Author: Sebastijan Videc
Photos: Jerneja Jerak
Venue: Kino Šiška, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Concert date: 14.10.2015
Ticket price: 21€ (early bird), 25€ (presale), 28€ (day of show)
The fact that Apocalyptica hadn’t been to our neck of the woods in quite a few years packed plenty of people into the big hall of Ljubljana’s Kino Šiška. But I can say with a clear conscience that this is no longer the same band that first introduced itself to us around the turn of the millennium, when four young blond cellists, perched on elementary-school chairs in front of a jam-packed Križanke, took our breath away sawing at what was then a totally unknown, exotic classical instrument for metalheads – the cello! Back then the crowd was warmed up by none other than Siddharta, at that time a full-blown star of the domestic scene, but this time the Finns brought along equally hot rockers, the young Australians Tracer.
I first got to know Tracer about three years ago, when I kept hearing the hits from their debut Spaces in Between on the English internet radio station Planet Rock (which sadly can’t be listened to in Slovenia anymore). The Brits were pushing this newly discovered band hard, and the current hits Devil Ride and Too Much were blasting out of the speakers several times a day. The news that Tracer would be supporting Apocalyptica made me really happy, since it promised the first chance to both hear and see the band live. Unlike most Australian rock bands, Tracer don’t try to imitate their ultra-famous countrymen AC/DC. You could describe their sound as a mix of stoner and ’90s grunge with ’70s classic rock, and they’ve been heavily shaped by bands like Audioslave, Soundgarden and Queens of the Stone Age, as well as Foo Fighters. The trio of Michael Brown (guitar/vocals), Jett Heysen Hicks (bass, backing vocals) and Andre Wise (drums) kicked off their first Slovenian show uncompromisingly with the punchy Too Much. The polished album production, which practically begs for Tracer to become car music, buckled under the raw, dirty sound of guitar and bass live, and the band glowed even brighter for it. But lo and behold – the hall stood there as static as during a Sunday sermon. Thankfully, the end of the song finally earned some applause and shouts of encouragement and excitement. The Australians spent a good half of their TOO short set promoting this year’s album Water for the Thirsty Dogs, and the crowd’s initially reserved reception grew with every song into a bigger response and real participation during the show. It all suggested the Australians made the most of their first gig in Slovenia, and after the concert plenty of people were taking photos with them in the lobby. After the Apocalyptica show I ran into them myself, and the guys told me they’re planning a new European tour soon, with another visit to Slovenia in the cards.
As Apocalyptica’s start time drew near, the hall filled up fast. Like I said in the intro, Apocalyptica hadn’t played in Slovenia for quite a few years, four if I’m not mistaken. The original cello quartet shrank to three six years ago and added a drummer, and soon after that they started bringing guest singers onto their albums too. But last year Apocalyptica decided to swap the guest vocalists for a single frontman, which they did on this year’s album Shadowmaker. The American singer Franky Perez grabbed the hot mic, a guy who previously worked with Slash before Slash picked Myles Kennedy for his project.
And how’s that change working out? Well, not great. The band’s core trio is of course superbly tight, with classical training and more than two decades of playing behind them. Honestly there’d be no complaints, if only I didn’t miss some extra depth, at least on the older songs, that’s gone missing with the loss of the fourth cellist. Franky Perez didn’t start his set with any confidence, and it didn’t get any better by the end of the night. With musicians of this caliber, it’s hard to believe they settled for such an average vocalist. Still, I think it would be better if a fourth cello “sang” his lines. But what can you do – the crowd went wild anyway and didn’t seem too bothered by the flaw – at least most of them. Drummer Mikko has been a permanent member for ten years now and his mastery behind the kit is beyond dispute. But adding drums was a double-edged sword, and that showed at this gig too. While they do a great job driving this mix of classical instruments and metal rhythmically, all too often they completely drown out the gentler parts of the songs, where the cello would otherwise dominate with its velvety deep voice.
The show itself opened with the new Reign of Fear, with a static backdrop decorating the stage that got swapped out after a few songs. The Finns devoted roughly a third of the almost two-hour show to the new record Shadowmaker, toying with older material in between. About a third of the way into the set, Mikko moved to a smaller kit at the front of the stage, and the backdrop turned into a video projection that stayed with us for the rest of the night. Apocalyptica started their career with the album Apocalyptica Plays Metallica, and I’m not sure whether this is a tribute to the band’s beginnings, to Metallica’s immense popularity, a combination of both or something else entirely, but Master, Sandman and One drew the biggest cheers from the crowd, along with Slayer’s Inquisition Symphony. The biggest surprise, and the biggest hype that came with it, was saved by the Finns for near the end. During the opening bars of the Norwegian Grieg classic, Perttu suddenly started playing Zdravljica (the Slovenian anthem), and the whole hall instantly joined in at the top of its lungs, lyrics and all.
I left the show with mixed feelings. Apocalyptica can still do it, no doubt. But their recent decisions have shaken their status quite a bit, and the choice of singer was sadly a disaster. Is this move an attempt to swim into more commercial waters, where the Croatian duo 2Cellos currently reigns? Who knows, but the fact is that when the Finns released their first album, the two Croatians were just starting elementary school. Luckily, Tracer fixed the taste of the evening, and they give us hope that young bands still know how to make and serve up quality rock music.
Setlist
Tracer
1. Too Much
2. We’re Only Animals
3. Water For Thirsty Dogs
4. There’s A Man
5. Astronaut Juggernaut
6. Devil Ride
7. Us Against The World
Apocalyptica
1. Reign of Fear
2. Grace
3. I’m Not Jesus
4. House of Chains
5. Not Strong Enough
6. Master of Puppets
7. ‘Till Death Do Us Part
8. Inquisition Symphony
9. Bittersweet
10. Harmageddon
11. Hope, Vol.2
12. Riot Lights
13. Shadowmaker
14. Hole In My Soul
15. Enter Sandman
16. In The Hall of the Mountain King
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17. One
18. I Don’t Care
19. Dead Man’s Eyes
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