CD Review: Beatallica - Sgt. Hetfield's Motorbreath Pub Band

From what I'm told, mash-ups of songs from varying bands and varying styles are pretty popular. These combos pop up online and in clubs, and, from what I have heard, are curiopus oddities. I remember there was a mix combining Jay Z's Black Album with the Beatle's White Album that was making the rounds for awhile. Now here is a whole different take on the mash-up, a band that takes the songs of the Beatles and Metallica and rework them into something completely different. They became an internet phenomenon a few years back, but are now poised to make a run at a more mainstream audience as they have been signed to Oglio Records, distributed by Universal, and are fully authorized to create these mash-ups. Now the big question is if it works beyond the musical curiosity.

Now, if you are going to combine two bands music together, what better place to go than arguably two of the most influential bands of the past fifty years. The Beatles are secure as one of the biggest bands the world has ever known, I doubt anyone will ever have the impact that they had again. Metallica is a bit more arguable, but I firmly believe that their impact on metal is huge, they helped move the scene forward and created some great music along the way. I know that it has been popular of late to bash on Metallica, especially with their lackluster output over the past few years, but still, so many bands site them as an influence that they cannot be ignored or trivialized. Anyway, this five piece has taken the classic Beatles tracks reworked them into Metallica tracks and have crafted a mash up album that almost stands on its own as an excellent album.

Some of the combinations work great, while others are a bit tedious, all working to the overall effect of fun curiosity that is good in small doses but little else. Musically, they are pretty good, though nothing that really steps up to stand next to the originals. The best way to consume Sgt. Hetfields Motorbreath Pub Band is to break into two or three song chunks, repeat as needed. Consumption of product as a whole is not recommended, as you will likely grow tired of the parody, thereby lessening the effect of the work, which is quite clever.

This is a hard album to really criticize, because the idea is so much fun, and some of these songs are downright catchy. Still, like I mentioned above, it is best when you limit your intake. I found myself looking forward to the end of the disk as I listened through, and that is through no fault of the band.

I do recommend that you check them out, there is no denying the fun that some of these songs bring, and man if this guy doesn't sound exactly like old school James Hetfield! When you get your hands on the album head directly for "Revel-Ooh-tion," "Blackened the USSR," "A Garage Dayz Nite," "Leper Madonna," and "Ktulu (He's So Heavy)." The rest of the songs have their moments, like "Sandman" and "Hey Dude," although the later is just way too long. Still others are best avoided, such as "Helvester of Skelter."

Bottomline. This is a fun disk, don't get me wrong, it just overstays its welcome as an entirety. Take it in small doses and you will no doubt enjoy it. It really is like going out to a bar and enjoying a local cover act that is out to have some fun. The songs blend well and I cannot get over how much he sounds like Hetfield, it's uncanny.

Mildly Recommended.