Cardiff Great Hall
Saturday, October 5th 2024
Photos and review – Rob and Danni Wilkins
I love how varied the role of photographer and reviewer in this genre can be. A couple of weeks ago I was in a tiny pub, just a ten-minute drive away, watching two emerging bands very up close and personal.
Tonight I am shepherded into The Great Hall, part of the Cardiff student union, via a new accessible and guest list entrance to watch three Finnish cellists play an entire album of covers in its entirety.
That new entrance meant we were literally in the venue itself before doors and encountered one of two frustrations when we bought merch, only finding out two days later that we were actually charged in euros, meaning a t-shirt advertised as £30 actually cost £35 with various conversion rates and foreign transaction fees. Certainly a joy of Brexit we hadn’t encountered before! The second was being asked to pay £7.50 for a small can of beer before the show! In a student bar! Lesson learned for the future there for sure!
To the music though
Warming up for the evening were The Raven Age, with a set of powerful, melodic metal that showed a great degree of light and shade. The veterans of tours with the likes of Iron Maiden, and Killswitch Engage, amongst many more, centred around Matt James’ vocal style and guitarists George Harris and Tommy Gentry’s fluent playing, had no problems grabbing the crowd’s attention and keeping it. From the opening notes of ‘Serpents Tongue’, with a ground-shaking rhythm courtesy of Jai Patel on drums and Matt Cox on bass, their set was a masterclass in just how polished they have become. James is a stalker, moving from riser to riser and his vocal style focuses lower than many but still has acres of room to rise to a higher register.
It isn’t the youngest or most energetic of crowds. To be honest, supporting three cellists can’t be the easiest gig to take on, but The Raven Age keeps up the energy and class with the darkness of ‘Nostradamus’ and then ‘No Man’s Land’ which segues from melody to raw power, and back. As the set develops, ‘The Journey’ really stands out as James dons an acoustic guitar for a beautiful change of pace and soundscape, accompanied by a sea of phone lights swaying back and forth.
Still to come we have the four standing members on stage coming together in the centre of the stage to rock together during ‘Fleur de Lis’ as the final song cements a superb set that has encompassed a variety of styles and no small amount of musical talent. Not the most energetic crowd reaction, but in a far-from-full venue with an equally far-from-young audience, a very valiant effort!
So to the main event.
I have never seen Apocalyptica live before so a set of covers of songs I know and recognise is a great introduction. A Kabuki curtain hides the stage as the notes of ‘Ecstasy of Gold’ ring out and the band take their places in a sea of fog and white lights, and then drops to reveal the instant power of the three launching into ‘Ride the Lightning’. One of the things that I adore about being able to photograph gigs is the sound that you get is a more direct sound from the stage rather than the PA and this was one of the best examples of that as the sheer overload of three brilliantly played cello is something to treasure.
No quietly seated classical recital this. Rather we have the visual contrast of the three Finns presenting a blur of movement brilliantly lit by bright and atmospheric lighting. I can’t remember seeing a band have quite so much fun on stage. Paavo, taking the ”bass player” role doesn’t stop smiling. Eicca, translating to the blonde-haired lead singer role commands the centre of the stage and then Perttu dazzles with virtuosity and soling that would be the envy of anyone with a far smaller, six-stringed instrument.
‘Enter Sandman’ sounds as if written for the three and they and drummer Mikko are joined by hundreds of vocalists as the crowd provides that missing role. ‘Creeping Death’ completed our time in the pit and for once, the size of the venue and the size of the crowd meant we could have a great view for the rest of the show when we left.
The thing that most struck me about the entire set, was how one minute I could close my eyes and imagine I was listening to a traditional metal band with pounding rhythm and screaming tortured instrumental sections that were every bit as “metal” as the music covered was originally, but then, on other tracks, particularly ‘Nothing Else Matters’ with its waltz-time base, could equally imagine that Metallica had themselves transcribed classical pieces into modern metal masterpieces. ‘The Call of Ktulu’ features Cliff Burton’s original bass track in a show of how closely the two bands have collaborated on the material and the hairs on the back of your neck stand up throughout.
Another take out is just how varied the sound from those cellos can be. Plucked, strummed, fed through effects, vibrato’d, from deep bass to howling high notes, the kaleidoscope of textures is spectacular.
There is little point running through the setlist, save to say that it features pretty much every Metallica song I would want to hear in an evening. Some work perfectly performed this way and others even transcend the originals for sheer beauty but the climax of ‘One’ complete with James Hetfield’s narration (slightly compromised by some technical gremlins) ended the evening with a glorious demonstration of just how well the two styles can work.
I can honestly say the sheer musicianship and skill made this one of my favourite gigs in a long time. My smiles matched those on stage and I could have stayed for much more given the opportunity.
Metal, it just all sounds the same dunnit?
Apocalyptica Plays Metallica Vol.2 Tour continues through October and November, all dates can be found HERE