When a new single is so good that a social media post doesn’t do it enough justice, I write a new single review. When I first heard POWERWOLF’s cover of Alice Cooper classic Poison, I was taken on an unexpected nostalgia trip. It didn’t feel right calling it a new single, a re-imagining or retelling might be the right thing here.
I first came across Alice Cooper when I was a teenager discovering rock and metal for the first time. Due to the strong melody, his song Poison caught me hook, line and sinker. To this day, I still regard it as one of my favourite songs.
Now onto POWERWOLF’s version. When I first heard the news they had covered this, I had my doubts. Only because the original is such a classic, iconic song; would they do it justice? Those scepticisms I had quickly disappeared within the first thirty seconds. POWERWOLF knocked it out of the park with this. They showcase the original power and strength of the song through their own signature style. Examples of this being the wolf howl at the beginning, the church organ bringing out the best parts of the original and Atilla Dorn’s vocal technique is spot on here.
It’s one of those songs that you want to have on loop but you’re still mindful that you don’t want to overplay it or you will get sick of it. It’s a great way to honour the king of Halloween on his 75th birthday and a great way to introduce new members to the wolfpack. This is a strong example of a cover done right.
Words: Lotty Whittingham
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