I’ve loved Beatallica since I first heard them. So, when I got this disc, I was pretty excited. I mean, their mash-up of The Beatles with Metallica is great fun – and it rocks. At first, though, I was disappointed here. To me, the first few songs were just a little too “by the numbers.” For the most part, the first half of the album just gives a raw metal infusion to Beatles tunes. Lesser bands could do that. After all, this is the mighty Beatallica. As it continues, though, they find their music and really pull it off. That chalks this one up well in the victory column. I’d say that it’s not really their best release, but it’s still quite worthy of the Beatallica name.I always put these guys under progressive rock, because I feel this kind of mash up qualifies. Your mileage may vary. 

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2013  Volume 4 at lulu.com/strangesound.

This was always one of the Beatles’ harder rocking tunes, so it seems a given for Beatallica. Well, they put in a killer rendition. It’s got that Metallica fire and fury combined with the original riffs and more. It starts things off in fine fashion.

Musically this is “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” but it features the lyrics for “Michelle.” Well, at least that’s the source for most of the lyrics. It’s quite an effective mash up, really.

On this one, they basically play it pretty close to The Beatles musical concept, but with the raw fury of Metallica as the main sound. There is a cool little mellower movement in the middle of the track.

We get more of a metallic take on the basic rock and roll concept of the Beatles original here.

Here we get an acoustic guitar solo that’s pretty and a nice change up.

Bass guitar serves as the only backdrop early on, but they bring guitar up after a time, but only tentatively. Then it shifts out to an almost Metallica does progressive rock motif as it works out from there. A number of shifts and changes emerge and this is really quite a diverse and powerful tune.

Thrash meets The Beatles in style on this killer tune. The guitar solo section is purely incendiary as it explodes out with fury and power.

This one seems to come straight out of the previous tune. In a lot of ways, this one feels like early Rush to me. It’s another killer merging of Beatles and Metallica, though. It’s a little more raw than some of the other stuff here. It’s also just plain killer.

There’s almost a psychedelic garage sound to this tune. It’s another screamer that’s raw and cool.

Bass opens things here and the cut starts to grow out like psychedelic Metallica from there. They take this one through some amazing changes. It’s another dynamic and diverse cut. It’s another that’s a killer.

Punk rock and thrash seem to meet early Rush here. Still, both The Beatles and Metallica are (obviously) represented on the tune..

Seeming like it comes out of the previous one, we get some more smoking hot jamming that has that same thrash turned punky feeling to it. The bass really shines on this one.