Posted: April 13, 2008
Contributed By: Vic

	Purchase @ Amazon.com Release Date: April 15, 2008 via Sony / Red
	Apocalyptica is: Eicca Toppinen (Cello) Paavo Lojonen (Cello) Perttu Kivilaakso (Cello) Mikko Siren (Drums)

Overview: Apocalyptica formed in Finland in 1993 as a quartet of cellists who had a fondness for heavy metal despite their training in classical music. Their first album, ‘Plays Metallica By Four Cellos‘ was their take on eight classic Metallica tracks; no drums, no vocals, just four cellos. They expanded their sound on subsequent albums, covering other bands like Pantera and Sepultra, and then including original material as well. Eventually they added a full-time drummer (though the number of cellos dropped from a quartet to a trio) and they often began to include cameos from well-known singers on some songs. Their sixth release, ‘Worlds Collide‘ is comprised of 10 original tracks and one cover, four of which feature guest vocals.

The Good: Apocalyptica doesn’t hold anything back on this album. From beginning to end, ‘Worlds Collide‘ breaks away from the perceptions of what a cello should sound like. From the heaviness of the album-opening title track, to the rhythmic pulsing of “Stroke”. the furious, lightning pace of “Last Hope” and the sorrowful regret dripping from the closer, “Peace”, the album never runs out of surprises up its sleeves. Cellists Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen and Perttu Kivilaakso layer their harmonies with skillful depth on every track. Just like any conventional band, one handles rhythm/bass, one takes a lead/solo approach, and the third provides a sort of “vocals”. And while the band does not have an actual vocalist, “Worlds Collide” is chock-full of guest musicians who step into the role. Corey Taylor (Stone Sour/Slipknot) provides vocals on “I’m Not Jesus”, in truly impressive fashion. The song is so well-tailored to his voice, you’d be hard-pressed to believe it wasn’t a Stone Sour song first. Christina Scabbia (Lacuna Coil) sings on beautiful “S.O.S. (Anything But Love)”, and Adam Gontier (Three Days Grace) lends his voice to “I Don’t Care”. The biggest surprise is probably Til Lindemann (Rammstein) on the cover of David Bowie’s “Heroes” (billed as “Helden”, as it’s entirely in German). But the parade of guests doesn’t even stop there. Dave Lombardo (Slayer) sits down behind the drum kit for “Last Hope” and Japanese guitarist Tomoyasu Hotei provides a short guitar solo on “Grace”. Hotei’s solo is simple but effective, sounding rather electronic, but not out-of-place. But on Lombardo’s cameo, he is relentless (as always), driving the song forward at breakneck pace. (That same song also features an amazing cello solo that’s ridiculously heavy on distortion.) On that note, it would seem that Lombardo has had a lasting influence on full-time drummer Mikko Siren, as this isn’t the first time he’s appeared on one of Apocalyptica’s albums. On “Burn” and “Ion” Siren does his best impression of the famed drummer, in a fashion that could never conceivably compliment cellos. Yet it all seems perfectly natural with this band. It helps that these cellos use a lot of distortion, but at times it is almost difficult to tell that you’re hearing the strings of a cello and not a guitar (especially on the title track and “Helden”).

The Bad: Though this isn’t Apocalyptica’s first album to include drums, there will undoubtedly still be fans who wish the band hadn’t gone down that road. Certainly, the use of drums changes the dynamics of the band entirely. But for the most part, it is a positive addition. On one track though, (the album-closing “Peace”), one can’t help but wonder if the song would be stronger without drumming. It makes the listener go back over the whole album with that same question. Additionally, Gontier’s appearance on the album feels much more forced than the others. “I Don’t Care” sounds very much like a Three Days Grace track, but because it makes the cellos sound too much like guitars. Gontier sticks out like a sore thumb in this awkward contribution. His simplistic sing-songy vocal style just doesn’t mesh well with the rest of the band.

Bottomline: It’s debatable as to whether Apocalyptica has become more or less of a novelty through the progression of their career. The move from “chamber musicians who happen to like heavy metal” to “legitimate rock band that happens to feature cellos” is not the kind of thing you come across often. What is not arguable is that this band has a sound that is immediately recognizable, and constantly evolving. If you’ve been waiting for Apocalyptica to break away from covering other band’s songs, this is the album you want to pick up.

Rating: 9 out of 10