Run for Cover(s)!

H'okay, so I am declaring this November to be GOOD (COVER) SONG Month! Hip hip hooray! Huzzah! And there was much rejoicing. This month's posts will be dedicated to artists who have done great covers of songs by other artists. There are many. It will be a difficult task to narrow it down to just a few, but I will proceed, undaunted in my quest.
Here goes nothin':

You can tell he's a metalhead because he has long hair parted in the middle.
And because she looks pissed. 

GOOD (COVER) SONG #1: Orion by Rodrigo Y Gabriela (the original is by Metallica).

I have never been the biggest Metallica fan, so maybe this good cover song post is a bit unfair, since I'm bound to think that many covers of this song will be better than the original. But whatever. The cover is legitimately really amazing. And am I surprised? No. Rodrigo Y Gabriela are insanely good musicians.

Originally from Mexico, they began their music careers playing in a metal band. Hence their awesome musical chops. Much as I dislike a lot of metal, technically, metal musicians are often the best of the best (as my former metalhead brother likes to remind me). They grew frustrated with the scene, moved to Europe, started busking in Ireland, and the rest is history. Their most recent album, 11:11, dropped in fall of 2009. Their surprisingly cool blend of flamenco guitar with metal riffs is quite unique and a lot of fun to listen to. I guess it makes sense- both the metal world and the flamenco guitar world revolve around guitar and percussion, and give rise to a lot of virtuosos. Listen to that percussion-- all done on the guitar itself! So cool. They way they use their hands reminds me a lot of these guys.
If you have to get up at 3:30 am and give a loved one a ride to the airport in the dark, and you're still tired, they're a good band to listen to. Trust me on that one.

If you liked this song, you might also like:

Metallica (obviously)
Slayer
Led Zeppelin
Gypsy Kings
Paco de Lucia

Over and out,
Anna