APOCALYPTICA
The Forum, London, UK
March 7, 2008
review by Alissa Ordabai
photo by Lyza McEntire

LINKS:

apocalyptica.com

Conceptualists on par with mid-Eighties Metallica, Apocalyptica have long ceased being a mere curiosity - a suspiciously bizarre cover band mixing seemingly incompatible genres of classical music and heavy metal. After a decade of searching for its own identity, this Finnish cello quartet has finally developed into one of the most challenging, intelligent, and ambitious voices in contemporary music. These days their cross-genre ingenuity offers a unique and compelling style they somehow manage never to freeze into a dogma, constantly finding new ways to expand and re-channel their methods into an apparently unlimited variety of styles.

The Forum, one of the cosiest theatre venues in London --2,000 in capacity and always snugly intimate--was sold out for this show, the fact fully vindicated by Apocalyptica’s explosive performance on the night. Just like their musical vision, which now fluctuates between chart-friendly rock and symphonic complexity, their live shows have undergone drastic changes over the years, nowadays treading a fine line between atmospheric sophistication and brash theatricality.

Seconds before the start of the show, laser beams spotlighted each member of the band in turn, amidst the total darkness of the stage, the skull-shaped backs of their chairs casting long ominous shadows. Each was greeted with an ecstatic roar from the audience, and once the crowd could see them all, they immediately launched into a brutal rendition of “Worlds Collide”, the title track of the latest album they are now touring the world to support. The orchestral sound of four cellos at once filled the venue with tight, dense layers, each instrument defined, palpable and in perfect balance with the others.

A cello’s soundboard is huge, its voice – hauntingly majestic, capable of immense depths and a range of mind-boggling vastness. This gives Apocalyptica an instantly recognizable, inimitable personality, and those in the audience who have never seen them live before were utterly dumbstruck by their huge sonic presence.

“Grace” was another highlight - a gripping, gorgeously fluid piece, also fresh from the new album, stripped of sentimentality but touching in a broodingly intimate way. Flawlessly directed interplay between the drums and the rhythm cello let the melodic line float freely over the harmony, now and then exploding into a torrent of rapid passages, only to unwind again and continue the development of the melody.

“Master of Puppets”, which followed, was one of the three Metallica covers the band played on the night and turned into one of the best-received numbers that evening. There is shrewd savvy to how Apocalyptica orchestrate Metallica’s anthems, to how they handle their polyrhythms and recast their harmonies in a magnificent symphonic style. What they come up with is an entirely new, clear and lucid way of experiencing the genius of Metallica’s prime, bringing cohesion and august dignity to these heavy metal classics.

On “Last Hope”, another standout from the new album, the band dashed fervently through tempos and harmonic changes, recently recruited drummer Mikko Sirén navigating them with clockwork accuracy. Sirén is now an equal voice in this band, guiding them through their transformation from a cross-genre novelty into a full-fledged rock act. This number was a perfect example of how gracefully and naturally they apply the symphonic approach to disjunctive harmonies and angular phrasing of thrash, giving this genre gravity and depth of expression that it hasn’t known before. Equally amazing was how effortlessly their leads managed to keep up with rapid-fire tempos of thrash, their lightning-fast solos sounding on par with flashiest electric guitar wizardry .

Breathtaking chops and impeccable sense of composition aside, what really stands out about Apocalyptica is the boldness and self-confidence with which they explore unknown territories and open up new musical dimensions. They will, of course, never become a regular rock band because they will never completely abandon the fundamental elements of classical music, but what still makes Apocalyptica a legitimate metal act is their belief in the cardinal spiritual principle of heavy metal - that life is a struggle. And in this sense Apocalyptica is a perfect hybrid, as they preserve both genres and expand their opportunities to go mainstream again.