Rodrigo y Gabriela Post Flamenco Cover of Metallica’s “Battery”
Classical guitar virtuosos Rodrigo y Gabriela have been touring their own brand of metal-inspired flamenco music for well over a decade and they’ve never been shy about wearing their metal influences proudly on their sleeves. To that end, I can’t believe they’ve never covered a full Metallica song — it feels like they have! — but so it is, and that ends today with a rendition of “Battery” that’ll get you fired up despite the laid back connotations of the band’s chosen instruments.
We all know well the iconic acoustic intro to Metallica’s original version, so to that end the track lends itself perfectly to an acoustic cover, but somehow Rodrigo y Gabriela make the intro feel even more urgent. The real fun begins, of course, when the track kicks into high gear, and the duo would make our heroes proud, deftly handling both the frenetic thrash riffing and harmonized leads on their grandpas guitars. You’re headbanging.
Rodrigo Sánchez offers:
“It’s no secret that we love Metallica. Master of Puppets changed everything for us when we first heard it all those years ago.”
Gabriela Quintero adds:
“We’ve played parts of ‘Battery’ in our live set for many years. We’re so happy to release our studio version in full for our fans. Thank you to the fans for coming with us on this trip, and eternal gratitude to Metallica for the incredible music.”
“Battery” comes our way via Decibel and you can stream it below. The song will appear on the METTAL EP, out November 29 (Record Store Day) via ATO Records.
Rodrigo y Gabriela are on tour in the U.S. right now! Dates below and tickets here.
Nov 19 Saint Louis, MO – The Pageant
Nov 20 Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theater
Nov 22 Madison, Wisconsin – The Sylvee
Nov 23 Cedar Rapids, IA – Paramount Theatre
Nov 24 Minneapolis, MN – State Theatre
Nov 26 Joliet, IL – Rialto Square Theatre
Nov 27 Louisville, KY – The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts
Nov 29 McKees Rocks, PA – Roxian Theatre
Dec 2 Durham, NC – The Forum Auditorium
Dec 3 Asheville, NC – Durham Performing Arts Center
