Khemmis Frontman Releases SUPER Heavy Cover of The Offspring
If you were alive and under the age of 25 in 1994, you probably owned a copy of Smash by The Offspring. One of the best-selling releases of the early/mid-90s “punk revival” that didn’t have much to do with punk (and sufficiently pissed off Slayer to the point where they made Undisputed Attitude), Smash‘s singles — “Self Esteem,” “Gotta Get Away,” and, especially, “Come Out and Play,” a.k.a. “Keep ‘Em Separated” — were were in constant rotation on MTV, seemingly interrupted only by videos from Green Day’s Dookie.
It’s safe to assume that Khemmis guitarist/vocalist Ben Hutcherson was one of the 6,000,000+ people who purchased Smash, ’cause today he released a cover of “Come Out and Play.” And, true to Khemmis form (see: this year’s covers of Dio’s “Rainbow in the Dark” and Alice in Chains’ “Down in a Hole”), he not only definitely made the song his own, but he really heavied it the fuck up. Whole sections of the recording are wholly unrecognizable as the song in question, betraying its true origins mostly only due to the memorable faux-Arabian guitar lick that recurs throughout the song. It’s pretty rad.
As a bonus, the accompanying music video excellently uses sinister-as-fuck footage from Chuck E. Cheese. Shiver.
Says Hutcherson of the track, which was initially released via his Patreon:
“‘Nothing happens unless first we dream.’ – Carl Sandburg
“‘Dreams are true while they last, and do we not live in dreams?’ – Alfred Lord Tennyson
“Do you remember your dreams? I do.
“I once dreamt of a world. A different, better world. One wherein the Offspring‘s album Smash was written and recorded by members of Misery Index and Napalm Death. Wouldn’t you like to live in that world? I had a fleeting glimpse of it and it is glorious. You, too, can visit that reality (in three minute increments) thanks to my reimagined version of ‘Come out and Play’ and the ‘music video’ I willed into existence from the horrors of my mind.
“Thanks to Chuck E. Cheese for scarring all of us who came of age in the 80s and 90s.
“‘Like a Spreading Disease’ is the second in an ongoing series of videos wherein I deconstruct pop/rock hits from yesteryear and rearrange them as extreme metal songs. Want to learn how to play this song? Want to know what I’m covering next? All of this and much more is available to supporters of my Patreon!”
Check out Khemmis’ Ben Hutcherson’s The Offspring’s “Come Out and Play” below:
[via The PRP]
