NUCLEAR WINTER - Africa by Toto (Exclusive Track Premiere)

Here's a question: where exactly does one go after successfully nailing a death metal cover of Haddaway's "What Is Love?" If you're Zimbabwean one-man outfit Nuclear Winter, the answer is obvious: you pull out all the stops. You really go for it.

In other words, you make like Weezer and cover the greatest soft rock track the 80's had the honor of conceiving: Toto's "Africa." Did this timeless track with it's nonsensical lyrics and disgustingly hooky melody need a death metal cover? Probably not. But does  Nuclear Winter knock it out of the park in a manner we've only come to expect? Absolutely. Thus: without further ado, we're inordinately pleased to present a premiere of the cover in question. Listen below! 

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​And there ye have it: the cover you didn't see coming. Notably, the timeless lightfooted melody that we've all come to cherish/hate over the past forty years has been significantly minimized herein. Nuclear Winter offers instead a thicc tone and a healthy emphasis on the chug. With the exception of a chorus lurking in the midsection of the cover, the vocals, in particular, are deep and meaty in their delivery--well-balanced, however, by backing harmonies courtesy of Collina Anilloc, a friend of Nuclear Winter. In the words of the artist himself regarding the song's construction: "After listening to the original song again I realised the anthemic chorus and general rhythm of the song could translate well into being made heavier. Doing a heavy cover like this is done just for creative fun...while also aiming not to lose the feel the original song has."

If this cover isn't the epitome of fun-lovin' musical appreciation, I don't know what is. Indeed, I would argue that with these death metal covers, Gary of Nuclear Winter is shedding a little fun and happy-go-lucky 'tude on a form of expression typically cast in a serious light. He's not seeking to write knock-out classics. Let's face it: that's what tracks like "Africa" already are--near-legendary zeitgeists in the context of our cultural database. We know 'em. We (unwittingly) love 'em. And so: here we are.

Once again, I find myself offering major kudos to Gary for a job well done. While these covers are undeniably silly in premise, they are also relentlessly fun in execution. Only time will tell if any more classic tracks we never thought we wanted to hear again will receive the Nuclear Winter treatment
​--but should that day come, we'll be ready.

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