10 Best Hard Rock Cover Songs
6. When The Levee Breaks - A Perfect Circle
It's almost expected for any hard rock band to have an old blues standard in their back catalog to perform as a live feature. "When the Levee Breaks" is one of the proto-types for hard rock, with its backwater groove and blues progression embodying sonic dread. While many people would point you towards Led Zeppelin's epic take on this blues classic, the version done by A Perfect Circle was the one that arguably took the more artistic leap.
Coming from the more metallic side of the spectrum, A Perfect Circle took this typical blues song and made it something unparalleled with their unique use of electronics and guitar effects, which both enhanced dread while hinting at something more forboding. While the original song is filled with sadness, the chilling backing track on this version reveals a much darker tale underneath, as if this flood is signalling the forecoming apocalypse.
Maynard James Keenan's vocals mesh perfectly with Billy Howerdel's backing tracks, almost as if they are mourning for those that are going to be left abandoned in the chaos happening around them. A Perfect Circle eventually used these covers as their swan song before going on hiatus, but this song proved there was still an infinite well of talent at their disposal.