Strange things happen.  I know I have said it before and it still mostly holds true…the cover is never better than the original.  Then, just the other day I was kicking around online looking for music from Ohio-based bands and came across Olathia.  More specifically, I came across their album Madness Reigns which contains covers of two Savatage songs.  How long had it been since I had thought of that band?  Well, it had been awhile indeed, although I did remember the song Believe from their Streets: Rock Opera album.  Thinking about Savatage took me on a little rabbit hole adventure involving the death of Criss Oliva, Trans-Siberian Orchestra and that oddly unsettling cover to their Gutter Ballet album….I pulled the plug at that point and went back to to this cover of Believe by Olathia.

I have to say…I was pretty impressed and it might actually be…better than the original.  Chris E. has a great voice and is backed by solid musicians.  They give this song that soaring yet somber tone that makes these kind of anthem-style songs really work.  There is a better depth of sound and ambiance in this version that the original…in my opinion anyway 🙂   Definitely take a few minutes to listen to it  and let me know what you think.  

You can check out more of the music and information on the Bandcamp page https://olathia.bandcamp.com

Keep getting out there and supporting your local people and businesses 🙂 – community is powerful.