No doubt these past few months have been a real downer for so many reasons. No live shows, limited mobility and just plain sheer boredom for so many.  Thankfully a number of musicians in the metal community have been coming together to create a myriad of really well done stay-at-home or “quarantine” videos to help us all pass the time and, in some cases, to help raise needed funds for struggling musicians who really can’t work right now. I’ve been watching a lot of these videos lately as I’ve been confined to quarters and here are my faves:

Emma Ruth Rundle + Mastodon + YOB + Old Man Gloom + Gwarensio Hall

“Runnin Up That Hill” – Kate Bush cover

Oh, Emma Ruth Rundle, what a performance you give here. Absolutely spot on. And I cannot get those beautiful vocals out of my head. But what really makes this performance shine is that each member brings their own unique flavor to the track in order to create this masterful amalgam that, no doubt, Kate Bush and Dave Gilmour could be so proud of.

Charlie Benante (Anthrax) and Friends

“Mr. Speed” – Kiss cover

A deep cut from the “Rock and Roll Over” record, Charlie, John 5 and friends do an amazing job here and the lead vocals from Joe McGinness sound more like Paul Stanley than Paul Stanley does today. No word yet if Gene Simmons plans to sue for copyright infringement.

Overkill + Exodus + Angor + Shadows Fall

“Wake Up Dead” – Megadeth cover

I love this version with the drums turned up a bit in the mix. Steve “Zetro” Souza kills it on the vocals.

Richie Faulkner 

“To Tame a Land” – Iron Maiden playthrough

Richie Faulkner is perhaps my favorite guitarist to watch perform these days. Of course, I can’t really see him in person but watching him crush this cover so effortlessly almost makes up for it.  (Ok, not really.)

Jason Bittner + Steve DiGiorgio and Friends

“Overactive Imagination” – Death Cover

It’s great watching a legend like Steve DiGiorgio play this track. Homage to the original but with some great individual flair as well.