Steve ‘N’ Seagulls’s 2016 album, “Brothers in Farms,” was a hit with us at MetalAsylum.net, for its novelty Bluegrass covers of certified Metal classics, such as “Aces High,” “Out in the Fields,” “Sad But True,” etc., along with some Classic and Contemporary Rock.

The Finnish boys parodying American rednecks are back in 2018 with their third release, “Grainsville,” which sees them branching out more across other genres. There’s still a Metal presence, with a goofy, excellent take on Pantera’s “I’m Broken,” a brilliant ballad-esque spin on the KISS disco hit, “I Was Made For Loving You, Baby,” “Digging the Grave” (Faith No More), and a fun reimagining of Van Halen’s 1984 smash, “Panama.” But they signal their shift across genre boundaries with a good version of Lenny Kravitz’s “Are You Gonna Go My Way” in the opening slot, and a bold take on Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Chile (Slight Return),” which they’ve just called “Voodoo Child.”
These songs are all fun, all highlights, but I’d be remiss in omitting praise for “Sabotage” (Beastie Boys) and “Alive” (Pearl Jam) too, even though in the latter, they omit the closing solo section from the original. Such a missed opportunity. . . a Bluegrass jam to close this out would have been much more satisfying than the 3-minute jokey cover we have here.
Steve ‘N’ Seagulls’s sound is somehow reminiscent of Weird Al Yankovic’s signature Polka medleys, with occasional touches of Postmodern Jukebox. It’s fun and adroitly executed, so I’ll gladly excuse their terrible pun of a band name.
I get their sidestep toward more mainstream and Classic Rock on “Grainsville,” and I hope it garners them more attention and income, but I’d also love to hear more exploration of major NWOBM covers, as they did in the past. Maybe even some heavier Thrash classics too.
Anyway, if you can handle Bluegrass rambling, and are entertained by genre-smashing crossovers, then I can’t recommend Steve ‘N’ Seagulls enough. I’d probably say to start with “Brothers in Farms,” but this one is also a blast.