Album Review: Apostolica - Haeretica Ecclesia

A couple years ago, the band Warkings came out, using the gimmick Ghost started with where the band members were anonymous. It was dumber for them, considering that Warkings were advertised as being made up of members of some leading metal bands. If they are from bands we've all heard, and the singer especially can't be confused with anyone else, what's the point in play-acting and trying to be mysterious? I don't know, and I can't answer that question, which is why I wasn't initially excited about Apostolica. Once again a band shrouded in anonymity, despite claims of the members being members of notable bands, I wondered whether this is a move to generate cheap publicity, or a move to insulate themselves from criticism if the reaction to this album is terrible. I could have been persuaded either way.

The band claims to be "modern-day knights of the Apocalypse", with the album based on the "Book Of Revelation", and celebrating the spirit of humanity. That might be asking a bit much of an album that essentially apes Powerwolf (and it's not even the first album to try that feat this year - in addition to Powerwolf's own album), but I guess aiming high is better than having no ambition, so I'll give them a point here.

The thing about hewing so close to someone else's sound is that it makes comparisons almost impossible to avoid, which means you either have to bring your absolute best, or you have to be smart enough to pick a band to copy who isn't at the top of the game. If you are trying the same thing, but you aren't as good, then it's obvious you're going to come out looking weak. That's sort of what happens here, but it's as much our fault as anything.

That's not saying Apostolica isn't delivering a good product, but it's doing Powerwolf at about three-quarters of the real thing. The vocals aren't as operatically cheesy, the songs aren't as heavy or adrenaline pumping, and the melodies aren't as rip-roaring. Taken on its own, this record is quite good, and it grows on my every time I listen to it, but it's not as finely tuned a killing machine as "Call Of The Wild" was in July. Apostolica is taking on a slightly more subdued, slower growing version of that sound. Given our penchant for immediate gratification, that might lead people to make too quick a decision.

"Thanatos" is a dramatic and bombastic song, and one where the choirs truly do help the hook sound massive. That is one of the moments that shows off what Apostolica can do best, but there is still something holding them back; fun. Powerwolf works because their music is fun, and the gimmick is stupid enough you know it isn't serious. Apostolica's music lacks a bit of the energy and cheese, but it also comes across more serious than Powerwolf, and I think it comes perilously close to not giving us the nod and wink at all. If this was dead serious, it would come across like a cult. That's not the vibe you want to give off.

The longer the album plays, the better it gets. Curiously, the track listing is back-loaded, with the initial few songs being the weakest on the album. That decision points our opinion in one direction, and it's only at the end of the album we see the needle swing back the other way. The run of songs from "No More Place In Hell", "Famine", and "The Dusk Is Coming" are epic and glorious songs, and the real heart of the album. It's unusual to have so many of the best songs come so late, when impatient fans may have already switched over to a different record.

If you do stay with it, a funny thing happens. While I would never say anyone does Powerwolf better than Powerwolf, Apostolica has made a record that lingers in my mind more than Powerwolf does. By not going for the full-throated attack Powerwolf does, Apostolica carved out a different place for themselves in this same world, and it just so happens it's the one that is easier to return to again and again.

After living with the album for a while, I found myself wanting to revisit these songs, which I can't honestly say about "Call Of The Wild". This is the album that invites more repeated listening, because it has more layers to explore. It doesn't hit you over the head again and again with barely a moment to catch your breath. A lot of people like that sort of 'heavy for the sake of heavy' approach, but I don't. I prefer Apostolica giving us more ebb and flow, more shadows and light.

When the dust settles, Apostolica has given us one of the better metal albums of the year, a more enduring record than Powerwolf, and has done something that is incredibly hard; they have transcended their inspiration to carve out an identity of their own. This album surprised me in all the best ways.