10 Greatest Cover Songs In Rock Music History

In the early days of thrash metal, Metallica were one of the worst offenders of plagiarism. Along with taking Dave Mustaine's licks once he was kicked out of the band, James Hetfield and co. were also known for playing classics from Diamond Head and not giving them proper credit when playing them live. So when they finally decided to tip their hat to the old guard, they figured it was time to go all out.

With years of experience under their belt now, Mercyful Fate is not the kind of cover song that you'd expect from Metallica. Being diehard fans of the group's first handful of releases, this is actually an 11 minute epic comprising of multiple Mercyful Fate cuts played in rapid fire succession. Where the band really shines though is in the transitions, like making The Curse of the Pharoahs bleed seamlessly into Evil through a couple of guitar breaks.

After becoming superstars in their own right, this long epic is more about how much Metallica have grown as players since getting together banging it out in their garage. The result ended up going so well that King Diamond has actually gotten up onstage with the band to perform bits and pieces of the medley at shows. Because if there's one thing that we know Metallica is good at by this point, it's giving a spotlight to the neglected bands in metal.