Apocalyptica - Masters of their craft
For anyone who has absolutely no idea who Apocalyptica are, allow me to preface by saying that this is something that needs to be seen to be believed.
In 2007, they released a song with Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor; a musical masterpiece called "I'm Not Jesus". That's when I discovered them, but unfortunately I've pretty much forgotten about them since, until now, 8 years on.
But enough of the backstory. Apocalyptica are a metal band, but there's nothing conventionally 'metal' about them. A band that features a drum kit and 3 cellos, to say that they execute perfect Metallica covers seems a bit ridiculous, but this unique quality is what makes the Finnish quartet so interesting.
The first 10 minutes of their Nottingham Rock City set was a unique chance to witness 3 men who have absolutely mastered their equipment, giving a fresh meaning to the term 'making it look easy'. After the set, numerous murmurs can be heard; a sea of people uttering something along the lines of "how do they even play cellos that way?". Astute observation too; those familiar with the Cello may find their jaws dropping to the floor as they hear Metallica's Seek and Destroy performed by three of the most talented musicians I've been fortunate enough to lay eyes on.
The third song in this mammoth 105 minute set is 2007's "I'm Not Jesus", which is when we're introduced to Franky Perez, the man responsible for vocals on the band's latest album, 'Shadowmaker'. Perez is nearly as impressive as the rest of the band, as he flawlessly covers other rock and metal vocalists such as Shinedown's Brent Smith, Three Days Grace's Adam Gontier and Black Sabbath's Ozzy Osbourne.
Apocalyptica are, to this day, one of the only bands for whom I'd gladly stand still for the best part of two hours, simply watching and taking it all in. An enchanting ambiance is introduced into Rock City via the band's music, supplemented by the experience of watching a drummer play his hardest, as well as some surprisingly inspired lighting work.
A number of 'classic' metal tracks, including Slayer's "Raining Blood" and Metallica's "Master of Puppets" and "One" were covered by the band, and each is an obvious demonstration of how incredible the cello can be (that solo of "One" is something to behold).
To add a cherry to the top of the cake, the band's accents are adorable, and a standout comment referring to Rock City being in Scotland only added to the mystery surrounding the quartet, as the crowd debate whether this was a bad joke intended to back-up Eicca's declaration that the band's "English is shit", or if it was in fact an unfortunate mistake. We'll never know...
Apocalyptica's enchanting performance is one-of-a-kind, and I would recommend, nay, urge and metal fans to witness this before it's too late.
COMMENTS
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Really good review! :)
