I do apologize for having to scroll down through the article of 55 best metal covers, but Loudwire will often have multiple articles sharing the same space. It's worth a look to see what 50 bands did covers. Listen for yourself and see if you like them
26. Linkin Park "Wish"
-Original artist: Nine Inch Nails
-The band's most performed cover song is "It's Goin' Down", from a side project of Mike Shinoda called The X-ecutioners. Despite being a Nine Inch Nails song, it feels almost perfect for Linkin Park. The high energy and aggressive vibes Trent Reznor gives off when singing feel just perfect coming from vocalist Chester Bennington. When Linkin Park played it live, fans loved it immediately
27. Marilyn Manson "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"
-Original artist: Eurythmics
-He took the 80s-era song by Eurythmics and turned up the sinister level to 100%. He made it slow and creepy, almost perfect for the Halloween season
-This version of the song is a little creepy. It can be heard on the soundtrack for the newer remake of House on Haunted Hill, where the people staying in the house are coming up the drive
28. Motley Crue "Smokin' in the Boys' Room"
-Original artist: Brownsville Station
-This song is one of Motley Crue's biggest hits. They modeled the song to fit their unique brand of 80s metal. They also did a cover of The Sex Pistols' "Anarchy in the U.K."
29. My Chemical Romance "Desolation Row"
-Original artist: Bob Dylan
-It's a far cry from the original, folky version of this song. My Chemical Romance injected some high energy, punk attitude and electric guitars into their version of the Bob Dylan song, even keeping the sentiment there. There was even an additional boost to this song. It was featured on the soundtrack for the film Watchmen
30. Nickelback "Sad But True"
-Original artist: Metallica
-Nickelback's most popular cover is their take on the Elton John song "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting." When they chose to do a cover of Metallica's "Sad But True", it came very close to the original. Fans loved it immediately because vocalist Chad Kroeger sounds almost identical to James Hetfield's raspy vocals
31. Nine Inch Nails "Dead Souls"
-Original artist: Joy Division
-This was said to be the biggest song of their career. It became even bigger when it was featured on the soundtrack for the film The Crow. With Trent Reznor's vocals, the song got an additional boost of aggression
32. Nirvana "The Man Who Sold the World"
-Original artist: David Bowie
-Despite "Love Buzz" by Shocking Blue being the most heavily performed cover Nirvana did, they also did a cover of David Bowie's "The Man Who Sold the World" during their MTV Unplugged session
33. The Offspring "Totalimmortal"
-Original artist: AFI
-The Offspring have done quite a few covers over the course of their career, but nothing gained more radio airplay than their take on the AFI song "Totalimmortal." Some think that The Offspring's version had more appeal than the original. And the cover was even featured on the soundtrack for the film Me, Myself and Irene
34. Papa Roach "Firestarter"
-Original artist: The Prodigy
-This band doesn't normally do covers. They did do something special. At the 2019 Sonic Temple festival in Columbus, Ohio, they did a cover of "Firestarter" by The Prodigy to honor Keith Flint. The high energy Jacoby Shaddix brings to Papa Roach concerts went well with the song and gave fans of The Prodigy something to remember. Papa Roach continues to have this in their setlist to this day
35. Paramore "Burning Down the House"
-Original artist: Talking Heads
-On the 2024 album Everyone's Getting Involved: A Tribute to Talking Heads' Stop Making Sense album, singer Hayley Williams of Paramore gets in touch with her 80s pop as she and the band take on "Burning Down the House" by Talking Heads. You can feel that, with listening to this version, that the band wanted to ensure they showed they really respected and enjoyed covering this song
36. Pearl Jam "Rockin' in the Free World"
-Original artist: Neil Young
-Pearl Jam have covered many songs, but for some reason, the iconic Neil Young song seems to fit them perfectly. The band and Young have enjoyed a long but good friendship over the years, which makes Pearl Jam's cover of "Rockin' in the Free World" a bit of a sweet and respectful tribute
37. Queens of the Stone Age "Never Say Never"
-Original artist: Romeo Void
-This band has covered Billy Idol's "White Wedding" and Arctic Monkeys "Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High." Instead, they looked back at 80s new wave band Romeo Void and chose to cover their song "Never Say Never." This version is close to the original, but in place of the horns, guitars replace them
38. Rage Against the Machine "The Ghost of Tom Joad"
-Original artist: Bruce Springsteen
-It was said that when Rage Against the Machine covered this Bruce Springsteen song, it was so good that guitarist Tom Morello could play it when touring with Springsteen himself. It was a powerful song originally, but when Tom Morello takes the stage and adds his guitar magic, it becomes even more explosive
39. Red Hot Chili Peppers "Higher Ground"
-Original artist: Stevie Wonder
-Red Hot Chili Peppers are known for infusing their brand of rock music with a heavy funk element. So it's no surprise that they chose to cover the song "Higher Ground" by Stevie Wonder. They infused their brand of high energy funk rock into this Stevie Wonder song and made it their own
40. Seether "Heart Shaped Box"
-Original artist: Nirvana
-Seether has gotten plenty of airplay for their version of the George Michael song "Careless Whisper." When they chose to cover Nirvana's "Heart Shaped Box", it sounds eerily like the original. Seether vocalist Shaun Morgan nails down that Kurt Cobain vocal line almost perfectly. They have done covers of other Nirvana songs over the years
41. Shinedown "Simple Man"
-Original artist: Lynyrd Skynyrd
-On their debut album Leave a Whisper, they covered Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man." It's been a favorite of the fans ever since. Brent Smith, the vocalist for Shinedown, decided to take out the song for a setlist in 2018. Godsmack vocalist Sully Erna called him out for removing the song. "He was making the point about it's not about the painter, it's about the painting, and that stuck with me for a long time. The following night we put the song back in the set." said Smith
-This version of the song is a far cry from the original. Shinedown's cover is an acoustic guitar version. But, it's still good nonetheless
42. Slash "Oh Well" featuring Chris Stapleton
-Original artist: Fleetwood Mac
-In 2024, Slash decided to do a blues album, and on it is a cover of the Fleetwood Mac song "Oh Well." The song is sung in the slightly raspy vocals of country music superstar Chris Stapleton
43. Smashing Pumpkins "Landslide"
-Original artist: Fleetwood Mac
-Their most performed cover is the David Bowie song "Space Oddity" and while they give it all they have, it's said they do a great job at covering the Fleetwood Mac song "Landslide." They stay true to the original, with Billy Corgan's unique vocals leaving him with an almost vulnerable air on this song. It's beautiful, he sings it perfectly and is featured on their Pieces Iscariot collection
44. Staind "Sober"
-Original artist: Tool
-Their most well known cover is the Tool song "Sober." They went full unplugged and acoustic, but it still powerful as vocalist Aaron Lewis steps into the shoes of Maynard James Keenan and takes on that angst-riddled sound. Of course, Staind also did a cover of the classic Bob Seger song "Turn the Page"
45. Stone Sour "Gimme Shelter"
-Original artist: The Rolling Stones
-This is one song that has not been covered by many. It's been said that if "Gimme Shelter" by The Rolling Stones is going to be covered, you better have a good vocalist to handle the Merry Clayton vocals. Stone Sour provided a great vocalist for the Merry Clayton role-Halestorm vocalist Lzzy Hale. Together, both Stone Sour and Lzzy Hale deliver a cover of this song that is a must listen to song
-You have to check this song out! It's great!! Corey Taylor has great vocals on this song!
46. Stone Temple Pilots "Dancing Days"
-Original artist: Led Zeppelin
-Out of all the covers Stone Temple Pilots have done, Led Zeppelin's "Dancing Days" is a must listen to song. Originally featured on the Encomium: Tribute to Led Zeppelin album, Stone Temple Pilot's version really got some attention during their MTV Unplugged session
47. Three Days Grace "I Don't Care"
-Original artist: Apocalyptica
-This sounds like it could have been a Three Days Grace original, despite being a song by Apocalyptica
48. Van Halen "You Really Got Me"
-Original artist: The Kinks
-Van Halen does some impressive covers, including "(Oh) Pretty Woman" by Roy Orbison. It's hard to argue against Van Halen's cover of The Kinks "You Really Got Me." This is the song that really introduced many to Van Halen
49. Volbeat "I Only Want to Be With You"
-Original artist: Dusty Springfield
-Volbeat have never played by the rules. They always do the unexpected. It's not remotely shocking to hear that this band have covered the bubbly pop single "I Only Want to Be With You" by Dusty Springfield. Volbeat does their cover with their usual successful brand of rock and does it better than most
50. Rob Zombie "We're an American Band"
-Original artist: Grand Funk Railroad
-The most performed cover song by the band White Zombie is "We're an American Band" by Grand Funk Railroad. It's almost always featured in the sets he performs
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