Home > Music > CD Review > Apocalyptica, 'Worlds Collide'

Apocalyptica, 'Worlds Collide'

The worlds in question being heavy metal, Finland and cellos

By Kirk Miller

Metromix
April 14, 2008

Critic's Rating:

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Backstory: Quick, what do Finnish cellists and Metallica have in common? Apparently, everything. Years after starting out as a metal cover band (albeit with cellos), the Helsinki-based Apocalyptica have sharpened their bows into a full-on thrash assault with original tunes…which is both good and bad.
 
Why you should care: The instrumentals on “Worlds Collide” are (head)bangin’. With the addition of percussion and piano, tracks like the proggy “Grace” and the cacophonous “Ion” perfectly bridge the gap between orchestral squall and metal fury. As for the singing…well, apparently cellos can’t help Corey Taylor from delivering a Stone Sour-lite performance on “I’m Not Jesus” or making the gothy “S.O.S.” come off as anything more than second-rate Evanescence/Lacuna Coil. Fortunately, the vocal tracks are an exception here, not a rule.
 
Verdict: To rephrase an old Metallica T-shirt slogan, this is “cello up your ass.”  In a good way.
 
X-Factor: Not everything on “Worlds Collide” is original. Rammstein’s Till Lindemann helps Apocalyptica deliver a bizarrely scary, German-language take on David Bowie’s “Heroes,” now called “Helden” (which Bowie actually did sing in German for a B-side, but not like this).