There are cover songs that are decent.
There are cover songs that make you go, “Fair play, that’s tidy.”
And then there are those rare covers that grab a legendary song, crank the amps until the walls start sweating and somehow manage to create something completely different without disrespecting the original.
Bad Wolves’ version of “Zombie” belongs firmly in that final category.
🔥 Heavy.
🎤 Emotional.
🎸 Absolutely enormous.
But behind those crushing guitars lies a story that makes the track far more than simply another metal cover.
This became a tribute to one of rock’s most distinctive and unforgettable voices — Dolores O’Riordan of The Cranberries.
And, mun, once you know the story behind it, the song hits even harder.
🖤 The Cranberries Created Something Timeless
Before Bad Wolves ever touched the song, “Zombie” was already a monster.
Written by Dolores O’Riordan and released by The Cranberries in 1994, the track became one of the defining alternative-rock songs of the decade.
It was angry.
It was haunting.
It was unmistakable.
That opening guitar alone is enough to transport an entire generation straight back to the ’90s.
Then Dolores arrives.
Her voice moves between vulnerability, frustration and fury in a way very few singers could ever reproduce.
And then comes that chorus.
ZOMBIE. ZOMBIE. ZOMBIE-IE-IE.
You don’t casually sing that bit.
You absolutely belt it out like you’re headlining the kitchen while making toast.
The Cranberries had created one of those songs where covering it looked like an incredibly dangerous idea.
Step one:
Choose an iconic song.
Step two:
Try not to annoy millions of people who love it.
No pressure then. 😈
🐺 ENTER BAD WOLVES
Fast-forward to 2018 and American metal band Bad Wolves decided they were going to tackle it.
Rather than attempting to imitate The Cranberries, however, they went completely the other way.
They made it sound like Bad Wolves.
The guitars became enormous.
The drums punched harder.
The production became huge.
And frontman Tommy Vext delivered the vocal with a completely different energy.
Where Dolores O’Riordan’s original could sound haunting and desperate, the Bad Wolves interpretation feels almost explosive.
The chorus doesn’t simply arrive.
It kicks the bloody door off its hinges.
🎸💥
Yet underneath all that distortion, the melody and emotion of the original remain completely recognisable.
That’s the trick.
Bad Wolves didn’t simply make Zombie heavier.
They understood why the song worked in the first place.
🖤 Dolores O’Riordan Was Supposed to Sing on It
And this is where the story becomes incredibly emotional.
Dolores O’Riordan had heard Bad Wolves’ interpretation and was preparing to contribute vocals to their version.
She was scheduled to record her part on 15 January 2018.
Tragically, Dolores died in London that same day.
She was just 46 years old.
Suddenly a cover that had originally been planned as a collaboration became something completely different.
Bad Wolves chose to release their version in her memory.
What could have simply been a big rock single became a tribute.
And knowing that Dolores herself had been intending to appear on the recording adds another layer entirely.
You can’t help wondering what that version might have sounded like.
Dolores’ unmistakable voice alongside those gigantic Bad Wolves guitars?
Christ.
That could have been something special.
💰 BAD WOLVES GAVE BACK
Bad Wolves also pledged proceeds from their recording to Dolores O’Riordan’s family.
Later in 2018, the band presented a $250,000 donation to members of her family following the success of the song.
That transformed the release into something far bigger than simply commercialising a famous track.
It became about honouring the artist who created it.
And that’s an important part of why this cover continues to resonate.
🎸 THIS THING IS MASSIVE
Musically, Bad Wolves’ Zombie doesn’t mess about.
The opening immediately tells you what kind of ride you’re getting.
Everything sounds enormous.
Then the vocal comes in.
There’s restraint in the verses before everything starts building towards that chorus.
And when it arrives?
🔥🔥🔥
BOOM.
It’s arena-sized.
The guitars fill every available bit of space while the drums drive underneath everything like someone has thrown a concrete block through your speakers.
Yet they never lose the melody.
That’s what separates this version from hundreds of mediocre metal covers floating around the internet.
Making something heavier isn’t difficult.
Put downtuned guitars on it.
Add massive drums.
Give someone a microphone and tell them to shout.
Job done.
Making something heavier while preserving the emotional core of the original is much harder.
Bad Wolves managed it.
📈 AND PEOPLE ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT
The reaction was enormous.
Bad Wolves’ Zombie became the breakthrough track that introduced the band to a much wider audience.
It achieved major chart success and ultimately earned platinum certification in the United States.
In Britain, it also reached No.2 on the Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart.
Not bad for taking on one of the most recognisable alternative-rock songs ever recorded.
The track helped turn Bad Wolves into a serious name within modern hard rock almost overnight.
For thousands of listeners, it was their introduction to the band.
And, interestingly, for younger rock fans it may also have served as an introduction to The Cranberries themselves.
That’s another great thing about a successful cover.
Someone hears Bad Wolves.
Then they discover The Cranberries.
Then they discover No Need to Argue.
Then suddenly they’ve fallen down a massive musical rabbit hole at 2am wondering where the last four hours went.
We’ve all been there, butt. 😂
⚖️ ORIGINAL VS COVER?
Here comes the dangerous question.
Which version is better?
We’re not falling into that trap.
No chance. 😂
Because the beauty of these two recordings is that they do completely different things.
🍀 The Cranberries – “Zombie”
Haunting.
Raw.
Beautiful.
Angry.
Completely unmistakable.
Dolores O’Riordan gives the song its identity.
Without her original, none of this exists.
🐺 Bad Wolves – “Zombie”
Heavy.
Huge.
Aggressive.
Modern.
Emotionally charged.
Bad Wolves transformed the song without completely rebuilding it.
That’s why comparing them almost misses the point.
One is the original masterpiece.
The other is a powerful reinterpretation and tribute.
Both can happily live in the same playlist.
Preferably very loudly.
🖤 A SONG THAT MEANS EVEN MORE NOW
Perhaps that’s ultimately what makes Bad Wolves’ version so effective.
If it had simply been released as another metal cover, people probably would have said:
“Yeah, tidy version.”
Then moved on.
But the circumstances surrounding Dolores O’Riordan changed everything.
Suddenly every line carried extra weight.
Every chorus felt different.
Every performance became connected with the memory of the woman who originally wrote and sang it.
Bad Wolves could never replace The Cranberries.
Nor did they need to.
Instead they created something that feels like a salute.
A massive, distorted, emotionally charged salute.
🤘 THE RIFF REPORT VERDICT
Some songs simply shouldn’t be covered.
And when you’re dealing with something as iconic as “Zombie”, the chances of getting it horribly wrong are enormous.
Bad Wolves took the gamble.
And somehow they pulled it off.
They kept the emotional heart.
They added crushing guitars.
They created an absolutely enormous chorus.
And when tragedy transformed the circumstances surrounding the recording, they turned their version into a tribute to Dolores O’Riordan rather than allowing it to become simply another commercial cover.
That’s why, years later, this one still hits.
🎤 Vocals: 🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘
🎸 Riffs: 🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘
🖤 Emotion: 🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘
🔥 Turn-It-Up Factor: 🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘
⭐ THE RIFF REPORT RATING: 5/5 GUITARS 🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸
The Cranberries’ original will always be legendary.
Bad Wolves didn’t try to replace it.
They simply took that emotion, plugged it into a wall of amplifiers and created one hell of a tribute.
And when that chorus kicks in?
There’s only one sensible response.
TURN IT UP, BUTT. 🤘🔥
Proudly Welsh. Proudly Loud. Zero Apologies.
