How do you review a band that does a full album of covers? Well, you look at how the band has chosen their songs, whether they have brought you some surprises and then how well they have translated them to their own musical standards. Okay, that is done, so what are my thoughts on what PATRIARCHS IN BLACK have chosen to play on their fifth studio album to date, which they named "Completely Covered In Black"? The answer really was much easier to give than I would have thought beforehand; I like it a lot. And a lot of that is due to the way the band usually sounds, as it is rather Heavy, plus the way extent they show adaptability towards the songs they are playing. And because they have mastered a way to make the vocals not only fit their versions without straying too far off the originals.

When a band does songs by some of the greats, you wouldn't think of BLACK SABBATH song like "Supertzar", the QUEEN track "Dragon Attack", LED ZEPPELIN's "The Ocean" or the KISS tunes "Strange Ways" and "Almost Human". But PATRIARCHS IN BLACK also has surprised me with a perfect rendition of the TWISTED SISTER classic "Destroyer". For me that is easily the best track on the whole "Completely Covered In Black" experience. But the one common denominator they have is that they are all done to a very good and sometimes even outstanding standard. The only cover that doesn't work for me is the PETER GABRIEL song "Games Without Frontiers", as I feel that this one just doesn't mix well with the PATRIARCHS IN BLACK sound.

Of course "Completely Covered In Black" also houses some expected songs like "Immigrant Song", "Hotter Than Hell", "Snowblind" and "The Chase". I do feel that even though the band has made a good version of "Kashmir", that is one of those songs that shouldn't be touched, as you can never even get close to the original in class as well as performance. This song is to be found as a bonus track on the cd version, as is a new PATRIARCHS IN BLACK track, called "Dead Or Dying". It has that typical sound befitting this band, and is a nice addition. The same goes for "This Damn War", the only bonus track on the vinyl version of "Completely Covered In Black". If you love your covers and don't want to hear just the usual suspects, you could do a lot worse than this album.