Obviously Metal Allegiance started as a project band, getting together with a revolving door complement of members to trot out their favourite metal anthems to whoever wanted to pay to see them; and in that sense this three track EP makes some sort of sense. But now that MAS consider themselves a ‘brand’ – the words of the band’s press release, not mine – and have an album of all original material out in ‘the marketplace’ this seems just a little bit cynical.

A perfunctory run through of Motörhead‘s Iron Fist fronted by Mastodon man Troy Sanders kicks things off, and it’s not bad, although singularly lacking in any of the guts or filth that made the original such a special song; A lumbering, metallized take on David Bowie‘s Suffragette City again completely strips the sleaze inherent in the original and replaces it with tedious double kick competence, although Mark Osagueda does his best out front. A few years ago Sex Pistols axe man Steve Jones recorded a great ‘heavied up’ version of this song, and I’m afraid to say MA don’t come close to that. However final track – the Eagles’ Life in the Fast Lane, with Alissa White-Gluz on vocals, at least brings something different to the table, with the Arch Enemy vocalist actually making the song her own in a strange, almost surreal way.

It’s hard to see who this will appeal to, really, apart from the few die hard fans of ‘the brand’ who might feel this adds something to their collection. Fantastic cover though.