Apocalyptica - Apocalyptica Plays Metallica By Four Cellos
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CD Details
Artist: ApocalypticaEdition: Music CD
Audio: German (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Published: 1996
CD Release Date: 1997-04-08
Music Label: Fontana Island
Product features:
- APOCALYPTICA APOCALYPTICA PLAYS METALLICA BY FOUR CEL
- Enter Sandman
- Master Of Puppets
- Harvester Of Sorrow
- The Unforgiven
- Sad But True
- Creeping Death
- Wherever I May Roam
- Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
Music reviews of Apocalyptica Plays Metallica By Four Cellos
Music Review: A promising idea with severe shortcomings
Rating: 3 Stars
When I read about the 4 Finnish guys who went to the studio to record Metallica songs with their cellos, I decided that I need to have this CD. So, when it finally came out in 1996, I was among the first to buy it. Immediately I was very impressed. Later on, I changed my mind somewhat. So, here's the good and the bad of this Apocalyptica debut.
Let's begin with the good. Obviously, these 4 men are highly proficient with their instruments. Everything is performed with technical perfection and sounds flawless. I'm amazed at how they play Kirk Hammet's solos on the cello.
People of Apocalyptica are excellent arrangers. I couldn't believe my ears how accurately they reproduce Metallica's tight rhythm patterns with absolutely no drums involved. I never thought it was possible until I heard this. All in all, they prove that a cello is a pretty fine heavy metal instrument!
Let's move on to the bad. The worst part of the album is that it offers no variety at all. Take any single track - it's a mindblowing masterpiece. Now stick 8 tracks together, and it becomes an excercise in patience. I think it happens because the original material is very specific. Classic Metallica was never known as a melodic band. And to make matters worse, James Hetfield has a very limited voice, and his vocal melodies are primitive at best. He takes his own with unmistakable menacing intonations, and with powerful lyrics with a message. However, when taken to the cello, vocal intonations and lyrical meaning is lost, and all that is left is mostly pointless wandering of a lead cello across the same 3 notes over and over and over again. Yes, it's the 100% accurate reproduction of the original material. But let's be honest, it doesn't work quite like it was supposed to. This shortcoming of the original idea ruins all the tracks that originally were vocals-heavy, like "Creeping Death". At the same time, one of Metallica's strongest composing efforts, "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" sounds perfectly when played on cellos, because the original material is melodically strong. This track is hands down the best of the album, and ultimately, the only track here that any metal fan MUST hear.
Obviously, my point was realized by the Apocalyptica themselves, and we see a dramatic improvement on their subsequent records, where they added more and more of their own material.
Description of Apocalyptica Plays Metallica By Four Cellos
Limited Edition import-only vinyl LP repressing of this album. Universal. 2007.Take four cellos, mix with a quartet of Finnish classical-music students who possess a note-for-note knowledge of metal giants Metallica, and beat gently. Viola! You have a truly stirring album that provides tangible evidence of the dramatic passages and intricate arrangements that classical music and heavy metal share. On "Enter Sandman" and "Creeping Death," the exquisite playing of the cellists intensifies the darkness and emotion of Metallica. In the process the strength and versatility of the group's songwriting is given more credence. Perhaps the most remarkable element of the album is the faithfulness that's shown to the original songs, right down to faultlessly following the vocal melodies. With Plays Metallica by Four Cellos, Apocalyptica have proved that the universal language of good music is unbound by genre. Here is a clever concept brilliantly realized. --Steffan Chirazi
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