There’s no shortage of acoustic guitar covers of hard rock and heavy metal songs populating the internet these days.
But Dutch guitarist Thomas Zwijsen may have them all beat with his version of Iron Maiden’s classic 1982 anthem, Run to the Hills, performed on his Ortega nylon string.
Witness the twin guitar harmonies, the air-raid siren vocals wails, the majestic chorus melodies, the crescendo flourish at the finale, all of it enacted with ease while Zwijser also holds down the song’s trademark galloping rhythm on the treble strings.
He even pulls of some Janick Gers-worthy over-the-top fretboard fingerings for good measure.
Zwijsen, as it turns out, has released a series of recordings and books that showcase his instrumental acoustic adaptations of metal songs. Additionally, he’s also collaborated with former Maiden singer Blaze Bayley and former Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick.
His “Run to the Hills” cover comes off his latest release, appropriately titled Nylon Metal II, which features five Maiden tunes in total, alongside Van Halen’s Jump, Black Sabbath’s Heaven & Hell and, um, A-ha’s Take On Me.
For more information, “run” over to ThomasZwijsen.com.
