Eicca Toppinen, one of Apocalyptica’s three cello players, recently stated in Kerrang! Magazine that “Rock music isn’t about the instruments you play, it’s the passion you play them with”, and he would be right.

There is no denying their passion and raw power in their performances, or on record. Worlds Collide has so much passion; it threatens to melt the polar ice caps by itself. Essentially, the album is split into two sections – the instrumental side, which is essentially Apocalyptica, and the vocalist side, that has roped in famous names from the world of rock and metal.

It’s where the album works – but also fails – in equal parts. The addition of singers adds depth and dimension to tracks, but it leaves the traditional Apocalyptica songs feeling like an interlude, in the same way that the group filled the break for vote counting at the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest.

It starts off well enough though. Title track, Worlds Collide is a strong start, as the suspense is drawn out in a manner not too dissimilar to Biffy Clyro’s Living Is A Problem… before the twisted, contorted strings battle for the lead light with Mikko Sirén on drum duties.

The pace continues through to Grace, with Tomoyasu Hotei joining on guitar. It’s a great example of not only classical and metal music combining, but also Japanese computer games, and the epic scale of his previous monster hit, Battle Without Honour or Humanity forming together perfectly with the thrashing bass pedal.

Nothing prepares you though for when Til Lindermann appears on disc and starts to sing Helden­, which in English is Heroes. Yep. David Bowie’s Heroes. Firstly, it’s easy to laugh at their attempts to do this in German, but the more time goes on, it’s hard to not see how deadly serious they are – and more importantly, how epic a song it actually is.

You’ll never beat the original, but this is more than a worthy opponent.

The punk-esque rhythm of Ion and the metal affront of Stroke are mere mortals when you lay it beside Last Hope, which features Dave Lombardo of Slayer on drums. For the few minutes it plays, it’s possible to hear what Reign In Blood sounds like when played with classical tenacity – they’ve even got a solo section fit for Kerry King too.

It’s there though where the interest starts to fade. Last Hope still feels a bit haphazard in places, and when I Don’t Care, which features Adam Gontier guesting on vocals, you can’t help but think the same. Burn sounds great, but it feels like the main reason you know it is through repetition of earlier songs rather than individual qualities.

By the time Cristina Scabbia from Lacuna Coil appears on S.O.S. (Anything But Love), you can almost hear how the song sounds from the start. If you’re a fan of Lacuna, then you’ll love it, if not, there’s probably nothing here to make you think of otherwise – it is a sure fire single though.

As the album rolls out with Peace, you’re left thinking again about where you’ve heard the song again, and again, you think back to earlier on in the LP. It makes for uneasy listening, as you know the group are capable of cracking songs, but after hearing the latest collection you’re left wondering where their real intentions lay – either as a collaboration act, or an actual band.