Ryan Adams slays Slayer

Ryan Adams
Ryan Adams (Image credit: Tim Mosenfelder \/ Getty Images)

At this weekend’s Newport Folk Festival, alt-country superstar Ryan Adam did one of the things he does best, turning classic songs on their head and making them completely his own.

Adams, who has previously covered entire albums-worth of material from the likes of Oasis and Taylor Swift, took the stage accompanied by the newgrasss jam quintet Infamous Stringdusters and singer Nicki Bluhm and began his set with a hillbilly race through Slayer’s classic South Of Heaven. Later in the set they perform an equally uproarious version of Black Sabbath’s 1970 track The Wizard.

The performance ended with Adams saying, “the next time I come back, I’m gonna do a rap set”.

A photo posted by on

The 10 best Ryan Adams songs

Classic Rock

Classic Rock is the online home of the world's best rock'n'roll magazine. We bring you breaking news, exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes features, as well as unrivalled access to the biggest names in rock music; from Led Zeppelin to Deep Purple, Guns N’ Roses to the Rolling Stones, AC/DC to the Sex Pistols, and everything in between. Our expert writers bring you the very best on established and emerging bands plus everything you need to know about the mightiest new music releases.