Butcher Babies: Uncovered review

When the Butcher Babies started in 2010 the band was frequently written off as Plasmatics copycats. At the time Heidi Shepherd and Carla Harvey took it as a complement and openly admitted their love of Wendy O. Williams. Their name was even inspired by her song “Butcher Baby.” The band has come a long way from those humble beginnings, having released their self titled EP in 2012, followed by their debut full length Goliath in 2013 to major critical acclaim. Gone is the nipple tape, various states of undress and the face paint. They are ready to stand on their own musical merit and prove themselves based on the strength of their vocals and their now legendary live performances they are a force to be reckoned with in 2015. In order to tide over rabid fans that just can’t wait for the release of the forthcoming second full-length album they have put a cd together of cover songs called Uncovered for Century Media. Each member of the band chose one song. The cover bears a striking resemblance to the Guns N Roses album Lies, as does the eclectic batch of songs that lie within, running a full spectrum of musical genres. Uncovered kicks off with rousing cover of the ZZ Top classic “Beer Drinkers And Hell Raisers.” It is a massive slab of monster grooves that does the south proud. While their brilliant, In This Moment tinged cover of “They’re Coming To Take Me Away” is one of the best in recent memory. The track that seems the most out of place here is Heidi’s choice of The Osmond’s “Crazy Horses.” The Dimebag inspired guitar squalls and anthemic gang vocals are miles away from the original. They have managed to take a rather lackluster song and turn it into essential listening. From their aurally grotesque cover of S.O.D.’s “Pussy Whipped” that sticks pretty close to the original and should meet diehard fan approval to the absurdly heavy rendition of the Suicidal Tendencies smash “Don’t Give A Fuck” that may actually be better than the stunning original, there is something for every Butcher Babies fan to sink their teeth into on Uncovered. Here’s the bottom line. If you like Arch Enemy, In This Moment or Otep then you simply must give the Butcher Babies a listen. Very solid 9 out of 10. -Eric Hunker