Hellsongs - Hymns In The Key Of 666

Jul 28 2008 By Paul Cole

(Despot)

The cover artwork says it all. A psychedelic hippy VW microbus bounces along a country lane, sprinkling flowers in its wake as it passes under a pop-art rainbow. But wait, there’s a Punisher-style skull, too.

Where Hayseed Dixie bluegrassed up heavy metal, Swedish trio Hellsongs re-interpret songs by the likes of Iron Maiden, Megadeth and Slayer as haunting folk-pop.

Black Sabbath’s Paranoid is revamped Portishead-style with piano and violin, AC/DC’s Thunderstruck acquires a sitar and Alanis-like vocal, and Iron Maiden’s Run To The Hills remarkably turns traditional folk.