In 1999, Metallica performed their now legendary S&M concerts at the Berkeley Community Theatre— playing a great number of their classic hits with added orchestrations from the San Francisco Symphony and Michael Kamen, these shows fused thrash with classical instrumentation in the live setting and have gone down as some of the most celebrated and discussed performances in metal history. They were, however, far from the first instances of Metallica’s songwriting being complimented by more traditional timbres: in 1996, a group by the name of Apocalyptica would release their debut record, ‘Plays Metallica by Four Cellos.’ Pulling from a number of classics including ‘Enter Sandman,’ ‘Master of Puppets’ and ‘Sad but True,’ the group hoped to reinvent these songs for a new audience. Almost thirty years later, the band are a force to be reconned with in the symphonic metal sphere, having a plethora of well loved albums to their name. It seems their love for the fathers of modern metal has not dwindled across those decades either, as the group are now back for more on 2024’s ‘Plays Metallica Vol. 2.’ It’s such a shame, then, to have to say that despite the group’s clear passion and devotion to the music they’re reinterpreting, Apocalyptica consistently miss the mark on this new release.

The biggest issue with this covers LP is, put simply, that the majority of moments do not sound good. Whether it be a creative decision or an unfortunate accident, the record’s production is much too overblown and crowded: every drum sound is needlessly compressed, drowning out almost the entirety of the low end, and the cellos— the primary focus of this release— sound similarly overworked and soulless. These issues are most prominent in the thrashier cuts such as ‘Blackened’ or ‘The Four Horsemen,’ where stabbing strings and irritating percussion make many moments a chore to listen through. In the worst moments, one can’t help but wonder if covering such intense metal was the right choice for the group.

Indeed, many moments are brought down tremendously by the band’s ill-advised decision to retain the original songs’ thrash metal tendencies, rather than to adapt the core melodies and refrains into slower arrangements better befitting their instrument. Apocalyptica have dialled in a distorted cello sound so brittle and harsh, you could mistake it for the infamous score of 1960’s Psycho. The tone is so artificial as to suck the life out of one of the most brooding and mournful instruments in existence, and the songs suffer as a result. These are not the only sonic missteps across the record, however, as the band have also managed to stumble their way into numerous other auditory pitfalls. The piercing harmonics in ‘St. Anger’ are a cute illusion to the original’s comically abrasive snare sound in theory, but the motif wears thin far too quickly. The robotic sounds in the second half of ‘Blackened,’ conversely, must surely have been as terrible an idea on paper as they are in practice— coming out of nowhere, the timbres clash with every other element and add little other than confusion and bewilderment to the experience. Least welcome of all, however, must be the spoken vocals on ‘One,’ which somehow manage to drain the anguish and sorrow from Hetfield’s lyrics with delivery most reminiscent of a PS2-era cutscene— thankfully, an instrumental cut is also available.

If these tracks do not stand on their own, it’s reasonable to wonder if perhaps they are better enjoyed as a reimagining of classic metal tunes. In some instances, this is entirely correct: ‘St. Anger,’ despite the irritating harmonies, settles into a beautiful atmosphere as muted strings underscore sweeping melodies. The following ‘Unforgiven II’ is similarly wondrous, showcasing the richness and depth of the cello when allowed to thrive in its element, and the group’s short yet poignant foray into ‘To Live Is To Die’ is simply breathtaking. Outside of these softer moments, however, things do not come together so enjoyably— ‘The Call of Ktulu’ fails to achieve the same level of bombast or theatrical awe as the original, with the band’s attempt to recreate a breakdown falling flat. ‘One’ is likewise underwhelming in its second half, throwing in a rendition of Hammett’s iconic solo so horrific as to elicit a wince upon first listen. Worst of all, however, must be ‘Holier Than Thou’ which fails to capture a shred of the bitterness or energy of Metallica’s original: even Apocalyptica themselves must realise this, seeing as how they randomly switch to the ‘Enter Sandman’ riff halfway in. These criticisms are not to discredit the talent of Toppinen, Lötjönen and Kivilaakso— any cellist would struggle to recreate the furious guitar work of these classics. Instead, one must ask again if covers in this style really suit the band, especially as cuts such as ‘Ride the Lightning’ suffer from awkwardly atonal lead playing at times.

Passion is a wonderful thing and should always be cultivated and celebrated— on this new release, however, Apocalyptica prove that it may not always lead to superb results. Failing to stand alone or provide creative reinterpretations of Metallica’s past hits, ‘Plays Metallica Vol. 2’ is a disappointing venture for the symphonic group. The group could no doubt create a wonderful collection of covers in the future, especially if they played to their strengths and reworked these tunes into softer ballads. As it stands, however, a combination of abrasive sounds and unfortunate creative choices have done this record no favours, and it’s hard to imagine fans of the originals returning to these cuts too often.

A massive thank you to The Noise Cartel for the early copy