442 by Dean Hughes

This book is made for young kids to teenagers. Far below my reading level, as it would be described by teachers. But I love this book. It's so good. After reading this book, I felt interested in learning more about the actual 442, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team

Summary

-After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, all people of Japanese descent are rounded up and sent to "war relocation centers", better known as internment camps because of Executive Order 9066, deeming them "enemy aliens." Yukus "Yuki" Nakahara and Shigeo "Shig" Omura join the US Army with other men to try and prove the Japanese people can be trusted. They get assigned to the famous 442nd Regimental Combat Team, an all Japanese military unit. They both see intense combat, face racial prejudice from other soldiers, the enemies and even people back home. But they also prove, along with the other Japanese soldiers from this unit, that the Japanese people can be trusted

55 Metal Covers of Classic Rock Songs Pt. I

We all know cover songs tend to be one musician's unique take on a song. With metal artists covering songs, sometimes they're good, better than the original. Sometimes the original is better than the cover. According to Loudwire.com, here are 55 metal cover songs of classic rock songs.

1. Allegaeon. "Subdivisions" by Rush

-This tech-death band also did a cover of the song "Animate" from Rush's 1993 album Counterparts. But this particular song is a bit hit for Allegaeon. It's still similar to the original, but with a few added quirks. That comes thanks to vocalist Riley McShane, who brings his amazing vocal range and tone. This band even does a cover of the Yes song "Roundabout"

2. Amorphis. "Light My Fire" by The Doors

-An odd combination at best, Swedish death metallers Amorphis covering The Doors "Light My Fire" on their album Tales from The Ten Thousand Lakes. Somehow, it worked. The folk-like keyboard worked perfectly with the band's new emerging sound, along with the deathly growls on the singing, rather than try and replicate Jim Morrison's singing

3. Anthrax. "Carry On Wayward Son" by Kansas

-Certainly an unusual choice. But, Anthrax managed to pull off a successful cover of the classic Kansas hit. They took this song and made it their own. It's featured on their album Leftoverthrax

4. Armored Saint. "Saturday Night Special" by Lynyrd Skynyrd

-Ever since the dawn of time, bands on major labels have been told they need to do at least one cover song. It might be something they like, it might be something they don't like. And later on, bands might choose to cover songs just for the fun of it. Chrysallis Records asked Armored Saint to cover the Lynyrd Skynyrd song "Saturday Night Special" on their album Raising Fear

5. Between the Buried and Me. "Bicycle Race" by Queen

-This band has an album called The Anatomy Of, and it's all covers. The most surprising choice on that album is the quirky "Bicycle Race" by Queen. Who knew that vocalist Tommy Rogers could sing like Freddie Mercury? This song might have had the metalcore fans scratching their heads, wondering what went wrong, but it was just the beginning of what was to come with the band's next album, Colors

6. Black Sabbath. "Evil Woman" by Crow

-Crow originally wrote this song in 1969 for their debut album Black Sabbath. It was a massive hit in the US, but was left off of Black Sabbath's debut album, instead replaced with "Wicked World." The Black Sabbath version of this song is dripping with doom and gloom while the original is upbeat

7. Blessthefall. "Dream On" by Aerosmith

-Released in 2010 on an album called Punk Goes Classic Rock, it found artists covering various classic rock songs. The most interesting track here is the cover of "Dream On" by Blessthefall. Instead of the piano on the original, this band uses an electronic synth and made it unique

8. Body Count. "Hey Joe" by Billy Roberts

-Not what you would expect. On the 1994 Body Count album Born Dead is a cover of the song "Hey Joe." Billy Roberts is credited with writing the original while Jimi Hendrix himself covered the song. In terms of lyrics, this song is good for Body Count because it centers around shooting someone

9. Carnivore. "Manic Depression" by Jimi Hendrix

-The album this is off of, Retaliation, showcased the eclectic taste in music vocalist Peter Steele had. They covered the Jimi Hendrix song "Manic Depression."  Despite the overly psychedelic feel to the original, this cover was redone with the maximum amount of distortion and raw-sounding production

10. Celtic Frost. "Heroes" by David Bowie

-This band's version of the David Bowie classic bears little to no similarity to the original. It's featured on the album Vanity / Nemesis. If you want a good cover of David Bowie's "Heroes", check out Motorhead's cover of the song. Lemmy's raspy vocals lend it a metal hand and it's surprisingly good

11. Children of Bodom. "Somebody Put Something in My Drink" by The Ramones

-Joey Ramone had raspy vocals, and on this song, he sounds as if he gargled with gravel. This made it the perfect song for Children of Bodom to cover. This band always seems to put a fun feeling into their songwriting. It's featured on their album Skeletons in the Closet

12. Cirith Ungol. "Fire" by The Crazy World of Arthur Brown

-These progressive / power metallers take on the iconic "Fire" on Paradise Lost

13. Crowbar. "No Quarter" by Led Zeppelin

-Led Zeppelin is one of those bands that have a major reputation. And it's hard to successfully cover one of their songs. If a band does choose to cover one of their songs, it must be done without fear and with respect. New Orleans sludge metal band Crowbar successfully covered the song "No Quarter" in 1993. They took the Led Zeppelin song, which was about an army taking no prisoners and showing no mercy, and turned it into a trip into the land of despair

14. Dark Angel. "Immigrant Song" by Led Zeppelin

-This was one of the heaviest songs Led Zeppelin had written, telling of the Norse invasion of England. This made it one of the first Viking Metal songs. It was a good choice for Los Angeles thrashers Dark Angel. The original song, running at two minutes, was reduced to one and a half minutes by the impatient hands of the band, starring on Dark Angel's Leave Scars album

15. Death. "God of Thunder" by KISS

-Written originally by Paul Stanley, it was tailor made for Gene Simmons and his raspy vocals. It became the staple by which Gene Simmons would start to spit fake blood on the stage. Death metal band Death and vocalist Chuck Schuldiner gave this mighty Kiss classic a death metal overhaul. It's featured on their album Human

16. Destruction. "My Sharona" by The Knack

-Thrash metal band Destruction took the 1979 song "My Sharona" and gave it a thrash metal makeover on their album Cracked Brain

17. Disturbed. "The Sound of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel

-Featured on the 2015 album Immortalized, vocalist David Draiman took the classic Simon and Garfunkel hit and made it hauntingly beautiful. Starting out singing slow and rising in pitch to his screaming / singing voice, accompanied by orchestral instruments, it became hauntingly beautiful. The fans quickly embraced the song and so did Paul Simon himself

18. Dream Theater. "Funeral for a Friend" by Elton John

-This band happens to be fans of all things progressive rock, 1970s. When they decided to do songs for their 1995 A Change of Seasons EP, not surprisingly, the prog rock legends they chose to cover included Genesis, Pink Floyd, along with Kansas. Elton John was even in there. The song of choice was "Funeral for a Friend / Love Lies Bleeding."

19. Exodus. "Low Rider" by War

-Appearing on the album Fabulous Disaster, Exodus covered the classic War hit. Instead of the saxophone parts, the band harmonized together, making for a surprisingly good rendition of the song. It's essentially a thrash metal makeover of a song that appeared on Soul Train

20. Flotsam and Jetsam. "Saturday Night's All Right for Fighting" by Elton John

-This band had to work with the loss of their bass player, Jason Newstead, in 1988 when he joined Metallica's ranks. Flotsam and Jetsam, however, had to contend with one request from their label, Elektra Records. To do a cover. The band chose to cover the classic Elton John hit "Saturday Night's All Right for Fighting." It's featured on their album No Place for Disgrace

21. Fu Manchu. "Godzilla" by Blue Oyster Cult

-Blue Oyster Cult were a much heavier band than people give them credit for. They were almost heavy metal with out actually being metal. Their song "Godzilla" had a sort of marching along, chugging feel to it, and when stoner metal band Fu Manchu gets to cover it, it gets heavier. They turn the BOC hit into something that sounds like Black Sabbath on their Eatin' Dust album

22. Ghost. "Here Comes the Sun" by The Beatles

-Most metalheads were in for the shock of their lives when Swedish metal band Ghost chose to cover The Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun." It, strangely, worked out. With the band's featured church organ and incredibly clean vocals thanks to Tobias Forge, the song is incredibly good. The song's sunny feeling merges well with the soft-metal sound

23. GWAR. "School's Out" by Alice Cooper

-This band puts extra aggression into their cover of the Alice Cooper song "School's Out." It's a lot more aggressive than the original. It's featured on their album Beyond Hell

24. Helloween. "White Room" by Cream

-When people aspire to play guitar, "Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple is their first song they want to master. They figure, if they can master that, anything else will come easily. German metal band Helloween have taken the classic Cream hit and given it a heavy metal makeover. Featured on the 1999 album Metal Jukebox, it sounds like the original with a dash of power metal thrown in for good measure

25. HIM. "Don't Fear the Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult

-HIM took the classic song by Blue Oyster Cult and put a dash of Black Sabbath into it, turning into something eerie and spooky. Vocalist June Hyde provides an almost spooky sound to the song, along with the eerie organs, making it perfect for the Halloween season

26. Iron Maiden. "Cross Eyed Mary" by Jethro Tull

-Jethro Tull and Iron Maiden have more in common than one would think. They both tell stories through their songs. But with Tull, they have a more mystical, almost fantasy-based approach with lyrics and sound than the dueling twin (or in modern days) triple guitar attack that Maiden performs. Iron Maiden's cover of the classic Jethro Tull and it works surprisingly well. This cover ended up as the B-Side to the band's single "The Trooper"

55 Covers of Classic Rock Songs Pt. II

We all know cover songs tend to be one musician's unique take on a song. With metal artists covering songs, sometimes they're good, better than the original. Sometimes the original is better than the cover. According to Loudwire.com, here are 55 metal cover songs of classic rock songs.

27. Judas Priest. "The Green Manalishi with the Two Pronged Crown" by Fleetwood Mac

-While Peter Green didn't last long in Fleetwood Mac, it was enough time to write a dark, bluesy song that could work out perfectly for those seeking a heavier sound. Judas Priest covered this song and gave it a dash of their iconic metal sound. It's featured on their album Killing Machine

28. Machine Head. "Message in a Bottle" by The Police

-Featured on the album The Burning Red, bands of the late 1990s seemed to be covering New Wave songs as part of the latest trend. Machine Head is no different. They covered "Message in a Bottle" by The Police. But instead of the original version, this song gets a dash of aggressive attitude

29. Mastodon. "Just Got Paid" by ZZ Top

-Being a southern band just like ZZ Top, it's only natural they would cover a song by a local southern band. Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top assisted Mastodon on the song "Just Got Paid" and he sits back and lets vocalist Brent Hinds take the lead

30. Megadeth. "No More Mr. Nice Guy" by Alice Cooper

-One of the more underrated rock guitarist duos are Glen Buxton and Michael Bruce. Their guitar playing was different in many ways and also unique. When Megadeth covered "No More Mr. Nice Guy", this was before Marty Friedman joined the band. Dave Mustaine joined in on guitar for this song

31. Melvins. "Goin' Blind" by KISS

-Featured on the album Houdini, this band has been known to be massive fans of KISS. So it comes as no surprise to see they covered a KISS song. When they got a chance to cover a song by the band, they chose the creepiest, most disturbing one available. "Goin' Blind". It's about a love affair between a 93 year old man and a 16 year old girl. As a funny side note, the members of this group, vocalist / guitarist King Buzzo, drummer Dale Crover and bassist Joe Preston, even released solo EPs imitating the solo albums released by KISS in 1978

32. Metal Church. "Highway Star" by Deep Purple

-This Seattle-based band was seen as a band that was going places, full of promise. While Metallica and Slayer were soaring to new heights, Metal Church held fast to their classic metal sound. This is plainly obvious as they chose to cover "Highway Star" by Deep Purple

33. Metallica. "Turn the Page" by Bob Seger

-Metallica are not one to usually cover songs. But, on their album, Garage Inc, they do cover songs. They chose the Bob Seger song "Turn the Page." It went to the top of the rock charts because of James Hetfield's vocals

-As a side note, the video has nothing to do with the song. The song is about how a musician is tired from being out on the road. The video Metallica does for their cover of this song shows a prostitute trying to make it day to day with her child, and towards the end, shows her hiding her child in another room at a motel while she does her job and her john beats her brutally. After it's over, her child comes out to find her beaten. Metallica could have done the video in a way that is closer to the true meaning of the song

34. Monster Magnet. "Brainstorm" by Hawkwind

-Pink Floyd dominated the spacey rock sound of the 1960s. When the 1970s arrived, Hawkwind was the new space rock sound. And in the 1990s, Monster Magnet, with their retro-sounding brand of rock, decided the cover the classic Hawkwind hit "Brainstorm" on their album Superjudge

35. Motley Crue. "Smokin' in the Boys' Room" by Brownsville Station

-Originally, bassist Nikki Sixx didn't want to do this song. He didn't like it. It was Elektra Records telling Motley Crue they needed to do a cover song. Something that was guaranteed to get airplay on the radios. The song chosen was the Brownsville Station song "Smokin' in the Boys' Room." It is featured on Theatre of Pain

36. Motorhead. "Heroes" by David Bowie

-When bassist / vocalist Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister passed away in 2015, it left a void that has yet to be filled. Fans, to this day, still mourn the loss. But, they had something to enjoy later on. In 2017, the album Under Cover was released. This album consists of nothing but covers Motorhead has done and one of them is the unique David Bowie song "Heroes." And what makes this song so unique but also ironic is that not two weeks after Lemmy passed from cancer, so did David Bowie. Motorhead's cover of the David Bowie hit is excellent

37. Nightwish. "High Hopes" by Pink Floyd

-Not an easy song to cover, since it revolves around looking back on the simple pleasures of youth from the point of view of old age. But Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish has managed to do it successfully on their album Highest Hopes the Best of Nightwish

38. Overkill. "Deuce" by KISS

-There's not a band out there who doesn't work harder than Overkill. In 36 years on this planet, they released 19 albums. Appearing on the album Coverkill, they take on songs by Judas Priest, Twisted Sister, Kiss, Deep Purple, Manowar and of course, Motorhead, the band whose song "Overkill" gave them their name

39. Ozzy Osbourne. "21st Century Schizoid Man" by King Crimson

-Jerry Cantrell, guitarist for Alice in Chains, was only with Ozzy Osbourne long enough to record Under Cover. An album of cover songs. The song in question is King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid Man." Ozzy's voice on this song makes it sound more like something Black Sabbath recorded in the late 1960s, early 1970s rather than the original artist King Crimson

40. Primal Fear. "Speed King" by Deep Purple

-German power metal band Primal Fear took on this mighty Deep Purple classic from the early 1970s and gave it a modern day breath of life

41. Queensryche. "Welcome to the Machine" by Pink Floyd

-Featured on the album Take Cover, the band performed a cover of "Welcome to the Machine" by Pink Floyd. They merged the new wave elements of Roger Waters' song and combined it with their metal sound, making this one of the best metal covers of a Pink Floyd song

42. Quiet Riot. "Cum On Feel the Noize" by Slade

-This Slade cover by Quiet Riot is featured on their Metal Health album. This is, by far, this most famous song. Another famous Slade song that Quiet Riot covered was "Mama Weer All Crazee Now"

43. Riot. "Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf

-Featured on the album Narita, New York metallers Riot chose to cover the classic Steppenwolf song "Born to be Wild." This album, among others, is very criminally underrated and showcases just how good this band is

44. Rob Zombie / Marilyn Manson. "Helter Skelter" by The Beatles

-When originally released in 1968, The Beatles faced a lot of backlash for this song. Obviously, because of it being connected to the Manson-LaBianca murders by Charles Manson and his psychotic "family." Unfortunately, it also didn't help when Charles Manson adopted this song as the name for his perceived scenario of the end of the world and the racial conflict that would follow. Covered by many artists over the years, the reason it has been covered by many is not because of the fact it's a good song, but because of its connection to a dark time in history. When Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson came together (no pun intended) to record this song, it's the same song, but just given a more industrialized metal makeover

45. Sanctuary. "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane

-Progressive / power metal band Sanctuary covered the classic Jefferson Airplane hit "White Rabbit" on their Refuge Denied album. This band would eventually change its name to Nevermore. Sanctuary would find the perfect balancing point between the druggy, psychedelic feeling of the original and the falsetto vocals and metal vibes of their own unique sound

46. Shadows Fall. "Welcome to the Machine" by Pink Floyd

-Coming out of the New England metalcore scene, with the album The Art of Balance, Shadows Fall chose to cover the Pink Floyd song "Welcome to the Machine." This band was part of a movement called the New Wave of American Heavy Metal and in 2002 this band released The Art of Balance. The song they chose to cover was Pink Floyd's "Welcome to the Machine." They infused it with their own iconic metal sound while also ensuring to keep as much of the original feeling as possible

47. Slayer. "In a Gadda Da Vida" by Iron Butterfly

-Knowing Slayer's music, this would be an interesting cover. Slayer is known for breakneck fast guitars, sometimes aggressive vocals and sometimes lyrics that offend. When they chose to cover the classic Iron Butterfly hit, it was surprising. It's all up to the person who listens to it to decide if it's good or not. It's on the soundtrack for the movie Less Than Zero

48. Sodom. "Surfin' Bird" by The Trashmen

-In 1999, Sodom released their album Code Red and in 2001, out came M-16. They came out of the 1990s thrash metal movement with M-16. This album, conceptual in nature, revolved around the Vietnam War. Like any soldier searching for relief, the band covered "Surfin' Bird" by The Trashmen. It's a punk rock-thrash metal song

49. Testament. "Nobody's Fault" by Aerosmith

-Joe Perry and Brad Whitford's guitars give Aerosmith the type of sound that would not be out of place in a bar room band. Eric Peterson and Alex Skolnick of Testament took what Joe Perry and Brad Whitford did and turned up the aggressive thrash metal vibes. Testament covered this classic Aerosmith deep cut from Rocks on their album The New Order. It's certainly surprising to hear vocalist Chuck Billy hit those high notes

50. Trouble. "Come Together" by The Beatles

-Amongst the light and breezy songs The Beatles wrote, there were some heavy hitters lurking in the darkness. "Come Together" is one of them. Chicago doom metallers Trouble chose to cover this song and give the classic Beatles hit an injection of their amazing brand of doom metal

51. Twisted Sister. "It's Only Rock and Roll" by The Rolling Stones

-Prior to Stay Hungry being released, Twisted Sister fought tooth and nail to succeed. This band performed at the Marquee Club in London in 1983 and they chose to cover The Rolling Stones' 1971 classic "It's Only Rock and Roll." They did it originally as a way of interacting with the fans and it worked. It got the fans interacting with the band and got their name known

52. Type O Negative. "Cinnamon Girl" by Neil Young

-In the 1990s, vocalist Peter Steele of Type O Negative was an unusual sex symbol. He was handsome in a gothic sort of way. Type O Negative would cover songs in their own gothic metal way. They covered "Summer Breeze" by Seals and Croft, featured on their album Bloody Kisses and "Cinnamon Girl" by Neil Young on October Rust. This Neil Young song got a heavy metal makeover as Peter Steele and the rest of Type O Negative transformed this song into something gothic metal

53. Various artists (Ronnie James Dio, Paul Taylor, Yngwie Malmsteen, Stu Hamm, Gregg Bisonette). "Dream On" by Aerosmith

-"Dream On" is one of those Aerosmith songs some believe should never be covered. But, if an artist can do it right, that changes opinions. When Ronnie James Dio sang on this song, it blew people's minds. It showed just how good his voice is, along with the great instrumental playing of Gregg Bisonette, Yngwie Malmsteen, Paul Taylor and Stu Hamm. This version of the Aerosmith classic is one that blows minds it's that good

54. Voivod. "Astronomy Domine" by Pink Floyd

-The thrash metal community had hardly heard of the band Voivod until 1989's Nothingface appeared. The band chose to cover a Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd song called "Astronomy Domine." Voivod, a Canadian-based thrash metal quartet, found the perfect song for their brand of spacey, extraterrestrial space-metal that they were trying to share with the world. And they found it with this Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd song

55. W.A.S.P. "The Real Me" by The Who

-Blackie Lawless and his fellow metallers in W.A.S.P. never failed to shock. They covered classic rock songs, like Mountain's "Mississipi Queen", Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody to Love" or Deep Purple's "Burn." One of their attempts at a cover is "The Real Me" by The Who. Featured on The Headless Children, they put a nasty, aggressive spin on this song