System of a Down drummer John Dolmayan has offered up the first taste of his long-gestating These Grey Men covers project: a hard-hitting all-star rendition of Radiohead's "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" featuring lead vocals by Avenged Sevenfold's M. Shadows and a guest solo by Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello. The single arrives paired with a mostly live music video, which Dolmayan previously teased on social media with still images from the shoot. In addition to Dolmayan, Shadows and Morello, the cover also features guitarist James Hazley, bassist Tom Copossela and keyboardist Danny Shamoun.
"This song in particular is a really touching and moving song," Dolmayan told Rolling Stone of The Bends closer. "I love the morose, in-your-room-and-it's-raining-outside, it's cold and your girlfriend dumped you feeling that this song always gave me… But when I listened to it, I'd be like, 'I kinda wish the drums came in earlier', or, 'How would [John] Bonham approach this song if this was a [Led] Zeppelin song?' Because I'm such a fan of the song, I wanted to do a version of it in homage."
"When John told me he wanted to reimagine some of his favorite songs for an album I was very intrigued," Shadows added. "I've always respected Radiohead but wasn't familiar with their full catalog. When John sent 'Street Spirit' I instantly was blow away by the sounds. Since then I have been on a huge Radiohead kick. Adding Tom Morello to our version was the icing on the cake. I feel this recording stays true to the original while adding John's overall vision."
The "Street Spirit" cover will appear on Dolmayan's upcoming solo debut, titled These Grey Men and due out February 28th. The record boasts an eclectic array of guests and songs, including Dolmayan's SOAD bandmate Serj Tankian singing David Bowie's "Starman" and the Talking Heads' "Road to Nowhere." See the full track listing below.
These Gray Men track listing:
1. "Hung Up" — Madonna
2. "Street Spirit" — Radiohead
3. "Beautiful Thieves" — AFI
4. "Road to Nowhere" — Talking Heads
5. "Rock Bottom" — Eminem
6. "Runaway" — Del Shannon
7. "Starman" — David Bowie
8. "What You Know" — Two Door Cinema Club
