Steve'N'Seagulls - Farm Machine

Gosh dangit if'n these boys don't look like the pride of Finland o'er yonder. Damn fine musicians, too.Now here's something. When a group of Finnish countrymen jokingly shot a video of themselves playing a bluegrassed version of AC/DC's Thunderstruck, the dang thing went absolutely viral in the metal world, garnering praise (and 13 million views) from sites/mags like Guitar World, Revolver, Loudwire, Blabbermouth and Metal Sucks - and leading ultimately to (ahem) Steve'N'Seagulls signing with Spinefarm Records. Which brings us to their full-fledged debut, Farm Machine.

As a bluegrass fan (and a really crappy amateur mandolin, banjo, and fiddle player), I was intrigued to hear what I assumed would sound something like 2006's Strummin' with the Devil: The Southern Side of Van Halen. But I'm happy to say this is an even better execution in part because it involves more diverse source material from several different bands. Their faithful yet inventive interpretations of artists like Metallica, Iron Maiden, Dio and Pantera make you wonder why this doesn't happen more often. And despite the band's origins, there's not a trace of mockery in what they do. These guys are clearly big fans of heavy music. In fact it's often with the more serious subject matter (e.g. Nothing Else Matters and Cemetery Gates) that their performances (particularly lead singer, 'Remmel') seem to show more earnestness. I'm a already a huge fan, and I think multi-genre music fans will take to this pretty well - at least enough to get these guys touring America, dammit!

The Bottom Line: One of the tests of a song being truly great is that it can be performed in any number of different forms and still retain its essential appeal, possibly even gaining a new appreciation. Steve'N'Seasgulls may be just a few Finns goofing around, but this album is replete with some truly impressive interpretations (Holy Diver is fucking amazing) of hard rock/heavy metal standards, conveyed through air-tight playing and fearless fervor. Hallelujah!

Tracks To Whittle To In Your Rockin' Chair: Thunderstruck, The Trooper, Seek And Destroy, and Holy Diver

- Genghis needs to get back to the ol' woodshed...