Apocalyptica Plays Metallica
Apocalyptica
Mercury Records

The Insanity Of Metallica, Delivered Via Cello

By Beth Winegarner

Heavy metal seems to have become a mockery of late. Oh, sure, much of what got labeled heavy metal--Poison, Warrant, Ratt--was a sort of mockery to begin with. But with folks like Pat Boone covering songs by Alice Cooper and Deep Purple, and the recent "comebacks" (as if) of Warrant, Def Leppard and Kip Winger, things have gotten a bit strange. You might want to chalk up the debut record by Apocalyptica--the Finnish cello quartet who's just released an album of Metallica covers--as part of this mockery. But please, don't. While this group might have an odd take on some of metal's finest tunes, they have nothing to do with the pathetic posturing of those aforementioned "artists."

Instead, Apocalyptica's record has everything to do with taking Metallica's classic songs and making them even more timeless than ever--if such a thing is possible. The only trouble listeners might have with the album is getting over the idea of the cello as an instrument solely hinged on 200-year-old symphonies. In fact, Apocalyptica shows how Metallica's elaborate musical arrangements fit the sound of the cello perfectly. With their four instruments, Max Lilja, Antero Manninen, Paavo Lotjonen and Eicca Toppinen approximate James Hetfield's growling vocals, Kirk Hammett's riff-heavy thrash and his lush guitar interludes, and the percussive elements lent by Cliff Burton, Jason Newsted and Lars Ulrich.

The album opens with their version of "Enter Sandman," high notes on one instrument, the low, distorted chuck-chuck-a-chuck melody on another. Without lyrics gumming up the arrangement, it's easier to pick out melody and harmony lines here and on other songs throughout the disc. In some cases this can be problematic; many of the vocal lines tend to sound repetitive without words with which to sing along. But in other cases the pieces are elevated to another level, where everything is conveyed by the versatile sound of the cellos.

"Master of Puppets," for instance, moves through the song's many mood changes with ease, recreating the driving, demonic flail of the early verses and the lead melody, which more than suggests the invasive tone of the piece. And then in the song's slow, melodic central section the cellos shapeshift from hard-core instruments of distortion to their more familiar personae, swirling with aching beauty around Hammett's original work--down to every last trill.

On "The Unforgiven," the cellos are also gorgeous and emotive. It's said that this instrument is the one that most closely resembles the sound of the human voice, so it's appropriate that on this song--the one where Hetfield first showcased his newfound ability to sing on 1991's Metallica, is perhaps the best on Apocalyptica's album. It's certainly the prettiest--an adjective rarely applied to Metallica's work.

And yet their renditions of hard-edged tunes like "Sad But True" and "Wherever I May Roam" are equally powerful, coming on like the four horsemen in the power-chord attacks, keeping the pace during the most dizzying solos. "Creeping Death," a mainstay of Metallica's die-hard fans, is revived in all its anthemic glory, plodding along with the doomed finesse of the original.

The fact that the album closes with "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" is somehow appropriate, a nod to the insanity that would drive a group to record a collection of Metallica songs played by cellists. But the track also functions as a tip of the hat to Metallica's older fans, some of whom might find more loyalty in Apocalyptica's work here than in Metallica's latest endeavors.

The only drawback here, if indeed it is one, is Apocalyptica's strict adherence to the arrangements of Metallica's original songs. Although their idea is a fresh one, it wears a bit thin with repeated listens, because--instrumentation aside--these covers sound exactly like the originals. It helps, too, if you know the words; in fact, the arrangements are so precise, they might remind you of lyrics you thought you'd forgotten. Despite its more precious qualities, Apocalyptica's album is a must-have for any serious Metallica fan--and might even awake a few reluctant listeners to the intelligence inherent in the originals.

This article was originally published in Addicted to Noise.