Between them, The Beatles and Metallica have probably sold something like 5% of all records ever manufactered. So I was pretty excited to hear the sophomore record from Beatles/Metallica mashup band, Beatallica. The Masterful Mystery Tour, slated for release August 2, takes it's name from Metallica's 1986 release, Master of Puppets and The Beatles' 1967 Magical Mystery Tour. It features such tunes as: "Everybody's Got a Ticket to Ride Except for Me and My Lightning," "I Want to Choke Your Band," "Hero of the Day Tripper," and "The Thing that Should Not Let it Be."
And it's not just the albums and song titles that combine the revolutionary Fab Four and the Gods of Metal. Every band member has a stage name. There's Jaymz Lennfield on vocals and rhythm guitar, Grg Hammeston on lead guitar, Kliff McBurtney on bass and (the coolest sounding but far less creative) Ringo Larz on drums.
The music combines metal-ized Beatles melodies and Metallica riffs with a dash of Beatles lyrics and a pinch of Metallica words.
Yes, it's somewhat cheesy, but that doesn't stop the album from also being really fun. Even Metallica themselves have been identified as fans.
In fact, back in 2005, when Beatallica was suffering legal problems at the hands of Sony, the rights holder to much of the Beatles catalog, Lars Ulrich got Metallica's lawyer to represent the band. Two years later, Beatallica released their debut effort, Sgt. Hetfield's Motorbreath Pub Band:
On The Masterful Mystery Tour, Jaymz Lennfield has no problem emulating Metallica's James Hetfield's raspy, worked vocals, and the rest of the band shift between the two polar opposites of rock with ease.
The album's title track is the perfect example of this: "Blow uuuuuup! Blow up for the mystery tour! The Masterful Mystery Tour blinds you when you can't see a thing. Call my name and I'll hear you screaaam- MASTER. MASTER."
All 12 tracks on this realese follow that same formula, but it doesn't get tired or stale. The reason being is that if you happen to be a fan, neither The Beatles nor Metallica have gotten tired or stale, so neither does Beatallica.
This album is great for Metallica fans and Beatles fans alike, but is perfect for that niche of folks who have a Black Album poster hanging triumphantly side by side with a White Album poster.
