Apocalyptica - 7th Symphony Review
Posted by Dan Marsicano on 08.24.2010
The Finnish cello trio return with their seventh album, 7th Symphony. Featuring a heavier sound and guest vocals from the likes of Brent Smith and Gavin Rossdale, does Apocalyptica's new one outshine their previous releases?
The Band
Eicca Toppinen- Cello
Paavo Lötjönen- Cello
Perttu Kivilaakso- Cello
Mikko Sirén- Drums
The Track Listing
1. At The Gates of Manala (7:03)
2. End of Me (Ft. Gavin Rossdale) (3:29)
3. Not Strong Enough (Ft. Brent Smith) (3:36)
4. 2010 (Ft. Dave Lombardo) (4:32)
5. Beautiful (2:19)
6. Broken Pieces (Ft. Lacey Sturm) (3:55)
7. On the Rooftop With Quasimodo (5:00)
8. Bring Them To Light (Ft. Joe Duplantier) (4:42)
9. Sacra (4:22)
10. Rage of Poseidon (8:49)
The Review
Apocalyptica has always been a bit of an anomaly in music circles. Are they symphonic metal? Cello rock? Neo-classical goth? The answer isn’t simple, but the three cellists and drummer that make up the Finnish band have always done things their own way. Starting out as Metallica tribute band, the act began to write original material on their 1998 sophomore album Inquisition Symphony. Their seventh album, 7th Symphony, continues with the same formula of instrumentals and four guest singers that was introduced on Worlds Collide. 7th Symphony isn’t just an expansion pack to Worlds Collide; it heads in a thrilling direction that invoked a darker atmosphere rich with heavy riffs and haunting melodies.
The instrumentals are all over the spectrum, from the soothing “Beautiful” to the lighthearted “On the Rooftop With Quasimodo.” The band has been slowly improving their songwriting as the years have gone on and 7th Symphony has some of the best material of their career. “At The Gates of Manala” is a stunning opener that evolves from a thrash-fused meltdown into a tranquil cello-only passage that nicely compliments the heavier first half. It’s as epic as Apocalyptica has ever been, though it is later surpassed by the heavyweight duo at the end of the album.
“Sacra” and “Rage of Poseidon” may be two separate tracks, but they flow together to form one magnificent opus. The former is low-key and slow, taking its time to build momentum. The classical feel of the cello work is blatant and a different direction from much of the rest of the album. The latter is structured similarly to the opening track, with more bite to it. When the song is at the breaking point, like an orchestra about to fly off the rails, things are reigned in for a stark ending. Drummer Mikko Sirén shows his prowess and talent on the closer, letting off fill after fill that almost outshines Dave Lombardo’s fantastic playing on “2010.”
Speaking of Lombardo, 7th Symphony features several guest musicians to bring some mainstream appeal to the album. Gavin Rossdale lends his trademark voice to the hard rocking “End of Me,” Shinedown’s Brent Smith puts on his ballad face for the catchy “Not Strong Enough,” and Flyleaf’s Lacey Sturm gives an inspired performance on “Broken Pieces.” These tracks aren’t terrible and work within the content of each performer’s range for the least amount of awkwardness. However, none of them have the lasting power of “I’m Not Jesus” or “I Don’t Care” and seems like B-sides that weren’t good enough for Worlds Collide.
The only song that really tries something fresh is “Bring Them To Light.” Gojira’s Joe Duplantier growls and screams his lungs out, while the band kicks things up to a level not heard in any of the other vocal-led tracks. The band approaches the song with a relentless aggression that works wonders for them. Out of all the tracks with vocals, “Bring Them To Light” shines over the others for its ability to target a different audience than the ones that will be brought in by the appearance of Smith, Rossdale, and Sturm.
Since their first album almost 15 years ago, Apocalyptica has turned into a tight unit that has legitimate songwriting chops. This is a band that took a gimmick and forged an innovative sound out of it. 7th Symphony is another strong album that picks up the pace and leaves the calm moments to a minimum. The guest vocalists put in great performances, though the tracks are unoriginal mainstream rock, with the exception of Duplantier’s “Bring Them To Light.” The band is on fire creatively and nothing seems to be hindering their ability to compose insightful and daring pieces of music that is unlike anything else heard in modern rock music today.
The 411: 7th Symphony proves yet again that Apocalyptica is putting out some of the most original rock music out there today. The instrumentals run the gamut from aggressive to peaceful, and the band works well with any kind of tempo or mood. The tracks with guest vocals aren't bad, but seem too cookie-cutter compared to epics "Rage of Poseidon" and "At The Gates of Manala." They aren't enough to hurt the rest of the album and fans of the band will find 7th Symphony to be a strong release off the heels of one of their most popular albums to date, Worlds Collide.
