 Features
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Tracklist
01 Worlds Collide
02. Grace
03. I`m Not Jesus
04. Ion
05. Helden
06. Stroke
07. Last Hope
08. I Don't Care
09. Burn
10. S.O.S. (Anything But Love)
11. Peace
It's pretty rare occasion when this reviewer gives a band a perfect score (5.0) but Apocalyptica is a band that is completely worthy of it. It's kind of funny that Apocalyptica basically started as a Metallica cover band. Not your average cover band however, being that the band originally consisted of four guys that all played cello. Apocalyptica got the world's attention back in 1996 with its covers, first doing Metallica and then expanding to other artists like Pantera and Sepultura, but a fantastic novelty act became a full fledged band when Apocalyptica started doing original material in 2000. Things got even more interesting when the band finally incorporated a drummer into the mix on the 2003 album 'Reflections', and this wasn't just anyone either, it was Slayer's Dave Lombardo, later Apocalyptica teamed up with Mikko Sirén as the permanent drummer for the band. With this addition, Apocalyptica managed to retain its same classical sound but now with a heavy ass beat behind it.
Apocalyptica seems to get better with every album. On its latest effort 'Worlds Collide' the band seems totally comfortable with its more recently added elements: drums, occasional vocals, and verse/chorus song structure. Apocalyptica still retains its signature classical arrangements but they are formed into actual songs instead of being four minuet pieces that sound like they would fit into a longer orchestra. The band has been working on doing this since 'Reflections' but now it really seems comfortable with it. Traditionally Apocalyptica did songs without vocals but the band has been incorporating these more and more with each album also. This album boasts four famous guest vocalists, more than on any of the bands previous albums. Slipknot's Corey Taylor makes an appearance singing on the first single called "I'm Not Jesus" which is a full fledged, radio worthy modern rock song, a rarity for Apocalyptica. The song "Helden" features Rammstein vocalist Till Lindemann and definitely has a Rammstein feel musically but executed in an Apocalyptica kind of way. The song "I don't care" features Three Days Grace singer Adam Gontier and also has a modern rock radio sound to it, like the Corey Taylor song, but with a bit more classical Apocalyptica detectable in it. "S.O.S (Anything but Love)" features Lacuna Coil's Cristina Scabbia and is an excellently done, epic ballad as you would probably expect. Don't let the famous names distract you from the songs without vocals on 'Worlds Collide' though, which all have a distinct melody that acts like a vocal played by the higher range cello. "Ion" is a fast paced, heavy, almost industrial rock song where the high range cellos perfectly compliment the tribal rhythm section, and so is the song "Burn". The opener "Worlds Collide" provides a great build up and the closer "Peace" is a beautifully soft ending.
The musicianship that Apocalyptica displays is, and has always been, amazing. The guest musicians just up the ante. But this would mean nothing if Apocalyptica didn't write fantastic music to go with it. Apocalyptica encompasses all the best elements of metal and classical music and continues to be one of my favorite bands.
Review by: Colette Claire
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