Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante has released another quarantined cover. This time it’s a cover of Mother Love Bone’s “Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns” with the help of Death Angel vocalist Mark Osegueda and Metal Allegiance bassist Mark Menghi.

The cover stays true enough to the original, with Benante contributing piano, drums and both acoustic and electric guitar parts. Osegueda’s vocals fully embrace the grunge aesthetic, paying tribute to Mother Love Bone singer Andrew Wood’s vocals with their tendency to warble. One difference is Benante playing up the guitar solos in the bridge section of the song.

The original Mother Love Bone track appeared on their debut EP, Shine (1989). While the “Chloe Dancer” intro sets a calm atmosphere with some instrumental piano, the “Crown of Thorns” part easily continues it on guitar, smoothly moving into the memorable chorus “And this is my kinda love/It’s the kind that moves on/It’s the kind that leaves me alone, yeah.” The “Crown of Thorns” part of the two-in-one hit also appeared separately on their only full-length album, Apple (1990). 

Benante uploaded the tribute to YouTube with the caption, “What if?  I always ask that when I listen to Mother Love Bone, Would Andrew Wood have sung “Release” or “Why go”? Would that TEN album have been the next MLB album? I remember sitting in Lonn Friend’s @instadude74 office when he got the Call that Andrew Wood had Died.  I couldn’t believe it, WTF?? I thought that band was going to have a long career…well some of them did. What A great album; to this day it’s one of my favorites.”

He continued, “The Chloe/Crown Of Thorns song is a stand out, it’s so perfect.  A few years ago I did a version of Chloe Dancer with Mark Osegueda  @bonsloth and Mark Menghi @markmenghi at a @metalallegiance show. I think they both capture the feel and emotion on this song .  I always thought I never really finished or felt fulfilled and I wanted to do a better cover of it. Since I’ve been doing these jams this song has always been on my mind. I get goosebumps when I play it, it’s weird and emotional. I hope you Dig it! Thanks to @andylagis  and @dlevanchuk  for their awesome ears and eyes @roland.artists @ikguitarist @headrushfx @officialtamadrums @paistecymbals”

For context, Wood overdosed on heroin in 1990, before their album had even released. Mother Love Bone guitarist Stone Gossard went on to form Pearl Jam with Eddie Vedder and some others, releasing their debut album, Ten, in 1991.

Benante, Osegueda and Menghi last played together in January with Slayer members Gary Holt and Dave Lombardo, Machine Head guitarist Phil Demmel and Exodus bassist Jack Gibson. It was a Metal Alliance show, but the other musicians joined them on stage to play several Slayer classics from their hit album, Reign in Blood. In other recent news, Death Angel drummer Will Carroll had a close call with COVID-19 but thankfully recovered.

Benante and Osegueda released another cover together earlier this August with Anthrax bassist Frank Bello, of U2’s “City of Blinding Lights.” Other quarantined covers Benante has organized include Kiss’ “C’mon and Love Me,” Massive Attack’s “Teardrop,” a Run-DMC medley, Billie Eilish’s “bad guy,” Living Colour’s “Funny Vibe,” Tom Petty’s “Yer So Bad” and several covers of Rush songs including “Red Barchetta.” Anthrax also announced having written six or seven songs for an upcoming album back in May.

Photo credit: Marv Watson