A cover album cannot be achieved properly without a vision. Although cover material is not original, the cover artists must have a clear idea of the direction in which they want to take someone else’s work. For Hellsongs, the goal was to bring lightness to darker music and if the genre of lounge music was what they were going for, they have reached success. With the help of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, the Swedish outfit pulls a 360 on the rock songs they chose to makeover for this live record. Taking heavy classics like “Seek And Destroy” and “Walk,” songstress Siri Bergnéhr makes the songs come alive in a new way.
The drastic change in the format of the already acclaimed music that Hellsongs’ has overtaken makes for an airy journey of 13 tracks. The feel of the album is honestly fun. The reformulated “Run To The Hills,” originally by Iron Maiden, is worked to the point of nearly turning into a pop anthem. If Long Live Lounge were playing at a party, whoever has not been living under a rock for the past two decades would enjoy hearing this. There is a feeling of nostalgia that Long Live Lounge churns up. The instrumental aspects give the cover of “School’s Out” an overly upbeat vibe. The group’s version of “We’re Not Gonna Take It” remains slow and dreamy throughout its length, bordering on becoming a lullaby as it closes out the record. The Sweden natives make individual pieces cohesive in the most pleasant way, where a listener of any age could appreciate them. A job well done to Hellsongs, who along with the orchestra, allows these hits to become bright.
