Apocalyptica Reflections
Nuclear Blast Records NB1441-2 March 22nd, 2005
By Jason Jordan
I thought I had stumbled on the coolest thing when I picked up a copy of Inquisition Symphony, which featured a handful of cover songs ranging from Sepultura to Pantera to Metallica. Being the fan of old Metallica that I was (and still am), I quickly gobbled up 1996s Plays Metallica by Four Cellos akin to Pac-Man gobbling up those small, white dots. Now, some years later, Apocalyptica have released their fourth, studio album in the States and though its good its apparent that the cellists are perhaps second-guessing themselves by incorporating real drums, scant vocals, and all original compositions into the musical mix.
The addition of Dave Lombardo (Slayer) is a nice move on Apocalypticas part. His drumming is scattered through approximately a third of Reflections, and Ive always enjoyed the skills he so masterfully conveys. Aside from that, the heaviest moments of this Finnish bands repertoire are their best. Though I care for the serene Faraway, Cohkka, and Conclusion, the former simply cant compete with juggernauts such as Somewhere Around Nothing, Resurrection, and the uber-hard Heat. If I remember correctly: Apocalyptica used to rely on no more than four cellos for instrumentation, but Reflections finds them utilizing a host of musical instruments; thankfully, its refreshing yet it also unintentionally hints at a loss of ideas. Still, the trio have the propensity to craft beautiful music. The whimsical Pandemonium (no irony here, folks) is a testament to the aforementioned notion. Besides the meaty main course, four bonus tracks have been pasted onto the album, and this is where the female vox can be found, namely Seemann and Faraway Vol. 2. Theres also a video tucked into the disc, so its rather noticeable that Nuclear Blast Records are intent on pushing this product.
Ive liked all Ive heard from this particular group, and Reflections is another solid entry in their catalog. It does seem like the band are running out of ideas at this juncture but nevertheless Apocalyptica is good people. However, I cant help but want to hear more covers. How awesome would renditions of Death or Cynic be? Pretty awesome, you say.
8/10
Official Apocalyptica website
Official Nuclear Blast Records website
Nuclear Blast Records NB1441-2 March 22nd, 2005
By Jason Jordan
I thought I had stumbled on the coolest thing when I picked up a copy of Inquisition Symphony, which featured a handful of cover songs ranging from Sepultura to Pantera to Metallica. Being the fan of old Metallica that I was (and still am), I quickly gobbled up 1996s Plays Metallica by Four Cellos akin to Pac-Man gobbling up those small, white dots. Now, some years later, Apocalyptica have released their fourth, studio album in the States and though its good its apparent that the cellists are perhaps second-guessing themselves by incorporating real drums, scant vocals, and all original compositions into the musical mix.
The addition of Dave Lombardo (Slayer) is a nice move on Apocalypticas part. His drumming is scattered through approximately a third of Reflections, and Ive always enjoyed the skills he so masterfully conveys. Aside from that, the heaviest moments of this Finnish bands repertoire are their best. Though I care for the serene Faraway, Cohkka, and Conclusion, the former simply cant compete with juggernauts such as Somewhere Around Nothing, Resurrection, and the uber-hard Heat. If I remember correctly: Apocalyptica used to rely on no more than four cellos for instrumentation, but Reflections finds them utilizing a host of musical instruments; thankfully, its refreshing yet it also unintentionally hints at a loss of ideas. Still, the trio have the propensity to craft beautiful music. The whimsical Pandemonium (no irony here, folks) is a testament to the aforementioned notion. Besides the meaty main course, four bonus tracks have been pasted onto the album, and this is where the female vox can be found, namely Seemann and Faraway Vol. 2. Theres also a video tucked into the disc, so its rather noticeable that Nuclear Blast Records are intent on pushing this product.
Ive liked all Ive heard from this particular group, and Reflections is another solid entry in their catalog. It does seem like the band are running out of ideas at this juncture but nevertheless Apocalyptica is good people. However, I cant help but want to hear more covers. How awesome would renditions of Death or Cynic be? Pretty awesome, you say.
8/10
Official Apocalyptica website
Official Nuclear Blast Records website
