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Apocalyptica member and main songwriter Eicca Toppinen said in a recent interview "...we're trying to reach the whole world with this album and maybe try to get people to listen to Apocalyptica who didn't before". Make of that what you will, but there's no doubt that these Finnish metallists have ascended the platform and gone from "that cello band" to almost a household name, not just in the metal community but outside as well. Playing the half time entertainment at this years Eurovision Song Contest in Finland, a world wide distribution deal with Universal Music and a who's who of guest singers have all contributed to propel these young Finns into stardom. Truth be told, I've never much liked their early Metallica covers they performed, finding them a bit cheesy and more of a novelty. I came on board with 2003's Reflections, which was just so new and refeshing at the time. The followup, 2005's self titled album was simply a marvel to behold. Their latest Worlds Collide (possibly a pun referring to Toppinen's statement shown above?) is certainly not a bad album, but it seems the magic and innocence of their earlier albums cannot be heard anymore. This is normally something that happens to most bands, but with Worlds Collide it has resulted in weaker songs and a recycled sound. In some ways they've built their own prison around themselves, creating a sound that's much harder to manoeuvre with primarily instrumental music. Things start off well enough, with the title track and Grace getting the ball rolling nicely. Now official member, drummer Mikko Sirén has added an extra dimension to the cello metal with his outstanding drum work and has even written Grace and Last Hope. The way the music is structured, there leaves plenty of room for tasty fills, something Sirén takes full advantage of. It must be said, their playing ability is unrivalled. Often fast and furious but just as often slower and meloncholic, they do represent a fast array of styles within the framework. Quite often you forget these are traditional classical instruments being thrashed to death, quite remarkable. So can an old dog learn new tricks? Well...not exactly. Newbies to Apocalyptica should get a kick out of it and the guest singer list will certainly entice people to this record, but to hear Apocalyptica at their best I'd recommend their 2005 self titled release. |
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Killing Songs : Grace, Last Hope, I Don't Care, S.O.S. (Anything But Love) |
Joe quoted 68 / 100 | ||||||
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