Combine that with the visuals of the video, and you’ve got a truly phenomenal musical statement. 

12. Saturday Night’s All Right For Fighting – Nickelback – The Long Road (2003).

Elton John playing the original was a real curveball, but in a good way, and so Nickelback’s galloping Metal version is, in some ways, more predictable. The foursome from Hanna really let rip on their version, playing it in their very familiar style. Nickelback are truly, really awesome, and turning their talents to this song proves why. 

11. Evil Woman – Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath (1970).

Black Sabbath covered this on their debut album, and it sits perfectly alongside their own songs. It’s doomy, it’s stark and dark. It’s an ideal complement to the Sabbath sound, and in 1970, it allowed the band to make their mark in a truly original way.    

10. Ride Like The Wind – Saxon – Destiny (1988).

Saxon took this Christopher Cross song and gave it one almighty injection of late-’80s Metal. In fact, it was so damn catchy it was released as a single, and jolly good it was too. A lot heavier than the original, it really fitted in with Saxon’s style, and unusually for our down-to-earth Yorkshire lads, even their music video was, well, pretty cool for its time.

9. Lollipop – Framing Hanley – The Moment (2007).

Framing Hanley covered this Lil Wayne rap song and played like it was only ever a rock song. It appears as a bonus track on their debut album, The Moment. It’s a great, thoroughly entertaining song, and the video will raise a smile to every under-thirty who watches it, and remind everyone over thirty just what it meant to be young.

8. Helter Skelter – Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson – Twins Of Evil (2018).

This song has long been regarded as proto-Metal, one of the first Heavy Metal songs ever, recorded by none other than The Beatles. Then, after fifty years of Heavy Metal, Misters Zombie and Manson gave us their own take on it.

The end result is deeper, slower, and oh so much heavier. Take nothing away from the original, but the revamped version remains something very special. 

7. The Real Me – W.A.S.P. – The Headless Children (1989).

The Headless Children was most definitely W.A.S.P.’s first grown-up album, showing a depth and maturity that remains a pleasure to hear. None more so than this, their cover of The Who’s classic from Quadrophenia.

You can feel Blackie Lawless’ paranoia and desperation as he sings the tortured lyrics. Overall, it’s not that much heavier than the original, but it’s a whole lot darker.

6. Stairway to Heaven – Far Corporation – Division One (1985).

I’ll hold my hands up and say that this was the first version of Stairway that I heard. Yes, I also heard all of the outrage from my mates, many of whom were Led Zep fans, who, like quite a few Prem League footie fans, probably took things a bit too seriously.

Let’s face it, Far Corporation treated this song with respect and delivered it in the mid-’80s style. In and of itself, it’s a really good version of the song, and I loved the video, which, if I remember rightly, had two drummers. Rock on!

5. Cats In The Cradle – Ugly Kid Joe – America’s Most Wanted (1992).

Ugly Kid Joe went very deep with this cover of Harry Chapin’s song. It’s a heartbreaking song about a boy who resents not being able to spend time with his father, and then turns out to be the very same father himself when he grows up.

You can’t help but be hit between the eyes by this song, and Ugly Kid Joe gave it a whole load of feeling with their version. Excellent stuff!

4. Whiskey In The Jar – Thin Lizzy, (1973).

Not so much a cover of a specific band’s song, more of a traditional Irish folk song that had been sung by The Dubliners and then The Highwaymen before Phil Lynott’s legendary band took hold of it, way back in the ’70s.

This version is electrifying, and simultaneously takes you back in time to the Cork and Kerry mountains, and also front and centre at a rock concert.

3. Mony Mony – Billy Idol – Vital Idol (1985).

This is a reworking of the Shondells’ song from way back in ’68 (a very good year). Billy Idol recorded a studio version and then released a live version, which absolutely cleaned up in ’87.

Complete with some corrosive Steve Stevens guitaring, Mr Idol absolutely took this song into another dimension, and all of it was Metal.

2. I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll – Joan Jett And The Blackhearts – I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll (1981).

This was one of the first Heavy Metal songs I ever heard, and I was sold from that moment on. This song was first recorded by The Arrows, with whom Joan Jett toured during her time in The Runaways. Joan Jett’s version is one hundred per cent Heavy Metal.

It’s dirty, it’s sleazy, it’s truly addictive. It’s got a riff that will stay with you forever, and if you get to see the video, there’s a bona fide neck bend on the guitar.

1. Still I’m Sad – Rainbow – Rainbow On Stage (1977).

Rainbow did an instrumental cover of the Yardbirds’ song on their debut album, but they absolutely owned it with their live album. Literally everything about this version is on point, from the soaring vocals to the sublime guitar attack, and just when you think it’s all over, the drum reprise at the end is just absolute Heavy Metal heaven.  

And there we have it, a short, very short list of the many excellent Heavy Metal cover versions that are out there. You could so easily have a top 40, and you would still just be scratching the surface.

Of course, a list like this will only ever be subjective. Any one of us could have a whole different 20 songs as their pick, and that’s always something to celebrate.