If you want to hear a band perform a killer Maiden cover, Californian trad-metal crew White Wizzard are definitely the guys for you. For a decade and change now, these five dudes have been giving the world all the high-flying, neon-tinted jams that anyone can ask for. Which is why it’s to everyone’s benefit — and our incredible delight — to discover that the band have recorded a music video for their cover of Iron Maiden’s classic “Flight of Icarus.”
“During COVID, I’ve been writing songs for a new White Wizzard album, and in the meantime, we thought it would be fun to do a couple of covers,” says bassist Jon Leon. “As many know, [guitarist James J.] LaRue and I were Iron Maiden fanatics as kids, and it’s clear that they are one of White Wizzard’s biggest inspirations. I wanted to do something from Piece of Mind because it was always my fave album by them, but instead of doing a more progressive song, I felt “Flight of Icarus” would be interesting because not a lot of bands have done it. It may seem simpler on the surface, but there are a lot of hidden dynamics that were fun for all of us to discover. I feel like everyone did justice to the original while kind of putting our own stamp on it. For being self-produced and tracked in bedrooms, it’s not too shabby! We had some fun with the video too, and anyone that has seen the original should get a kick out of it.
“This is also the first thing we’ve ever released with Mikey [Gremio] on vocals, which is pretty crazy when you consider that he has done more than double the number of White Wizzard shows live than any of our former studio vocalists,” continues Jon. “He also saved the day many times in the past when a singer would pull out of a tour at the last minute. He was always pro and never missed a show even when we were out practically 60-plus days straight, so it’s cool to be getting him on some White Wizzard recordings. Some originals will follow, and I promise they will kick maximum ass. We look forward to touring in 2022, and we will be releasing another album then. Stay tuned!”
Check out White Wizzard’s cover of “Flight of Icarus” below:
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Words by Chris Krovatin
