Reimagining metal music could be a daunting task, but Danny Birt nailed it in his new album, Burnished Alloy: Acoustic Covers of Metal and Rock.
Danny Birt is a music therapist, a massage therapist, a speculative fiction author, an award-winning science fiction and fantasy author, a composer, a college educator, and an entrepreneur. He’s lived all over the USA and traveled farther, and has had the good fortune to pet many, many very good dogs.
For more information on Danny Birt, see here. For more books by Danny Birt, click here and here and here.
Connect with Danny Birt via his Spotify, his YouTube, his Twitter, and his Amazon author page. Read an interview with Danny about his book here!
When we asked Danny why he called the album Burnished Alloy: Acoustic Covers of Metal and Rock, he let us know that burnished alloy is a mix of metals (alloys are metals mixed) and shined up a bit (burnished). As clever as the name is, we have to say the arrangements are just as brilliant.
The album has the classic and intimate format of vocals, and acoustic guitar to piano, strings, woodwind instruments, and I think I heard a harp in there. These instruments were used to create a new representation of metal songs and to accompany Danny’s incredible voice. He even does a piece in the form of a Gregorian chant with only his voice to carry the tune! He also does songs in German, Japanese, and Spanish! WOW!
Check out the tracklist: you might see a song you recognize!
- Evening Star – Týr
- Schism – Tool
- 100 Years Ago – The Rolling Stones
- Haifisch – Rammstein
- Gotta Get Away – The Offspring
- Mujou No Scat – Ningen Isu
- Amaranth – Nightwish
- Through the Never – Metallica
- Coming undone – Korn
- Love Hurts – Incubus
- Fully Alive – Flyleaf
- Paranoid – Black Sabbath
- Breakthoven – Barón Rojo
Overall, this album represents the source material well and gives them an unexpected yet enjoyable twist. But knowing Danny Birt, that’s always to be expected.
One of my favorite tracks on the album is “Gotta Get Away.” It’s recorded with the guitar and voice, but it’s so well done, I could instantly tell which song it was. It still feels like it could fit in the Alternative/Punk genre, but it has a lovely Folk quality the song didn’t have at first. Danny nailed it.
“Haifisch,” another track on the album with mostly guitar and vocals but is accompanied by a shaker and a clarinet. The original song has a strong rhythm and flow and, if arranged any differently, could make it unrecognizable. However, that is far from the case in this arrangement; the song and its feel are easily felt and recognized. Danny delivers his German perfectly.
This album is a joy to listen to, and if you enjoy metal music, if you like acoustic music, if you enjoy hearing your favorite songs played with novel arrangements, then this album was made for you. You need this album on your playlist now!
