Earlier this week, System of a Down drummer John Dolmayan shared images of his new project, These Grey Men. Today (23), the drummer has unveiled a music video for the Radiohead cover of “Street Spirit.” The track features Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello, Avenged Sevenfold’s M.Shadows, as well as guitarist James Hazley, bassist Tom Copossela, and keyboardist Danny Shamoun. On February 28th, Dolmayan’s solo debut, These Grey Men will be released, and it will feature eight cover tracks, including songs from Madonna, AFI, Eminem, and David Bowie.
Dolmayan explained about covering the classic Radiohead The Bends-era track via Rolling Stone:
“This song in particular is a really touching and moving song. I love the morose, in-your-room-and-it’s-raining-outside, it’s cold, and your girlfriend dumped you feeling that this song always gave me.… But when I listened to it, I’d be like, ‘I kinda wish the drums came in earlier,’ or, ‘How would [John] Bonham approach this song if this was a [Led] Zeppelin song?’ Because I’m such a fan of the song, I wanted to do a version of it in homage.
The cover arrives with a video about a down-and-out artist who still finds solace and fulfillment in his work. Dolmayan’s cover itself is a complete transformation of “Street Spirit,” making it a larger-than-life arena rocker that still retains the same pathos as the original. The track ends with the delirious buzz of Morello’s guitar; Dolmayan says of the collaboration, “I gave him an idea of the vibe I wanted and said, ‘Just be yourself and play throughout the song.’ The point isn’t to agonize over something, it’s to just be spontaneous and create something cool.”
Track List:
01) “Road To Nowhere“ (Talking Heads)
02) “Starman“ (David Bowie)
03) “What You Know“ (Two Door Cinema Club)
04) “Runaway“ (Del Shannon)
05) “Street Spirit“ (Radiohead)
06) “Hung Up“ (Madonna)
07) “Beautiful Thieves“ (AFI)
08) “Rock Bottom“ (Eminem)
Watch the clip below:
