This is a brilliant piece of work. All the other Apocalyptica albums are great too, especially for their renderings of other bands' songs, most notably Metallica, but here we see this Finnish quartet (trio?) move away from other peoples' material and coming up with their own original stuff. I was amazed to see that they are exceptional songwriters in their own right!, especially Eicca Toppinen, but certainly also Perttu Kivilaakkso. I love the mix of electric guitar, drums, and strings. Works great. This is a very inspired work!! EXCELLENT songs!!!

David Rehak

Markus Derrer has done a great job in introducing Apocalyptica and explaining the individual tracks in this album, please refer to his review for more details. I would like to tell you that Apocalyptica stands head and shoulders above the metal groups I know and Reflections has been my favorite album for all times - it will probably continue to be so in near future. I have to state that the first track, Prologue, is the biggest diamond of this invaluable album. Especially when I am listening the part begins at 0:48, there is no way that I can resist to start headbanging! I try to make it as slight as possible when out in public but I do it heavily when I'm alone or with close friends.

They do not only make the hard stuff, they have very beautiful slow tracks, too. Even the old school classical music admirers should listen to them at least once.

I love percussion very much and they are very welcome for me. Most Apocalyptica fans think that more reliance on percussion diminishes some of the originality of their work but they still love Reflections, even they love Cult more. You can see the forum thread in their official web site. The URL for the lazy people is here : http://www.apocalyptica.com/phorum/read.php?f=11&i=6461&t=6461.

Apocalyptica has released a newer version of Reflections, including a DVD, like St. Anger from Metallica. It's only sold in a German site though and I couldn't get babelfish to translate it in a decent way. I will order it from Amazon as soon as it's available or grab it from a local music shop if it comes to Turkey - whichever happens sooner.

To summarize, if you like Metal music and do not need to hear the groaning of death-metal, don't hesitate to buy this album - you will have your ears' rust cleaned. If this will be the first time you meet Apocalyptica, you will crave for more!

P.S. S&M of Metallica is nothing compared to any of Apocalyptica's work. If you liked S&M, you will be falling all over yourself when listening to any song by Apocalyptica.

What's to say? Another excellent collection of Apocalyptica music. It is a nice addition to my music library. I listen to it often.

Apocalyptica are an odd proposition. The outfit made their name covering Metallica and Sepultura songs on the cello, and by and large made an excellent fist of it. But where to from there if a band wants to be taken seriously?

While the albums of cover versions were gimmicky, they caught the attention of many a Metal fan who had probably never considered Classical instruments or Chamber music. Since the beginnings of Psychedelic Rock, many musicians have tried, not always successfully, to combine Rock with the Classics.

What Apocalyptica did with album was assemble a backing band of highly capable Metal musicians, including Dave Lombardo on drums, and replaced vocals and lead guitars with strings. The overall sound is something very similar to the Melodic Death coming out of Scandinavia. Fellow Finns Children Of Bodom come to mind immediately, but there are also shades of Soilwork, In Flames and Dark Tranquillity.

The tracks within are more compositions than songs, equal parts Classical and Metal. Many of the songs take on a similar structure, starting with a simple musical theme as much Classical music does, builds on it, develops the theme, and revisits it several times before building to a conclusion and then an anticlimax. Most of the development is done through the cello, but on the odd track like "Cohkka", the guitar is given more room to develop, taking on a choppy riff, and a piano adds to the musical collage.

"Faraway" holds the listeners with tones of melodrama, building slowly from a single instrument, adding a movie soundtrack backbeat, and slowly the track fills with emotion and feeling.

"Somewhere Around Nothing" harkens to Celtic Frost's oft-neglected final album `Vanity/Nemesis' in the mid tempo chunky riffing. It's not particularly heavy in a traditional Death Metal sense, but builds from such a gentle, soulful introduction, the crescendo seems like a crashing tidal wave. "Cortege" is the heavyweight on the album, unexpectedly injecting a huge riff akin to something from `...And Justice For All' into a solemn orchestral piece.

By no means is this a headbanging throw-up-your-horns-and-drink-beer metal album. It is far too subtle for that. It lives up to its title, with many tracks mellow and reflective in mood, and has a sombre, almost mourning tone. There are no leads or vocals, and is definitely not for those who like their Metal straight forward- Deicide fans need not apply. However, those who enjoy the more atmospheric aspects of Opeth, Emperor and Amorphis would be well pleased with this sometimes challenging but ultimately satisfying album.

I just got back from a party, where this CD was thrown in the CD changer. Everybody was floored by the intensity and quality of music. This truly is an album with something for everyone.

This album really shows that Apocalyptica have evolved tremendously since their Metallica cover days... it's their first attempt at introducing other instruments in the fold - most importantly, drums -- featuring Slayer/Fantomas skin-master Dave Lombardo on several tracks.

The feel of the album is varied -- from a strong metal vibe on the Lombardo tracks to a more electronic feel on other tracks. Both work quite well and cater to varying music tastes.

Apocalypica's song writing skills are also much improved. While I enjoyed Inquisition Symphony, I found "Cult" promising, but still missing maturity. This album certainly succeeds on all counts.

(Side note, if you like this & like metal, check out Therion or Opeth.)