I am sure that much of the audience at the Birmingham Academy felt that support act Lacrimas Profundere were nothing more than HIM wannabes. With songs such as “Sweet Caroline”, “My Mescaline” and “Again It’s Over” the comparison was an obvious one.  However such a comparison would be doing the band a disservice as there was more to them than that. With several albums under their belt they played a mixture of songs, throwing in some faster material as well as the slower gloomy numbers. Whilst they may not have been amazing, Lacrimas Profundere put on a competent show and by the time they left the stage it was to a good reception from the majority of the crowd. 

Originally destined for the smaller Academy 2 the show was eventually upgraded to the main room and, judging by the size of the crowd, not a moment too soon. The stage was set for Apocalyptica with four chairs shaped like the cello/skull hybrid symbol from their latest album, Worlds Collide, with the drum kit on a high pedestal in the centre. After an ear-splitting intro they hit the stage, diving straight into “Worlds Collide” itself before making those into the heavier side of metal content with a run through of Sepultura’s “Refuse / Resist”, which gave everyone in the audience their first chance to sing a long. 

Starting out as a Metallica covers band gives Apocalyptica a certain stigma that may be hard to shake off.  However it also gives them instant crowd pleasers, a fact that was proven by the inclusion of  “Fight Fire With Fire”.  Indeed the crowd was swarming with Metallica T-shirts which meant that during this song, and later when they played “Seek And Destroy” and “Enter Sandman”, the crowd got a chance to yell, rather than sing, the lyrics back to the band. As the show progressed Apocalyptica demonstrated just how far they have progressed over the years, the newer material being treated with equal enthusiasm and delight as the covers with which the band initially made their name. So by the time Perttu Kivilaaksa mentioned David Bowie and Rammstein in the same sentence there was a immediate cheer for “Helden” and this, along with “SOS”, “Grace” and “Last Hope” from the new album certainly helped to break up the set as the original material sat comfortably alongside the covers the band delivered 

Throughout the whole of their ninety minutes on stage Apocalyptica showed that they have a passion for what they do and that their uniqueness and quality can shine through. This was demonstrated most notably by the energy they exude on stage, showing more movement than most bands. Toppinen and Paavo Lotjonen butted heads like rutting deer during “Hall Of The Mountain King” whilst Toppinen and Kivilaaksa headbanged and swirled their hair throughout most of the hour and a half set.

Although the stage set itself was fairly low key, a few spotlights at the back of the stage basically comprising the entire backdrop, during the first of their two well deserved encores one of the cellos lit up and produced its own smoke which added a touch of fun and theatre to proceedings but any such gimmicks certainly didn't distract from the matters at hand and Apocalyptica proved with this performance that they are a great live band and one well worth seeing.

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