An all-star lineup of musicians from Primus, Tool, Mastodon, Mutoid Man, and Coheed and Cambria covered “Anthem” by Rush on the latest episode of Two Minutes to Late Night. The online, metal-centric talk show features interviews, discussions, and performances from across the spectrum of heavy music. This cover marked the 15th installment of the show’s bedroom cover series, and also raised money for The Cancer Research Institute.
Related: Watch Bernie Worrell Funk Out With Les Claypool, Buckethead, & Brain [Full Show]
The bedroom cover features bassist Les Claypool (Primus), drummer Danny Carey (Tool), guitarist Bill Kelliher (Mastodon), Two Minutes to Late Night co-creator/guitarist Jordan Olds (aka Gwarsenio Hall), guitarist Steve Brodsky (Mutoid Man), and vocalist Claudio Sanchez (Coheed and Cambria). The fact that this cover features six people playing a song written and performed by a three-piece band is only the beginning of the silliness in store.
From Les Claypool donning an Elvis Presley mask—with a painters mask on top of that mask—to overlays of washing machines, this video has it all. By the time we get to Kelliher’s blistering solo, however, the video regains some semblance of seriousness as this star-studded cast of musicians takes the song from Rush’s second album, Fly By Night, to a whole new level. Given the multiple layers of overdubbed guitars, the song definitely receives much more of a metal flair than how the Canadian prog trio originally recorded it, but the changes are welcomed as this hodgepodge of hardcore makes the song their own.
Watch members of Primus, Tool, Mastodon, Mutoid Man, and Coheed and Cambria take on “Anthem” by Rush for Two Minutes to Late Night.
Coheed and Cambria + Mastodon + Primus + Tool + Mutoid Man Cover RUSH’s “Anthem”
Les Claypool was set to hit the road with Primus this summer for the band’s A Tribute To Kings Tour, where the nu metal trio was perform Rush’s 1977 album in its entirety at each show. That tour, like all others this summer, has been canceled due to the pandemic. For rescheduled tour dates, head to Primus’ website.
[H/T Jambands]