A while ago here at Screaming Riffs, we reviewed BlitZ cover version of the Billy Idol classic, White Wedding. At the time we commented on how difficult it is to pull off a credible cover version, doing something that adds a new element or twist whilst still being faithful to the original. With White Wedding the band pulled off that trick with considerable aplomb, the question now being can they repeat it with an even more unlikely choice of song, in the shape of Cliff Richard’s 1976 single, Devil Woman.

Well, the answer is an emphatic “yes”!

There is a particular joy in taking a distinctly non-rock song and giving it a full-on metal makeover and BlitZ are proving themselves the masters of this. A chugging fuzzy riff courtesy of guitar maestro Kev Simpson and bludgeoning double kick drumming from Mat Dais, lead the charge, before Stu Corden’s vocals bring the verse into focus. Even the lyrical content seems ideal for metal’s darker approach and Stu delivers those words with a tongue-in-cheek, mischievous drawl, holding the listener in thrall as he powers through the chorus. The addition of Circus 66’s Annabelle Zaychenko’s fabulous backing vocals too is an inspired choice, really lifting the chorus and adding more layers and a far greater depth to the song.

It’s quite amazing how this song adapts so readily to the metal treatment, having an almost NWOBHM feel about it in places. There’s also a surprising amount going on here if you listen closely, the band not content to just do a carbon copy but adding imaginative embellishments and effects that make it a completely different, more muscular and spectacular beast than the original could have ever dreamed of. So, guitars soar to the heights, then drop to more chugging depths; there’s a spoken dropped-out section, punctuated by gorgeously cool six-string phrases adding even more variety and colour, before the song hurtles towards its triumphant conclusion.

In just under three and a half minutes, BlitZ have created a wonderful addition to the canon of pop songs metamorphosed into metal monsters (in common with other examples like Firewind’s version of Maniac or Paradise Lost’s Smalltown Boy to name but two), one which surpasses the original in every way and leaves it in the dust. One of the greatest accolades is surely that if you’d never heard Cliff’s version, you’d never know it was a pop song from many decades ago but think it was a new release from a fiery, hungry metal band of today.

On this release Blitz show once again the breadth and depth of both their imagination and ambition, and with hugely exciting new music to coming in the not-too-distant future, Devil Woman is a fabulous appetiser to relish before then….

It's out on 4 July but you can pre-save it by clicking here: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/blitz4/devil-woman