In 1994, an alternative rock band from Ireland named The Cranberries released the song that has since arguably become the defining song of the band, “Zombie”. In 2018, a heavy metal band from Los Angeles named Bad Wolves decided to cover the song on their debut album Disobey. The cover was originally going to be a full duet with lead singer of The Cranberries, Dolores O’Riordan. Sadly, however, she passed away before getting the chance. That leaves a rather interesting question: does the lack of the original singer hurt the cover’s chances to stand out on its own?
One fact that is inarguable is that Bad Wolves, or at least lead vocalist Tommy Vext, did not simply copy the original. While The Cranberries’ version is not completely gentle, the distorted guitar chords on the chorus are offset by Dolores O’Riordan’s softer voice. Even when raising her voice, O’Riordan still has a tone to her voice that gives it the feel of a hard-rocking folk song. The same cannot be said of Bad Wolves. Not only do they raise the intensity of the instruments to a hard rock level, Tommy Vext’s gravelly voice changes the feel of the song from a folk protest song to the soundtrack of a riot waiting to happen. The best way I can describe the emotions each version of the song elicits from me is as follows: The Cranberries made me feel sad about the situation, while Bad Wolves made me feel upset.
In addition, while The Cranberries’ version could be applied to war in general, the song was specifically written about an IRA bombing in 1993 that killed two young boys, with The Troubles being a backdrop to the song. However, there is no such subtext with Bad Wolves, who are clearly writing about war in general. For example, the line “It’s the same old thing since 1916” gets changed to “It’s the same old thing in 2018”.
In the end, I have to say that while the cover does what it sets out to do, that being update the original song and make it a general protest of violent conflicts rather than a song about a specific conflict, that same generality makes the song lose some of its edge. Dolores O’Riordan’s songwriting was arguably never as personal as it got in this song, and the amount of soul and pain she put in each line makes the song heart-wrenching. Bad Wolves, on the other hand, made the song a headbanging song that is fun to listen to. I feel like that makes the cover not bad, but also nowhere nearly as memorable or effective as the original. If you want a song that gets your blood pumping, with some thoughtful lyrics, the cover will fill that need. As a protest song, however, it heavily pales in comparison to the original.
One fact that is inarguable is that Bad Wolves, or at least lead vocalist Tommy Vext, did not simply copy the original. While The Cranberries’ version is not completely gentle, the distorted guitar chords on the chorus are offset by Dolores O’Riordan’s softer voice. Even when raising her voice, O’Riordan still has a tone to her voice that gives it the feel of a hard-rocking folk song. The same cannot be said of Bad Wolves. Not only do they raise the intensity of the instruments to a hard rock level, Tommy Vext’s gravelly voice changes the feel of the song from a folk protest song to the soundtrack of a riot waiting to happen. The best way I can describe the emotions each version of the song elicits from me is as follows: The Cranberries made me feel sad about the situation, while Bad Wolves made me feel upset.
In addition, while The Cranberries’ version could be applied to war in general, the song was specifically written about an IRA bombing in 1993 that killed two young boys, with The Troubles being a backdrop to the song. However, there is no such subtext with Bad Wolves, who are clearly writing about war in general. For example, the line “It’s the same old thing since 1916” gets changed to “It’s the same old thing in 2018”.
In the end, I have to say that while the cover does what it sets out to do, that being update the original song and make it a general protest of violent conflicts rather than a song about a specific conflict, that same generality makes the song lose some of its edge. Dolores O’Riordan’s songwriting was arguably never as personal as it got in this song, and the amount of soul and pain she put in each line makes the song heart-wrenching. Bad Wolves, on the other hand, made the song a headbanging song that is fun to listen to. I feel like that makes the cover not bad, but also nowhere nearly as memorable or effective as the original. If you want a song that gets your blood pumping, with some thoughtful lyrics, the cover will fill that need. As a protest song, however, it heavily pales in comparison to the original.