I went through a Nick Drake phase, like some folks do, but now whenever I listen to his minky blanket voice I want to write nonsensical love poems and gently cry myself to sleep, which is something I mostly try to avoid. Some people still jones for that weepy, Nick Drake catharsis, though, and bands have been covering his songs for decades. Not usually prog metal bands—at least not until now.New Jersey prog band East of the Wall just covered "River Man," a song from Drake's 1969 album Five Leaves Left. The track has been previously reimagined by folk and jazz musicians, but surprisingly no math-y bands stepped up to the challenge before. When I first put on East of the Wall's Nick Drake cover, I was afraid I'd be transformed back to the sniveling man I once was, squirting tears all over my copy of John Berryman's Dream Songs. Luckily, this cover makes me feel like I'm in a movie mashup of Heavy Metal and The Hobbit ,slaying centaurs with Geddy Lee. Way better.Preorder East of the Wall's new split with Cryptodira here.