Summer Music: Rock legends reunite with fiery ‘Beatles’ cover

Christian Trujano, Editor in Chief

The Beatles’ classic hit, “Helter Skelter,” got a musical makeover by shock-rock legends Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie, both embracing their trademark sounds.

In the midst of Zombie’s tour with Manson, “Twins of Evil: The Second Coming,” Zombie introduced the idea to cover this song, perform it live, record it with Nuclear Blast Records and release it on July 11.

“We had been talking about doing something together for these shows – that he should come onstage during my set and we’d do a song,” said Zombie in a interview with Rolling Stone. “After we talked, later that night I was home and I just thought, the obvious song is ‘Helter Skelter.’”

The chemistry between Manson, Zombie and the band is explosive, but it’s hard to believe they all came together for the new tour. Drum Magazine reported that Manson cracked drummer Ginger Fish’s skull with microphone stands and according to Consequence of Sound, he threatened to fight Rob Zombie during the last “Twins of Evil” tour in 2012.

As awful as Mansion’s relationship with the band was, they all come together on this latest cut with fantastic chemistry.

The song starts off with John Five, Zombie’s current guitar player, blasting the monstrous opening chords to “Helter Skelter.” Manson and Zombie bounce off each other’s massive energy, breaking out into the first verse of the song at full velocity.

While holding true to the original song, these iconic singers’ energy, heavy guitar riffs and energetic drums give the song a new breath of life.

The entire atmosphere of the song, with the back and forth singing in the verses and the mix of both voices in the chorus, creates the perfect rock anthem to get your head banging.

John Five comes in after the chorus with a tasty solo. He really picks his moments well throughout the song for his blues influenced licks, showing off his bending skills while remaining restrained and tasteful.

This cover of “Helter Skelter” reignites Zombie’s chemistry with his band and adds a generous dose of Manson’s notorious shock rock glamour, creating the perfect rock anthem for their second coming.

You can catch the “Twins of Evil: The Second Coming” tour on Aug. 28 at the Concord Pavilion.