All My CDs, pt 4: Amplified

Yes I'm still doing this.

Amplified: A Decade of Reinventing the Cello - Apocalyptica

I have heard rumors that of all musical instruments, cello is measurably most similar to the human voice, and I’m inclined to believe it. As you will see later in this series of reviews, I have a real soft spot in my heart for stringed instruments, especially when paired effectively with voice.The sound of stringed instruments, and cello in particular, inspires an instinctual recognition and empathy that makes for especially emotive music. This may account for part of Apocalyptica’s success: their incorporation of the most emotionally expressive instrument into one of the most emotionally charged genres. However, I think in at least one respect their reliance on cello’s vocal qualities may have counted against them.

Amplified is a two-disk album, and disk one contains several instrumental covers of highly recognizable songs (such as Enter Sandman and Nothing Else Matters), with cello in place of the vocal part. This makes sense given their style, but while cello does invoke a reaction similar to that of a human voice, it’s still not a voice, and thus is a step below vocals in terms of emotional expressiveness. This counts double in a genre known for having vocalists not just singing, but growling and even screaming - making sounds simply not replicable or imitable by conventional instrumentation.

The result is a taming effect on these instrumental covers, and a loss of some of their original impact. These songs are pleasurable to listen to, but I suspect a large part of that pleasure is due to their recognizability as popular songs. Still, a large part is also due to the band’s genuine ability as musicians, so I wouldn’t discount the covers entirely.

Disk one also features a truly stunning rendition of Grieg’s Hall of the Mountain King, which has practically screamed out for a heavy-metal cover ever since it was first composed. The rest are originals, and boy are they awesome.

Disk two is much shorter, and seems to contain original songs retrofitted with lyrics and vocals. I think for the most part these songs were better as instrumentals, but that’s me. I prefer the first disk, which I feel has better music and a lot more of it.

Wikipedia claims that Amplified isn’t an album so much as a “best of” compilation, and I’m satisfied that what I’ve got here is some of Apocalyptica’s best work. While I listened to the album Worlds Collide rarely, I hardly listened to this collection at all since I first got it (and I can’t even remember when that was). Shame on me. It’s a good one, and deserves respect and hours of listening.

Next: Funeral