“When we recently lost Ozzy, we all talked, and decided now was the time to put it out there”, the band says of their cover, recorded back in 2022
Even though Adam Gontier has recently rejoined Three Days Grace and has been touring with the band in support of their new album Alienation, he isn’t putting an end to his own band Saint Asonia, created with Staind’s guitarist Mike Mushok right after the separation from TDG. Just a few days ago, on October 13, Saint Asonia released a cover version of Black Sabbath’ classic ‘Paranoid’. Give it a listen below.
The cover was originally recorded during the making of Saint Asonia’s second EP Extrovert in 2022, launched in November of that year via Spinefarm. In the light of Ozzy Osbourne’s recent passing, it only made sense to pay their respect and give the good old classic a fresh vision. The band comments:
“We actually recorded this cover years ago while we were recording the ‘Extrovert’ EP. It didn’t end up on the EP, and when we recently lost Ozzy [Osbourne], we all talked, and decided now was the time to put it out there. It’s just our own little tribute to the band and the man who changed the landscape of heavy music forever, and opened the door for bands like us. We love you Oz.”
Saint Asonia’s lineup has seen a few changes since their last full-fledged record and Mushok’s reunion with Staind. Apart from Gontier on vocals/rhythm guitar and Mushok still on lead guitar, the band now also includes Adam’s cousin, Cale Gontier, on bass/backing vocals, and Cody Watkins on drums. In 2024 interview for Rock 100.5, Gontier explained how the current lineup came to be:
“The original lineup was myself and Corey Lowery [bass] and Rich Beddoe [drums] and Mike Mushok [guitar],” he said. “And Mike Mushok is still in the band. So it’s me and Mike. But Corey Lowery left to play guitar for Seether. […] So, yeah, it was a good opportunity for me to invite Cale, my cousin, into the band to play bass. Same with [drummer] Cody. Rich had some other stuff to do, so we got Cody on board, and here we are. This lineup is the lineup.”
The band’s cover of ‘Paranoid’ comes with an official visualizer, which you can check out below. What do you think of 2025′ take on the iconic 1970′ Black Sabbath track? Let us know your thoughts on AlteRock Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!
