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 1996’s
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 it’s good – it’s 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
Apocalyptica’s part. His drumming is scattered through approximately a third of
Reflections, and I’ve always enjoyed the skills he so masterfully conveys. Aside from that, the heaviest moments of this Finnish band’s repertoire are their best. Though I care for the serene “Faraway,” “Cohkka,” and “Conclusion,” the former simply can’t 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, it’s 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.” There’s also a video tucked into the disc, so it’s rather noticeable that Nuclear Blast Records are intent on pushing this product.
I’ve liked all I’ve 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 can’t 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
