Written by:	gorockit
Published:	August 23, 2004
Event:	Apocalyptica

Here we are! In the fresh Tyrol Valley where Innsbruck is located and where the Finnish Apocalyptica are taking the concert tonight. The venue is a cool (but over heated!) club named "Hafen". Everyone today is ready to welcome these three legends: Eicca, Paavo and Perttu.




Oh yeah! This is the first news: no more four elements in the line-up but just three of them as Antero left the band due to his extra busy working schedule. It's Paavo himself to explain to us some details and he also told us some reason why he's so happy to be on tour this time: some time taken off from his iper-active little crazy boy, the good results of recording of drum sessions for the up-coming album, no more full days spent in a studio, no more teaching hours but lots of time to dedicate to fans and to go around playing songs from the last Apocalyptica album, in places where the band didn't manage to go before this time... finding out people still adore them!

It's with this blast of joy, emotions and passion that Apocalyptica reached the stage tonight. Their intention is very easy: spread this spirit and their positive vibrations to all the crowd that is showing up? and it's not that difficult for them to reach their intent!




The concert started surprisingly early in the evening (around 20.30) and no support bands. Lights went down and we could hear the intro of "Path" which accompanied the coming of the three Apocalyptica and so... let's start with the show!
A great news is the introduction of the drummer, Mikko, who is no more just an occasional member of the band but now it's a consistent part of it, even in the song writing of the new songs. The guy showed to us that his bloody good and heavy, fighting with his drum from the beginning to the end of the show and resulting in a even heavier sound in the proposal of the classical tracks of the band.
Long lasting fans sustained that the missing of Antero is something too immediate because the whole performance had less scenic and sonic impact but, in my own opinion, it's just a temporary impression!
Another news is the brand new tool of the youngest boy of the band, Perttu, who proudly showed his cello made in USA; so new cello, new graphic, new sound to darken the doggy aura of the metalhead of the band.




The gig flew smoothly from song to song and it came quite soon the moment of the tribute to Metallica - for sure one of the bands that mostly influenced Apocalyptica- with the instrumental version "Master Of Puppets". The track wouldn't be the only cover song of the American band, even if Apocalyptica are currently more focused to wash away the label of 'Most Famous Tribute Band' trying to give more space to their own compositions.
They played the well known "The Unforgiven", "Fight Fire With Fire", "Nothing Else Matters", "Enter Sandman" but they shocked all the audience with a kicking ass, heavy, evil version of "Seek & Destroy".




Eicca and friends also pleased us with another surprise, an anticipation from their next album which they describes as full of strong emotions, high feelings, fast heavy kicking-ass songs (Perttu defines them also more evil than ever) where energy, love, pain, sorrow, angry are running and rolling one after another. The track we heard tonight was "Defender".
Other songs proposed by Apocalyptica had been "Prologue", "Toreador II", the amazing "Heat", "Resurrection", the famous Sepultura "Refuse/Resist", the awesome "Somewhere Around Nothing", "Inquisition Symphony" and their up-to-now most famous ballad "Faraway".
Great conclusion of this outstanding gig with the proposal of a song born in a closest Finnish folk culture and sounds "Hall Of The Mountain King".




This has been the third time I had the honour to see the live performance of these guys and, believe me, the effect it's something devastating, something really hard to imagine but easy to feel under your skin if only you have the chance to go and see Apocalyptica live shows. Every time I saw them, came soon the moment when the spontaneous and contagious choruses would have spread naturally from the crowd and... It's so fucking cool!!!! Even the most distract listener will be overwhelmed by this atmosphere.

After the Austrian big success Apocalyptica are ready to go on with the tour schedule in Slovenia, Germany and back in the north? even if my hope is to see them also in my country, Italy, and maybe some places nearby because they deserved to spread their cool sound and talent as far as they can.

Come on, metalhead! Go out and find out what is really heavy and not to be missed? Apocalyptica is heavy sound for evil ears? stay tuned!