Apocalyptica
Shadowmaker

Apocalyptica more or less invented the idea of playing hard rock with traditional string instruments when the presented them selves to the world almost 20 years ago. Still today they are fairly own with doing this and even though they’ve added both a drummer and regular vocals in their music – which hasn’t always been the case – they still got most of their original identity present today. With this album they’ve found a vocalist to do all vocals on the album and somehow that makes this the most ”common” album they’ve released so far.

Since the early days when they made Metallica tributes the band has taken quite a journey through gold and platina albums from all around the world and several top 10 charts but they’re still missing that number one album and I guess that’s what they’re aiming for with this album – to get that elected feather in the hat.

Listening to the album it’s clear that some tracks on the album definitely deserve that number one position as they come with such innovation, hit feel and striking power that they could build a house by own force. They come with harmony, frenzy and technical brilliancy and the album feels fresh and yet somehow familiar. Unfortunately there are tracks here that can’t withhold this quality and that’s a shame because Cold Blood, Sea Song /You Waded Out) and the instrumental Till Death Do Us Part are absolutely fabulous! Some tracks feels a bit too much traditional hard rock/metal and they just got a feeling of diminishing their so way of doing things, not putting it there up centre like in the ten minute long concluder Dead Man’s Eye.

All in all the album covers 66 minutes, which is a bit long if you ask me. They definitely had opportunity to leave a couple of tracks outside the album, which would be a good thing. However, despite this opinion I still feel Apocalyptica has made a first class album with this one and it comes from a very professional hand. The amazing sound lift the instrument out from the album with an almost magical feeling and the competent vocalist Franky Perez can stretch his pitch almost like taffy – he makes such an impression on this album that you can’t help feeling that he’s always been in Apocalyptica. He should have at least. As a whole, this album – despite the weaker tracks – feels like the best and most competent album they’ve ever done. It’s the Apocalyptica album that I will chose first if I get to pick one to hear.

The band had a few years hiatus between ’7th Symphony’ and this one and that seems to have made good for the album. I’ve always thought the band has been to obsessed with showing everyone what a great musicians they’ve been and forgot that not everyone likes cello orgies with complex solos but this is something they’ve corrected with ’Shadowmaker’. The downside is a few more ”normal” tracks but the end result still speaks for itself. Apocalyptica has definitely found the right way – the sixth H is so close you can’t imagine…

HHHHHHH