Hydra Head Records(1997)
It's pretty hard to technically botch a Black Sabbath cover. Being little more than a dirge of distorted blues chords, they are commonly some of the first songs that novice guitarists of good taste bumble through. So the question then becomes whether to play the songs straight up as tributes or to expand in directions the originals only hinted at. But this provides a set of pratfalls. Sticking too close to the progenitor's style lands you in that reoccurring local-dive bar-scene territory, while taking too many artistic liberties causes the song to collapse from excessive deviation - bad news for a Sabbath track.
In this split between grind kings Brutal Truth and a pre-Jane Doe Converge, a collective attempt to foil this heavy metal conundrum is made. Both bands, to varying degrees, take a middle path between tribute and experimentation with Black Sabbath. For Brutal Truth, this approach acknowledges a momentary shift in their sound, as nary a blastbeat can be found in their cover of the doom-laden "Cornucopia". Though a slight increase in speed and inherent crust of the band help avoid any shameless idol flattery. Yet, it is Converge's take on "Snowblind" which gets the blue-ribbon. Oddly enough, it comes across almost musically identical to the Sabbath version. That is, until Jacob Bannon unleashes his inhuman vocal exorcism upon the once crooned lines of Ozzy, smothering them in a malevolence that the heavy metal of Sabbath's era may have claimed but never actually produced. Perhaps the most remarkable insight to arise here is how comparable the melodies in "Snowblind" are to those found in the earlier, more melodically inclined material of Converge. Even with this unlikely connection drawn, it's still amusing to hear such a definitive hardcore band play what is essentially a rock song, and do it in a way that won't make you cringe.
BOTTOM LINE: Classic bands covering classic songs by another classic band. Do the math.
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