I really wanted to hate the new single from Seattle's Jack and the Dull Boy. First, they're a prog metal band. Second, it's a metal cover of "Maniac" from the Flashdance soundtrack. This should be awful... but it turns out it's ridiculously fun. Unlike most metal covers of 80's pop songs, Jack and the Dull Boy keep the pop front and center on this version. It never gets even remotely screamy, or overly heavy just to show off that they're still metal dudes. They're just playing a fun cover, and, as with any truly great fun cover, this could be a tongue-in-cheek or a song they truly love. Or both. We're not going to claim that hearing Jack and the Dull Boy's cover of "Maniac" is going to change your life, but you're going to enjoy the next five minutes of it.
In a press release, Jack and the Dull Boy have this to say about the song (in the third person):
“Jack and the Dull Boy say they obviously have a lot in common with ‘80s legend Michael Sembello in that they’re bearded, slightly stocky, and not particularly photogenic. What’s maybe not as obvious is that the original version of ‘Maniac’ is a heavy metal song dressed in ‘80s synth-pop clothing. Chord progressions, key signature (Eb minor), guitar solo in the bridge, all these ingredients beg the question, ‘Are you sure Steve Harris didn’t write this?’ Jack and the Dull Boy seems to have had some fun connecting the dots between the genres.”
You can listen to Jack and the Dull Boy's version of "Maniac" below. Failure in Three Parts is due out November 19. You can pre-order your copy over at Bandcamp. For more on Jack and the Dull boy, check out the band's Facebook.
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