The original sounds like a theatrical/religious hymn with how hypnotic it sounds. This version sounds like it's sung by an indigenous tribe somewhere on some desolate planet deep in the farthest reaches of space.
The thing that BOC did was make it sound like a veteran, one who was tired, broken down, and just plan sick of it all was speaking. The slower, less energetic, and more thought out style of the BOC version lent more voice and depth to the song, making it a lament, almost a dirge. It's not a bad cover, I've heard worse, but just not the tone BOC had.
I'd like if they made this during the golden age of Metallica, it would probably sound more metal like, because this was probably a bad time for Metallica, I liked 90's Metallica but not much new Metallica
I have long been disappointed with Metallica... knowing some of Jame's other vocals, I think with some slight refinement, this could be a magnificent rendition.
What you guys don't understand is that this is an acoustic TRIBUTE to a great song. And for what it's worth, I love it! It's much more simplyfied due to the instrumental limitations.
don't forget those; Joan Crawford Sole Survivor Fire of the Unknown Origin (song one) Heavy Metal: The Black and the Silver list is too much longer than that...
The problem of making covers: people want the exactly sound of the original, ignoring that is another fucking band who is interpreting the fucking song.
Oh, I've said that? Wow, I never realized! Maybe my keyboard is writing things for me, or my screen showing me something different. Shut up and listen to the fucking music. Don't like it? No problem, you can change it on a little thing called "search bar". You can't even answer me properly, god dammit! Why i'm answering you anyway? I'm going for a fucking sleep. Try to answer something a little bit more clever next time, sharpie! Good night.Nicholas Brown
An unhinged Metallica fan who cant handle criticism of the band. I am shocked, shocked I say. Let me lay this out for you. You said people dont like their version because it is different, I say it is because it isnt good. You counter with ironically calling me a demigod of interpretation, I say why I think it is bad. You go off the rails.
It's a nice cover but the sound of the original better captures the futuristic, militaristic and tragic overtones conveyed in the lyrics and song title. It encapsulates the tragedy of dealing with PTSD, drug addiction or mental disorders in general. Its just a fantastic song from a fantastic BOC album.
Well to be fair, there's only so much you can do when you're covering a song with solely 2 guitars a bass and drums in an amphitheater, of course it won't sound as good as a studio version with all the different sound and the extra keyboard. I don't think this could've been much better under the circumstances.
@@friedlemons5201 you don't have any argument don't you? They are professional musicians giving a shit show so don't come with the old excuse of "you wouldn't do it better"
TOTALLY AGREE. Blue oyster cult should be in the top with a lot of other bands. I totally love everything they have written. At least Metallica know that. BOC own, forever.
A true tribute to the song. People give Metallica a lot of shit for no reason and when they stick their neck out to cover a classic BOC and pull it off it really speaks to how good the band is.
After the amazing cover they did of Astronomy... I honestly expected more. This isn't bad, but this song deserves a much better attempt at a cover. This sounds like something some emo college kid would come up with today.
Veteran Of The Psychic Wars You see me now a veteran of a thousand psychic wars I've been living on the edge so long Where the winds of limbo roar And I'm young enough to look at And far too old to see All the scars are on the inside I'm not sure if there's anything left of me Don't let these shakes go on It's time we had a break from it It's time we had some leave We've been living in the flames We've been eating up our brains Oh, please don't let theses shakes go on You ask me why I'm weary; Why I cant speak to you? You blame me for my silence Say its time I changed and grew But the wars still going on dear And there's no end that I know And I cant say if were forever... I cant say if were forever gonna to be free Don't let these shakes go on Its time we had a break from it Its time we had some leave We've been living in the flames We've been eating out our brains Oh, please don't let theses shakes go on You see me now a veteran of a thousand psychic wars My energy's spent at last And my armor is destroyed I have used up all my weapons And I'm helpless and bereaved Wounds are all I'm made of Did I hear you say that this is victory? Don't let these shakes go on Its time we had a break from it Send me to the rear Where the tides of madness swell And been sliding into hell Oh, please don't let shakes go on Don't let these shakes go on Don't let these shakes go on
Oh Metallica, once again making a song sound heavier simply by shifting it a half step...up? And playing their guitars extra overdriv... wait, acoustic? I love the original, and this one has its own (great) feel to it. It's not a forced attempt to make something heavy, it's just them making some good music with help from one of their favorite bands.
It's clear to me that Metallica knows that they probably never would have become the band they did without BÖC being there to pave the way before them. You can feel the respect they have for BÖC in their covers and this is a perfect example just like Astronomy from Garage, Inc was. I hope they will continue to cover the songs of Blue Öyster Cult in the future.
It's a tribute. Metallica must be fans of BOC. That's cool. The original studio recording of Veterans was like a lot of BOC studio originals - easy to pass up or relegate to insignificant, but then when you hear them live, they take you far away, far past the Dog Star. BOC is more than an acquired taste. You have to experience them live. It's a visceral experience tha,t can't be matched by listening to their studio albums. Hetfield and company have to know this and pay homage, but can't match the live experience that is BOC. It's okay. Covering their songs keeps the memory of that experience going.
Michael Moorcock With Blue Öyster Cult ''Moorcock wrote the lyrics to three album tracks by the American band Blue Öyster Cult: "Black Blade", referring to the sword Stormbringer in the Elric books, "Veteran of the Psychic Wars", showing us Elric's emotions at a critical point of his story (this song may also refer to the "Warriors at the Edge of Time", which figure heavily in Moorcock's novels about John Daker; at one point his novel The Dragon in the Sword they call themselves the "veterans of a thousand psychic wars"), and "The Great Sun Jester", about his friend, the poet Bill Butler, who died of a drug overdose. Moorcock has performed live with BÖC (in 1987 at the Atlanta, GA Dragon Con Convention).''
Of course the B.O.C. version is better, but I think the instruments are pretty spot on, and, of course, Hetfield's voice can't be the perfect fit for a song written by someone else unless they put a metallica spin on it.
Damn, try to relax people. Yes it could have sounded a lot better, but it was just an acoustic cover for the Bridge School benefit show. And it was pretty awesome to see.
I respect this tribute to one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite bands, by one of my favorite bands. But it just doesn't capture the pain and anger of the original BoC.
It was a wonderful idea to play this! No matter what some people say, they are very strong at paying tribute. It's always interresting how they manage to recapture a song without disrepecting it. The deep reverance they feel about the songs they cover is more than obvious to any normal ear, and maybe that's the essential point... I just regret a little mistake in lyrics, when Hetfield sings " and I can't stand forever" instead of "and I can't say if we're ever"...
I love this cover. Consider what this song is about. The mental toll war takes on a person's psyche. The stripped down version seems dirty and desperate and that is what makes it so good. I love the BOC version but through dealing with my own mental struggles from my various deployments, Metallica's version just really hits home for me.
As a BOC fan, I like the original better. The vocals on this sound too different and don't ... fit. The instruments sound really good, but the vocals ruin it.
I see Metallica also helping to keep the WHOLE BÖC catalogue alive with their cover of "Astronomy". Good. Don't let the Cult get reduced to "(Don't Fear) The Reaper". Thanks guys!
I love this version. Really don't understand all the hate in the comments. What is wrong with this version? No keyboards? Off course not! It was a charity event where they played with acoustic guitar! And I also think James voice here was good.
@Bookstop1337 many, many times. I saw them fill in for Cirith Ungol at the Stone, then come back for a Metal Monday at the Old Waldorf in SF with Laaz Rockit, then they moved up so Cliff would join, and played the Stone again. That was the end of Mustaine pretty much too. I saw the whole thrash thing happen and was in one of the ten or so main thrash bands from the area.
Sorry nothing beats the classic and better version of Blue Oyster Cults song ,it just so great and sinister and heavy all at once ,they're such a awesome band!
@dcfanchris True, this song is ment to be performed electric. It anoyes me that a rough band fucks up a rough song by misforming it into a singersongwriter song. Then you have really lost track musically.
Nothing wrong with it. I play my own acoustic version of this great BOC song on my guitar. Found this by chance just now, and as much as I love the original, I am also open minded and musically orientated enough to appreciate this alternate version.
![Jasper x Izgrim, feat. Fryta - Veteran of the Psychic Wars [Blue Öyster Cult cover]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/xOYVI-w0cF4/mqdefault.jpg)
I like that Metallica gives props to Blue Oyster Cult all the time
BOC is one of the most underrated and underappreciated bands of all time.
I was lucky enough to go to a BOC show just a few years back! Was awesome!
True.
The original sounds like a theatrical/religious hymn with how hypnotic it sounds. This version sounds like it's sung by an indigenous tribe somewhere on some desolate planet deep in the farthest reaches of space.
So like Blue Oyster Cult when THEY do it live?
Nah, when they do it live it sounds more like a space opera
Sounds like a washed up band of whiney old men who can't do anything good their own butchering a good song with a shitty blues riff
And they both remember the same war and the song sung about it, but due to the distance of time and culture, they sing it very differently.
You should dedicate your life to the arts
The thing that BOC did was make it sound like a veteran, one who was tired, broken down, and just plan sick of it all was speaking. The slower, less energetic, and more thought out style of the BOC version lent more voice and depth to the song, making it a lament, almost a dirge. It's not a bad cover, I've heard worse, but just not the tone BOC had.
You nailed it.
no, this is a bad cover. it's not reverential, misses all its gracenotes, and sounds like rich rock stars still trying to maintain cred. it's weak.
Not a great cover, but god bless Metallica for giving props to one of the greatest and most underrated rock bands of our times. Keep rock'in boys!
I'd like if they made this during the golden age of Metallica, it would probably sound more metal like, because this was probably a bad time for Metallica, I liked 90's Metallica but not much new Metallica
am i the only one that likes both versions?
I have long been disappointed with Metallica... knowing some of Jame's other vocals, I think with some slight refinement, this could be a magnificent rendition.
jaymz I do but I'm a time Metallica fan
Probably
No way
No way
I prefer BOCs version, but I can definitely understand the lyrics better on this one.
What you guys don't understand is that this is an acoustic TRIBUTE to a great song. And for what it's worth, I love it! It's much more simplyfied due to the instrumental limitations.
My favorite Blue Oyster Cult song.
BOC is definatley underrated
mine too.
don't forget those;
Joan Crawford
Sole Survivor
Fire of the Unknown Origin (song one)
Heavy Metal: The Black and the Silver
list is too much longer than that...
Definitely
@@ecstasy56 cragey cretins
not bad, different.
best description
I was hoping it was a harder version of the original.
Aye, it's hard to choose which is the better.
No,Blue Öyster Cult version is much better than this one
+Jorx Molina Take the singing from the original plus the instrumentals from this and you have great fun.
Then you should listen to the cover by Tarot.
I love how they are hated just for paying tribute to a band they love, Metallica haters are the classiest of them all
Stop getting panties in a wad. It's great that Metallica honors BOC by using their platform to introduce and remind audiences of the music of BOC
It doesn't matter who sings this song. They have the heart it shines through.
When two of my three favourite bands ever meet
The problem of making covers: people want the exactly sound of the original, ignoring that is another fucking band who is interpreting the fucking song.
Too bad the interpretation sucks ass.
Oh, sorry to bother your sense of perfect music interpretation, immaculate demigod.
Shut up, crybaby.
Nicholas Brown
grrizo Yes, James Hetfield singing off key is so much better than the BOC original. You got me.
Oh, I've said that? Wow, I never realized! Maybe my keyboard is writing things for me, or my screen showing me something different.
Shut up and listen to the fucking music. Don't like it? No problem, you can change it on a little thing called "search bar".
You can't even answer me properly, god dammit! Why i'm answering you anyway? I'm going for a fucking sleep.
Try to answer something a little bit more clever next time, sharpie! Good night.Nicholas Brown
An unhinged Metallica fan who cant handle criticism of the band. I am shocked, shocked I say. Let me lay this out for you. You said people dont like their version because it is different, I say it is because it isnt good. You counter with ironically calling me a demigod of interpretation, I say why I think it is bad. You go off the rails.
It's a nice cover but the sound of the original better captures the futuristic, militaristic and tragic overtones conveyed in the lyrics and song title. It encapsulates the tragedy of dealing with PTSD, drug addiction or mental disorders in general. Its just a fantastic song from a fantastic BOC album.
Interesting, but the original of the "Blue Oyster Cult" is much better for sure!
Seee
Well to be fair, there's only so much you can do when you're covering a song with solely 2 guitars a bass and drums in an amphitheater, of course it won't sound as good as a studio version with all the different sound and the extra keyboard. I don't think this could've been much better under the circumstances.
It's fine, if you ask me - I liked it - but - see Cream. ;)
Not an excuse for sloppy playing, lazyness and lack of respect for the original material
@@biomadnesstrip I'd like to see you do better than this "sloppy" band then
@@friedlemons5201 you don't have any argument don't you? They are professional musicians giving a shit show so don't come with the old excuse of "you wouldn't do it better"
Absolutely amazing.
TOTALLY AGREE.
Blue oyster cult should be in the top with a lot of other bands. I totally love everything they have written.
At least Metallica know that.
BOC own, forever.
I love this cover, especially the "We've been living in the flames" part.
Great cover of the Blue Öyster Cult classic! I dig it!
A true tribute to the song. People give Metallica a lot of shit for no reason and when they stick their neck out to cover a classic BOC and pull it off it really speaks to how good the band is.
I'm sorry, but they only scratched the surface...
Not all front-men are like Bloom and certainly veeeeery few guitarists
can touch Dharma...
VERY Respectable acoustic cover, great job to Metallica!!!!
After the amazing cover they did of Astronomy... I honestly expected more. This isn't bad, but this song deserves a much better attempt at a cover. This sounds like something some emo college kid would come up with today.
LOL! maybe it's because they actually performed it in front of a bunch of emo college kids ??
Veteran Of The Psychic Wars
You see me now a veteran of a thousand psychic wars
I've been living on the edge so long
Where the winds of limbo roar
And I'm young enough to look at
And far too old to see
All the scars are on the inside
I'm not sure if there's anything left of me
Don't let these shakes go on
It's time we had a break from it
It's time we had some leave
We've been living in the flames
We've been eating up our brains
Oh, please don't let theses shakes go on
You ask me why I'm weary;
Why I cant speak to you?
You blame me for my silence
Say its time I changed and grew
But the wars still going on dear
And there's no end that I know
And I cant say if were forever...
I cant say if were forever gonna to be free
Don't let these shakes go on
Its time we had a break from it
Its time we had some leave
We've been living in the flames
We've been eating out our brains
Oh, please don't let theses shakes go on
You see me now a veteran of a thousand psychic wars
My energy's spent at last
And my armor is destroyed
I have used up all my weapons
And I'm helpless and bereaved
Wounds are all I'm made of
Did I hear you say that this is victory?
Don't let these shakes go on
Its time we had a break from it
Send me to the rear
Where the tides of madness swell
And been sliding into hell
Oh, please don't let shakes go on
Don't let these shakes go on
Don't let these shakes go on
I love this song its on of the best covers Metallica ever done
Metallica know good music!
It's been a long time since I wait to hear this from METALLICA!
YEAH!
Oh Metallica, once again making a song sound heavier simply by shifting it a half step...up? And playing their guitars extra overdriv... wait, acoustic?
I love the original, and this one has its own (great) feel to it. It's not a forced attempt to make something heavy, it's just them making some good music with help from one of their favorite bands.
Agree. Well put my friend.
Blue Oyster Cult 4ever
One of my favorite BOC songs performed by my favorite band. Awesome.
damn that's actually a pretty good cover!
It's clear to me that Metallica knows that they probably never would have become the band they did without BÖC being there to pave the way before them. You can feel the respect they have for BÖC in their covers and this is a perfect example just like Astronomy from Garage, Inc was. I hope they will continue to cover the songs of Blue Öyster Cult in the future.
The original, BOC, is by far much, much better.
Sture Åkersork agreed
Sture Åkersork Indeed my sir!
No can do it like the masters.
+Sture Åkersork yes my student
Tremble in fear as another band continues the legacy. Keep your mind closed. It's served you so well thus far.
Of course BOC version is far better, but this one is not bad, and I love the fact that Metallica is playing a tribute to BOC...
Metallica kicks serious ass!! Thanks for keeping metal alive and kicking.
I'm a massive fan of BOC and this song.. and this is a good cover.
this song in general was amazing, the remake was amazing, all in all i could listen to either version and love it
It's a tribute. Metallica must be fans of BOC. That's cool. The original studio recording of Veterans was like a lot of BOC studio originals - easy to pass up or relegate to insignificant, but then when you hear them live, they take you far away, far past the Dog Star. BOC is more than an acquired taste. You have to experience them live. It's a visceral experience tha,t can't be matched by listening to their studio albums. Hetfield and company have to know this and pay homage, but can't match the live experience that is BOC. It's okay. Covering their songs keeps the memory of that experience going.
Dude, I've never seen them live but still think they're fucking amazing. Now I really want to see them live.
The first record I ever played on my Fisher Price was Spectres and I approve of this. Metallica showing respect to the gods is nice if you ask me.
Great cover of the Blue Oyster Cult classic.
My 2 favorite bands Metallica and Blue Oyster Cult
Michael Moorcock With Blue Öyster Cult
''Moorcock wrote the lyrics to three album tracks by the American band Blue Öyster Cult: "Black Blade", referring to the sword Stormbringer in the Elric books, "Veteran of the Psychic Wars",
showing us Elric's emotions at a critical point of his story (this song
may also refer to the "Warriors at the Edge of Time", which figure
heavily in Moorcock's novels about John Daker; at one point his novel The Dragon in the Sword they call themselves the "veterans of a thousand psychic wars"), and "The Great Sun Jester",
about his friend, the poet Bill Butler, who died of a drug overdose.
Moorcock has performed live with BÖC (in 1987 at the Atlanta, GA Dragon Con Convention).''
i find it to have the very fine Metallica touch and it's alright. the song is awesome in itself
Of course the B.O.C. version is better, but I think the instruments are pretty spot on, and, of course, Hetfield's voice can't be the perfect fit for a song written by someone else unless they put a metallica spin on it.
Nice that they tried; BOC's work deserves more cover treatment. Good on the boys for making the effort.
Damn, try to relax people. Yes it could have sounded a lot better, but it was just an acoustic cover for the Bridge School benefit show. And it was pretty awesome to see.
one of the best songs ever created, played by one of the best metal bands ever born
@ Sven: Yeah, it is. It was written by Eric Bloom, Donald Rosear, and Michael Moorcock of Blue Oyster Cult in 1981. Fire of Unknown origin Album.
As a 40+ years fan of BOC, I accept this for what it is, Metallica playing a song they like from a band, which had positive influence upon them.
I agree dude. This cover just hits a sweet spot that can't be explained.
Not bad, but it can NEVER be as good as Blue Oyster Cult. No one can.
I like the vocal variations James does in this cover.
Listened to that one too. Best cover of this song. Never the best version. BOC has it.
james has a great taste on music , he always select cool songs to cover.
I think this is a great cover. It feels "Metallica" without butchering anything in the song
Its pretty bad conpared to astronomy
Holy shit, after all these years I just find out that it was Metallica all this time I've been listening. No need, I'll just roast myself.
I love when these guys with guitars from walmarts want to criticize universally recognized musicians
Great song, great version of a great song.
Grew up with the heavy metal soundtrack on vinyl and always like the song, after multiple deployments in the military it made alot more sense.
@WeaponXSigma Thank you very much for the support.
my friend and I agree this is like going from listening to Blue Oyster Cult to listening to a rental band at a cocktail party.
Great cover. Metallica forever
loved acoustic intro.
Nice little cover of one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite bands, Blue Oyster Cult, by another of my favorite bands, Metallica.
I give 'em props for the tribute...
The original is way better, but just that this exists is really cool.
@BOC313 Well, Michael Moorcock wasn't in Blue Oyster Cult, he was the author of the books this song is meant to represent.
I respect this tribute to one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite bands, by one of my favorite bands. But it just doesn't capture the pain and anger of the original BoC.
that was fucking amazing!thanx man for uploading!
great - thanks for uploading
by far one of the best covers
Thanks for commenting, it is my fav BOC song. This version is great but the original is simply amazing.
It was a wonderful idea to play this! No matter what some people say, they are very strong at paying tribute. It's always interresting how they manage to recapture a song without disrepecting it. The deep reverance they feel about the songs they cover is more than obvious to any normal ear, and maybe that's the essential point... I just regret a little mistake in lyrics, when Hetfield sings " and I can't stand forever" instead of "and I can't say if we're ever"...
I love this cover. Consider what this song is about. The mental toll war takes on a person's psyche. The stripped down version seems dirty and desperate and that is what makes it so good. I love the BOC version but through dealing with my own mental struggles from my various deployments, Metallica's version just really hits home for me.
As a BOC fan, I like the original better. The vocals on this sound too different and don't ... fit. The instruments sound really good, but the vocals ruin it.
Tyler Brown James Hetfield has not improved his singing with age. His emphasis and cadence are kind of strange these days.
+Samara X you cant cover this song if youre a shit-rate garage-garbage band like Metalica. period
this is from 2007 mountain view unplugged bridgeschool benefit show
that songs ( original and cover) dont need comparation!
I see Metallica also helping to keep the WHOLE BÖC catalogue alive with their cover of "Astronomy". Good. Don't let the Cult get reduced to "(Don't Fear) The Reaper". Thanks guys!
i don't understand why you guys don't like this, I thought it was pretty great actually.
+RedPoisonVideos One word: Rocksnobs.
+WolfHagenSdW and maybe diffrent taste.
Im going to go out on a limb and assume you are not a hardcore Boc fan?
Great version
Content de voir qu'il y a toujours de vrais fans de musique qui ne pensent pas qu'à trouver des arguments pour dénigrer des artistes. :)
A true homage to the superb music of yester-year
Yes - [2007] Live At The Bridge School Benefit
I love this version. Really don't understand all the hate in the comments. What is wrong with this version? No keyboards? Off course not! It was a charity event where they played with acoustic guitar! And I also think James voice here was good.
@Bookstop1337
many, many times. I saw them fill in for Cirith Ungol at the Stone, then come back for a Metal Monday at the Old Waldorf in SF with Laaz Rockit, then they moved up so Cliff would join, and played the Stone again. That was the end of Mustaine pretty much too. I saw the whole thrash thing happen and was in one of the ten or so main thrash bands from the area.
way back in the day metallica mentioned BOC as one of there influences......i like it..!!
Sorry nothing beats the classic and better version of Blue Oyster Cults song ,it just so great and sinister and heavy all at once ,they're such a awesome band!
i am really impressed...
oh man Metallica you've killed this song
As BOC fanatic since the beginning, I give Metallica credit just for trying. Do feel sorry for the donk that didn't recognize it.
guitars sound awesome
regardless of any comparison to the original, this is a great song, and its awesome Metallica thought to cover it.
@dcfanchris True, this song is ment to be performed electric.
It anoyes me that a rough band fucks up a rough song by misforming it into a singersongwriter song.
Then you have really lost track musically.
I think that goes for pretty much all of the older bands nowadays considering what kids have started listening to.
every thing is better when Metallica sings it
Nothing wrong with it. I play my own acoustic version of this great BOC song on my guitar. Found this by chance just now, and as much as I love the original, I am also open minded and musically orientated enough to appreciate this alternate version.
I can see these little metallica teenagers watching heavy metal movie and listening to blue oyster cult
wishing someday they will be that good but never are no matter how many teenager's lunch money they take?
i love this song