members of Exhumed, Spirit Adrift, Gatecreeper, Carcass & more release classic rock covers LP

May 27, 2020

A bunch of killer metal musicians have teamed up for a (mostly) classic rock covers album, FU*K THE VIRUS, to help benefit all of the artists involved in the LP in the wake of the pandemic. The project was spearheaded by Impaled vocalist Leon del Muerte (who’s also played in Exhumed, Nails, Intronaut, and more), and it features members of Exhumed, Spirit Adrift, Intronaut, Gatecreeper, Gorguts, Carcass, Idle Hands, Imperial Triumphant and more teaming up for mostly faithful but slightly metalfied takes on classics by Blue Oyster Cult, The Beatles, Guns N’ Roses, Kansas, ZZ Top, KISS, Chicago, Def Leppard, and Shocking Blue.

“A couple years ago I started working on a ‘solo’ (ugh) project,” del Muerte told Decibel. “When I finished the principal tracking for that, I was still having fun recording, so I did ‘(Don’t Fear) the Reaper.’ I had talked about recording it somewhere around 20 years ago with [Matt] Harv[ey] and Ross [Sewage] when we were in Exhumed and always wanted to do it. After doing that, I did another cover and then kinda set it all aside while I was out with other bands. When the virus hit, I was fucking around with yet another cover and asked Tom [Draper], the live Carcass second guitarist if he’d throw down a solo on it. From there it just kinda snowballed into having tons of different friends guesting on it and deciding to donate all the money to those that are outta work from the whole thing.”

Here are the full credits, via Bandcamp:

9 classic covers by your best friends. All proceeds go DIRECTLY to the artists that helped create this record!

Nate Garrett (Spirit Adrift) – Vocals on “Carry On My Wayward Son” and “My Michelle”
Joe Lester (Intronaut) – Bass on “Carry On My Wayward Son” and “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”
Matt Harvey (Exhumed, Gruesome, Pounder) – Vocals on “Photograph,” Solos 1-3 on “Carry On My Wayward Son”
Jake La Botz (self) – Vocals on “La Grange”
Ross Sewage (Impaled, Ghoul [allegedly], Exhumed) – Bass on “Parasite,” “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper,” “La Grange” and “My Michelle”
Eric Wagner (Gatecreeper) – Solo 1 on “La Grange”
Keith Merrow (self, Conquering Dystopia) – Solos 2 & 4 on “La Grange”
Uta Plotkin (Lividus) – Vocals on “25 or 6 to 4”
Caleb Schneider (Bad Acid Trip) – Bass on “25 or 6 to 4” and “Send Me A Postcard”
Kevin Hufnagel (Dysrhythmia, Gorguts) – Solo 2 on “25 or 6 to 4”
Tom Draper (Pounder, Carcass [Live]) – Solo on “Parasite”
Sacha Dunable (Intronaut) – Vocals on “Send Me A Postcard”
Steve Blanco (Imperial Triumphant) – Bass on “Photograph”
Alejandro Corredor (Pounder, Morgue Rat) – Solo on “Photograph”
Sebastian Silva (Idle Hands) – Solo on “My Michelle”
Jess Gabriel Cron (House of Rabbits) – Vocals on “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper”
Lauren Michelle Davis (Mildred) – Vocals on “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper”
Elizabeth Schall (Dreaming Dead) – Vocals & Solo on “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”
Leon del Muerte – Vocals on “Parasite,” solos on “Carry On My Wayward Son,” “La Grange,” “25 or 6 to 4,” “Send Me A Postcard,” and “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper”

Mix, arrangement, rhythm guitar and programming by Leon del Muerte at Beastman Audio
“(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” guitars reamped by Phil Puskota at Sonic Assault Studios
Mastered by Julian Silva On Air Mastering
Artwork by Mike Fisher at Maximum Fluoride Killustration