ALBUM REVIEW: Plays Metallica Vol. 2 – Apocalyptica

June 6, 2024 Ed Walton

Whenever you think of METALLICA, perhaps your mind goes to James Hetfield shouting “OH YEAH” at every opportunity he’s given, or questioning whether Lars Ulrich is actually a good drummer or not. But Finnish symphonic metallers APOCALYPTICA give METALLICA a little twist in their sound. For the first time since their 1996 debut, the band are back with Plays Metallica Vol. 2, which offers something a little different for the listener.

As everyone should know, METALLICA’s music does work perfectly with orchestral music as is showcased in the phenomenal S&M by the late great composer Michael Kamen. It gave their songs a new lease on life and even bolstered a few by making them sound better. Whilst APOCALYPTICA don’t have the scale of a full orchestra, they do bring something different to the table with the use of three cellists (Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen and Perttu Kivilaakso) and the incredible drumming of Mikko Sirén. You’d be forgiven for thinking the quartet had blown their load with their first METALLICA covers album as it did feature the classics such as Master Of Puppets, Enter Sandman and Nothing Else Matters, but of course there is plenty left to tackle this time around too.

Everything has been taken up a notch by having the added benefit of a full band behind them. Vol. 1 was just cellos which sounds fun at the start but does end up falling a bit flat early on. Opening proceedings here is Ride The Lightning. Whilst the song itself is already good fun, the added cellos bring in a sense of epicness that bolsters it massively. Bringing in a feel to the tunes that wouldn’t make it feel amiss on the latest God Of War games or any tale of Scandinavian adventure as you hack and slash your way through hordes of Norse demons and gods, it has you ready and raring for battle.

One of the most impressive feats that Vol. 2 achieves is doing the impossible: making the track St. Anger actually sound good. You’ll be almost furious with yourself for being gaslit into thinking it’s a good song as it’s the highlight of the entire album. The drumming is absolutely superb on this track and will have you air drumming along in no time. However, from here on in you should actually stick with the APOCALYPTICA version – as should METALLICA really.

After a sonic bombardment on your senses, the band take a moment to slow things down with a great rendition of The Unforgiven II from 1997’s Reload. Here we are once again treated to an epic sense of scale that brings strong imagery of adventures through mountainous regions and huge battlefields. It’s very similar to what composer Ramin Djawadi did with the soundtrack for Westworld where he was able to give contemporary songs a classical twist to match the setting they’re played in.

As we power through we are greeted with more classics such as Blackened and The Four Horsemen. Whilst the symphonic renditions are impressive to listen to, it is around this point where the novelty of this record does start to wear a bit thin, although The Four Horsemen does feature METALLICA bassist Rob Trujillo which gives the album a much-needed shot of adrenaline.

Right at the end of the record is the iconic One from …And Justice For All. Trujillo features on this one too but this time APOCALYPTICA also bring in James Hetfield himself who lends his vocals to a spoken word performance. It does work but it also makes you wonder why this wasn’t done earlier on in the record just to keep it a bit more interesting for the listener. The musical arrangement this time around is much different to the rest of the album. It’s more of an orchestral movement with a great horn section which once again brings in a grandiose scale before launching into a full blown cover of the song right at the end of the nine-minute epic. It’s just a shame it comes a little too late by being right at the very end.

If you’re a fan of APOCALYPTICA then this record will have absolutely been worth the wait. It’s a quirky take on a classic band that offers something a little different. However, for a casual listener it can be a bit dull at times. There are moments of greatness throughout but it’s an album that would have definitely benefited from being an EP rather than a full-length. After the first four songs, it has very little to offer – at least until the gargantuan ending of One that will still absolutely blow your socks off.

Rating: 6/10