Review:

on 2010-05-12 Micah Said:

Apocalyptica is very dear to my heart in that this opened my eyes to that fact that good rock does not need to have vocals, opening the doors to the entire post rock genre for me. However you are not here to read about me. In the artist overview the writer expressed that the fourth album (Apocalyptica) was their best however I find Reflections to be much more innovative and musical. Reflections opens with Prologue(apprehension) a strong opening with driving drums and a simple, strong, clear and interesting foreground cello. track two (No Education) is another very good track, however the basic formula is identical to the first track (driving background, clear concise foreground) and this similarity blurs the lines between the tracks making it somewhat less enjoyable. I think that this track would be much served if it was placed elsewhere in the album.The third song is slowed down compared to the first two. It creates the feeling of a love song eliminating the driving background for a more monotonous one that simply helps fill in spaces for the foreground music. in the foreground of this piece their is a markedly soft texture to the music which is somewhat out of place next to the rest of the albums more metal tones. the reduction in background noise is made up for by adding to the primary music in terms of variety and interest while maintaining the clarity and conciseness of individual notes.track 4 (somewhere around nothing) returns to the original formula however it is better done with less "noise" in the background that serves to shift attention to the more melodic primary music. in the middle of several pieces there is an intermission of sorts that eliminates most of the background "noise" and inserts a repetitive , building fuzzed out line into the primary slot this allows for repetitiveness from the first half of the song to enter in on the second half. this might have been more annoying if the songs were longer than an average of three minutes. The fifth song (Drive) is my personal favorite. it sticks to the same basic winning formula while refining it. there is still a driving "noisy" background however it is soft and serves only to fill in gaps between notes of the foreground that would otherwise become painfully obvious. the primary music is a..... not upbeat ,but purposeful melody that has a sense of forward direction. this is followed by the second best track on the album, number six (Cohkka). it is the most orchestral track that follows the a similar vein to Drive. it has less emphasis on the background being driving slowing it down and replacing the anger and adrenaline rush feeling with one of darkness. the foreground departs from the rest of the album in that the notes blend into one another after they are finished as opposed to being separate, defined entities,however they are still all very tangible. Whereas drive gives the sensation of forward movement Cohkka gives the sensation of what a medium paced descent into black pit would feel like. Conclusion is another return to classical roots type song with a simple permeating higher pitched bittersweet wail being the main point of interest. The song feels like a bittersweet farewell to one of your oldest friends. Resurrection, is a good name for this song. it has a more defined background elevating its status from being simply "noise" to being another point of non-utilitarian interest. The primary music is no true departure from the others but is interesting in its own right. the name is fitting because it truly gives the image of some beast rising out of hell. Heat is a bit scattered in the overall tone and not terribly interesting. it's not bad it's just forgettable.Cortege has a very good intro to something, however it doesn't go anywhere good of its own accord. the melodic, dark intro turns into the familiar old chugging background without any true music that it can support. Pandemonium would be very good music to march in time too. it is a bit repetitive and the music seems rushed (maybe the intent given the title). I find it to be forgettable, however it serves it's stated purpose.Toreador II is a not unwelcome return to the styling of the initial two songs with the addition of horns for added affect. It has the atmosphere of a Spanish Bull fight. Epilogue (relief) is a solid ending with more of the soft style minus the romantic implications. it could have been used to walk a battered swordsman into the sunset. Faraway V.2 is Faraway with singing. I dislike the vocalist and I have already reviewed the actual song so their is not much to say about this one. Deep down ascend is another dark song and feels like a swordsman exploring a castle. Kellot is very good with more dark implications. The entire album is very good at what it does, using a "noisy" background to allow the more important Clear, Concise and musically interesting foreground to exist. Most songs create a strong picture or feeling which is very important for instrumental music to do. This is very strong metal album with decidedly classical elements to it that defines and separates this from any other generic metal.
Rating: 9/10