Any Apocalyptica fans here?

[Gamerforlife]

I'm just starting to get into their stuff and loving it. I seem to be going through a string instrument phase right now as I'm listening to Vanessa-Mae too.

Anyway, any Apocalyptica fans here? And does anyone else love this video as much as me?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsYcRSNL8To

[Ack]

The instrumental version of Path is probably my favorite of their stuff, followed by their version of Hall of the Mountain King. In general I dislike when they work with a singer however. They're excellent at what they do though.

[Hobie-wan]

I heard a bunch of their Metallica covers years ago and liked them. I keep meaning to pick some up but haven't yet.

[Gamerforlife]

I haven't actually heard any of their Metallica stuff yet. I've been listening to their original work and believe me it is quite good. I like the lack of vocals in a lot of their songs. A nice break from the norm and honestly, only a few metal bands have truly memorable, unique vocalists anyway. With a lot of bands the vocals just kind of fade into the background for me as I focus more on the music, head banging to a good riff or waiting for a great guitar solo.

I agree with Ack, the acoustic version of Path is great and it's stuck in my head and although the music video for the song is cheesy I like it. I thought it was funny

[Niode]

It's kinda novel. That's it though.

[Hobie-wan]

I've heard Enter Sandman, Nothing Else Matters, and One. Good stuff.

[Gamerforlife]

I've heard Enter Sandman, Nothing Else Matters, and One. Good stuff.

As a huge fan of Metallica's catalogue up to and including the Black Album, I'll definitely being checking those out.

[Limewater]

As a huge fan of Metallica's catalogue up to and including the Black Album, I'll definitely being checking those out.

It's obligatory that someone say it, so I'll be the one: The Black album sucked!

OK, it didn't really. I do think that about half of the album is really good and the other half is kind of lame and really stupid. The first four albums were definitely superior, though - particularly Ride the Lightning through ...And Justice for All.

I agree with Ack about the instrumental versus vocalist thing. I was actually going to post the same thing. I own their first three albums. When they started playing with a drummer and having vocalists, though, I just didn't care at all anymore.

[Gamerforlife]

As a huge fan of Metallica's catalogue up to and including the Black Album, I'll definitely being checking those out.

It's obligatory that someone say it, so I'll be the one: The Black album sucked!

OK, it didn't really. I do think that about half of the album is really good and the other half is kind of lame and really stupid. The first four albums were definitely superior, though - particularly Ride the Lightning through ...And Justice for All.

The Black Album was excellent, I have no idea what you're talking about. There are songs off there that I have heard in so many different places, used by so many people and covered by so many different artists. It's a classic album. Enter Sandman alone is an awesome track. It was after The Black Album that the band started to get really hit and miss with their music

But yeah, anyway, I agree Apocalyptica works best as an instrumental band. The awesome sounds they get out of those cellos really should take center stage in every song, without a vocalist getting in the way

[Limewater]

The Black Album was excellent, I have no idea what you're talking about.

They had a few misses earlier (e.g. Escape).

Here are the Black Album tracks I don't like:

Holier than Thou... Blech. This appears to be an early example of Metallica's immature, reactive, whiny phase. The lyrics are just lame.

Don't Tread on Me... Seriously? Hetfield doesn't even like this song, and he wrote it.

Through the Never... Science, technology, astronomy, and the quest for knowledge just aren't that, well, metal. Were this song about something else, I'd probably like it, as I think the main main riff is really catchy. Metal lyrics need to either be ridiculous enough that they can't possible be taken seriously or they need to be serious and really good. This one seems to be serious, but seriously lame.

The God that Failed... They stole the bass line from Megadeth's Dawn Patrol (which is probably the worst track on Rust in Peace, imo). They then just put together a really slow, plodding track. I like their slow, plodding stuff on ...And Justice For All, but this one is just completely forgettable.

My Friend of Misery... Blech. Nothing to say. There's a reason this one is at the end of the album.

The Struggle Within... Prior to this, Metallica had ended all of their albums very strong. It's still better than stuff like "The Unnamed Feeling" off of St. Anger, but that's not saying much.

I'm not a Cliff Burton worshiper or anything, for what it's worth. Justice showed that they could produce a great album without him.