I saw Apocalyptica last night at the Lindsay Stirling/Halestorm concert. They were playing their Metallica covers and encouraged the audience to sing along. And I couldn’t really participate, because I rarely listen to Metallica and only know these songs from the voiceless Apocalyptica covers. 😅
#metal #music #concert #apocalyptica #LindsayStirling #halestorm #metallica
Raphael Weinroth-Browne – Lifeblood Review
By Twelve
Raphael Weinroth-Browne of Kamancello and Musk Ox, among other groups, is, in my mind, the most interesting cellist in metal. This is in large part due to the fact that he actually plays a lot of non-metal. Musk Ox is a fantastic chamber folk project with nary a distortion to be heard. His debut solo release, Worlds Within, covers a lot of ground, but is largely a work of classical music. And yet, you can just hear in the way he plays that Weinroth-Browne is a metal musician. The influence and emotion is just there, whatever he’s doing and however he’s doing it. The follow-up to Worlds Within, Lifeblood, offers a similar premise: one man with a cello and a pocket full of dreams. The question is clear: are there worlds within Lifeblood, or will it end up feeling lifeless?
Certainly not the latter; Lifeblood is a very lively album, upbeat and intricate with many layers to explore. Compared with Worlds Within, it feels like Weinroth-Browne has placed a greater emphasis on “roles.” As it progresses, you almost get the sense that there is a “lead/vocalist” Raphael Weinroth-Browne on cello, a rhythm Weinroth-Browne on cello, a bass Weinroth-Browne on cello, and a percussion Weinroth-Browne on cello. The four Weinroths-Browne build upon each other’s work, taking simple ideas and layering them upon each other until the whole transcends its basic components. The titanic “Ophidian” does this extremely well. For nearly nine minutes, it tells largely the same story—but beneath the surface, the bass Weinroth-Browne is building to an anxious crescendo, the rhythm Weinroth-Browne is weaving a tapestry, and the lead Weinroth-Browne is practically singing through his cello, with all the passion and inflection you’d expect from an actual singer. Of course, there is no singer—Lifeblood is purely instrumental—but it does not need one.
Last year, I had the unexpected pleasure to see Musk Ox live in concert, where they performed Inheritance—my 2021 album of the year!—in full. At the time, I was struck by just how much better Weinroth-Browne’s cello sounds live. It’s a rich, expansive, expressive instrument and, despite how amazing Worlds Within sounds, I’ve felt it missed some of that low-end power that gives the cello its majesty. Lifeblood seems to address this thought. It has a richer sound than its predecessor and a mighty low end. Weinroth-Browne’s influence from metal rears its head on songs like “Lifeblood” and “Possession,” where he treats his (“bass”) cello like a guitar, utilizing what are essentially power chords to give the songs weight. On “Nethereal” and “Labyrinthine,” he goes a little lighter, but the influence is still there; the former is a slow build to an electric payoff, while the latter leans lighter and more excitable; “Labyrinthine’s” layers build with fun, lively backdrops that give the song a journeying feel. It’s not “cello metal” like Apocalyptica; Rather, Weinroth-Browne’s fusion of classical and metal themes is expert enough to feel like it isn’t overtly one or the other.
Like most classically-inspired instrumental albums, Lifeblood is best experienced as a whole and can be thought of as a journey. This is its greatest strength, and I imagine for some will be its primary drawback. Indeed, I find it difficult to just sit down and play “Labyrinthine;” on its own, it’s a good song, but may feel a bit long or a bit much. But start with the opener “Lifeblood,” and it draws you in. It begins in a similar vein to Worlds Within, but quickly establishes its own identity. It does a great job of luring the listener into Lifeblood, and flows naturally into “Possession,” and from there into “Ophidian,” and so on. With that said, I do think Lifeblood is a touch long—and front-loaded. After the gorgeous “Pyre,” Lifeblood’s best songs—to my ears, at least—are behind it, which makes the near-hour-long runtime feel like a bit much. It’s never bad in any sense, but with so many paths to traverse, it does feel a little lost by the end.
But only a little—I can’t stress enough that Lifeblood is a fantastic musical journey that establishes Weinroth-Browne as a supremely talented composer, cellist, and musician. It is a rare album, one that rewards multiple listens, evokes myriad emotions, and creates a lasting impression. It really is remarkable. Who needs a band when you have an army of Raphael Weinroth-Browne?
Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Self-release
Websites: raphaelweinroth-browne.bandcamp.com | raphaelweinrothbrowne.com | facebook.com/raphcello
Releases Worldwide: October 3rd, 2025
#2025 #35 #Apocalyptica #CanadianMetal #Classical #Kamancello #Lifeblood #MuskOx #Oct25 #RaphaelWeinrothBrowne #Review #Reviews #SelfRelease
Photos/Review: Halestorm brought Everest to Madison, WI – 9/21/25:
#Halestorm #Apocalyptica #LindseyStirling #Photos #Review #LivePhotos #LiveReview #Wisconsin
Link: https://metalinsider.net/photos/photos-review-halestorm-brought-everest-to-madison-wi-9-21-25
#TheMetalDogArticleList
#BraveWords
HALESTORM / APOCALYPTICA – nEverest Tour Storms Into Toronto!
https://bravewords.com/concert-reviews/halestorm-apocalyptica-neverest-tour-storms-into-toronto/
#HALESTORM #APOCALYPTICA #TourStormsIntoToronto #tour #guitarist #BraveWords #metal #music
Feankleaster bosk; there is also a gazebo tearoom. #apocalyptica
#TheMetalDogArticleList
#BraveWords
APOCALYPTICA Performs METALLICA’s “Blackened” At Tuska Festival 2025; Pro-Shot Video
#APOCALYPTICA #METALLICA #Performs #Blackened #festival #video #BraveWords #metal #music
@pax0707 Opening song…
#apocalyptica #metallica
T-3h till #Apocalyptica goes LIVE in #Opatija (#Croatia) 🤘🏻🤘🏻🎻
#TheMetalDogArticleList
#Blabbermouth
APOCALYPTICA's EICCA TOPPINEN: 'We've Been Always Very Grateful For Everything We Have Gotten From METALLICA'
#APOCALYPTICA #EICCATOPPINEN #BeenAlwaysVeryGratefulForEverythingWeHaveGottenFrom #newrelease #interview #Blabbermouth #metal #music
Preparing for next weekend and #Apocalyptica LIVE at #Opatija 🤘🏻
Didn't have a clue that our very own local #rock band from #Rijeka (#Croatia), #ChasingNord will kickstart the show!
It has been a few years since I listened to their 2023 album #LastRainOnEarth, here we go again...
12 days and counting... #Apocalyptica LIVE in #Opatija (Croatia) playing #MetalicaVOL2 🤘🏻
Völur & Cares – Breathless Spirit Review
By Twelve
“Avant-garde doom metal from Canada. Do I really need to say more to pique your interest?” So said I a little under five years ago, closing out my Things You Might Have Missed feature for Völur’s Death Cult. The Toronto-based project launched itself to the top of my end-of-year list in 2020, owing to their expert fusion of an impressive blend of sounds and genres primarily rooted in doom metal. Wielding the violin like a sledgehammer, Death Cult featured intelligent, clever compositions that really impressed me in 2020. Now, at last, they’re back for their fourth full-length, Breathless Spirit, with one key change: a collaboration with Cares—UK/Canadian producer James Beardmore—whose influence aims to transcend an already-impressive trio to Valhallan heights. However do they fare?
But first, a correction: in reviewing Death Cult, I noted that “the guitars do not dominate, nor do they crush the listener; instead, they unsettle, distort, and act as anchor for the vocals and electric violins that make up the true meat of the music.” Völur has no guitarist—only Lucas Gadke (Blood Ceremony), who plays bass (in addition to vocals and piano). The electric violins are indeed the “true meat of the music;” Völur create their uniquely haunting sound through intense distortion on Laura Bates’s violin and viola,1 giving them a surprisingly heavy metal basis to work with—certainly I’d never have thought there’s no guitar in the blackened doom mania that is “Windbourne Sorcery II,” and I’m still not 100% sure I believe it. Previously, I compared the group to a gloomy “Apocapyse Orchestra meets King Goat” project, but, in hindsight, Apocalyptica might have been a better base point to use.
Realistically, though, none of that matters because Völur is unique in too many ways to build adequate comparisons, and Cares has only strengthened that position. Where Death Cult emphasized the heavier, doom metal basis of Völur’s material, Breathless Spirit leans more classical, a change that highlights the incredible range of the music, passing also through doom metal, black metal, folk, jazz, and drone along the way—and all of it done with “just” a violinist, bassist, and drummer (Justin Ruppel). What’s extra interesting (on an already very interesting record) is that Cares contributes piano, synthesizers, theremin, and textures. His production adds layer upon layer of grimy, modern darkness that contributes heavily to the metal feel of Breathless Spirit. It is, put simply, extremely experimental. It also works magnificently.
From the classically-inspired2 “Hearth,” Breathless Spirit’s instrumental intro whose motifs just keep reappearing, to the towering doom metal conclusion of “Death in Solitude,” Völur are as engaging as they are unpredictable. I mentioned that “Windbourne Sorcery II” has the album’s blackened highlight, with Bates’s utterly unhinged shrieks atop a steady alarm of urgency from her violin. That same song has an almost funeral buildup, a chilling passage I compare favorably with Bell Witch’s Mirror Reaper3. The title track is the highlight for me; Gadke’s roars are front and center, and all of his vocals have depth and command to them, recalling Barren Earth’s On Lonely Towers.4 Guest vocals from Amy Bowles (ex-Hollow Earth) are a fantastic counter to his baritone cleans, and the brief improvizations a third of the way in is chaotic and delightful. You can dance to the haunting middle section, but it ends on a sense of heavy, epic urgency. Whatever style they try, Völur & Cares can’t help but create something beautiful. Much credit also belongs to Ruppel, whose measured drumming keeps Breathless Spirit grounded in a steady, doom-laden theme that serves it well.
I’ve run out of words, but there’s so much more to say. Breathless Spirit is a hard album to describe with any level of brevity. It explores worlds I’ve only hinted at here, and is much stronger than the sum of its parts. It’s not perfect—”On Drangey” is perhaps a touch too long for my preferences—but it hardly has to be. Breathless Spirit should enshrine Völur and Cares as experts in the experimental. Equal parts beautiful, haunting, and dark, Breathless Spirit defies my vocabulary—you simply must listen for yourself.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 192 kbps mp3
Label: Blackthrone Productions
Websites: volur.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/VolurDoom
Releases Worldwide: August 8th, 2025
#2025 #40 #ApocalypseOrchestra #Apocalyptica #Aug25 #BarrenEarth #BellWitch #BlackthroneProductions #BloodCeremony #BreathlessSpirit #CanadianMetal #Cares #DoomMetal #Drone #FolkMetal #HollowEarth #Jazz #KingGoat #Review #Reviews #Volur #VölurCares
#TheMetalDogArticleList
#BraveWords
APOCALYPTICA Feat. TINA GUO Perform METALLICA’s “Seek & Destroy” At Wacken Open Air 2025; Pro-Shot Video
https://bravewords.com/news/apocalyptica-feat-tina-guo-perform-metallicas-seek-pro-shot-video/
#APOCALYPTICA #TINAGUO #Feat #Perform #festival #video #BraveWords #metal #music
You know you're in front of a metal audience when Apocalyptica does the opening notes of Metallica's "Master Of Puppets" on their signature cellos, and the audience goes fucking nuts.
Wacken Open Air 2025 Livestream
agreed
and not even as a stunt instrument
you can take some instruments and use them well outside their comfort zone, and do some amazing work, like #apocalyptica and their cellos
New post: Festival Review: Hellfest 2025 Day 1 – Clisson, France (19th June 2025) https://www.moshville.co.uk/reviews/gig-review/2025/07/festival-review-hellfest-2025-day-1-clisson-france-19th-june-2025/ #Airbourne #Apocalyptica #ElectricCallboy #FitForAnAutopsy
Apocalyptica
29.11.2025 Dortmund / FZW
