April 10, 2008

Apocalyptica, Worlds Collide
Red Int Records, April 15
Long-awaited domestic version of the Finnish all-cello metal band’s seventh album. Now in their 11th year, this weird little outfit — who instantly captivate any gothie wandering into earshot – has covered tunes by Pantera, Bowie and Rammstein, the latter of which lent singer Till Lindemann and his sinister growl to these proceedings for “Helden,” a tortured dirge that could have come just as easily from Fields of the Nephilim. Which brings us to the rub: as irony would have it, being faced with the “limitations” of being an all-cello band, these guys spend a little more time emulating Fling V guitars than I’d like, but when they do stretch out and experiment it’s more than worthwhile. J-rock guitarist/movie bad-guy Tomoyasu Hotei has a good turn on the instrumental “Grace,” while Lacuna Coil singer Cristina Scabbia appears in the unremarkable goth-metal ballad “SOS.” Slipknot singer Corey Taylor puts forth his best Trent Reznor on “I’m Not Jesus.” B — Eric W. Saeger