Apocalyptica
- COUNTRY: Finland
Initially, they were a classical-style Metallica tribute band. With time, they also started covering other artists’ songs, to then markedly shift their focus to original material. They became stars almost immediately. Apocalypitca is one the biggest Finnish metal bands, of worldwide renown and with a godlike status back at home. A status more than deserved. With such original a take how could they not.
History:
As a general rule, metal bands tend to form in grubby rehearsal rooms. Apocalyptica, however, formed at a university, the Sibelius Academy to be precise, i.e. the only university-level music school in Finland. The band’s lineup was composed of four cellists who decided to play metal music in a neoclassical form – without guitars, without bass, and without drums. With time, this formula went through some transformations, but the guiding essence of the band remained the same. Three years after the band was formed, they released their debut album. The 1996 record Plays Metallica by Four Cellos is, truthfully to its title, a cover album that took the material of the biggest metal band in the world and arranged it solely for four cellos. The album was an immediate hit in their native Finland and with time, the fascination with their music spread to other corners of the world.
Since then, the band changed their stylistic formula as well as their conceptualisation. There started to be fewer and fewer covers in the Finns’ repertoire and more and more original material. They also moved on from their initial cello-only arrangements. From the 2000 record Cult onwards, all of the band’s albums include drum parts or at least some percussion instruments. Then they started including guitars, vocals… Of course, in varying proportions. Symphonic or not, Apocalyptica gained more and more fame in Finland and abroad, bewitching listeners with the metal sound packaged in a monumental music culture. In 2024, Apocalypitca returned somewhat to their roots, realsing Plays Metallica Vol. 2, a Metallica cover album which features the likes of James Hetfield and Robert Trujillo.
Discography:
Full albums:
Plays Metallica by Four Cellos, 1996
Inquisition Symphony, 1998
Cult, 2000
Reflections, 2003
Apocalyptica,2005
Worlds Collide, 2007
7th Symphony, 2010
Shadowmaker, 2015
Cell-0, 2020
Plays Metallica Vol. 2, 2024
EPs:
MAG: S.V.E.R. (Original Soundtrack from the Video Game), 2010
Aquarela (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), 2019
Metal Classic, Classic Metal, 2022
Singles:
Enter Sandman, 1996
O Holy Night / Little Drummer Boy, 1996
The Unforgiven, 1996
Harmageddon, 1998
Nothing Else Matters, 1998
Path, 2000
Path Vol. 1 & 2, 2001
Hope Vol. 2, 2002
Somewhere Around Nothing, 2003
Faraway Vol. 2, 2003
Seemann, 2003
Bittersweet, 2004
Wie weit, 2005
How Far, 2005
Life Burns!, 2005
Repressed, 2006
I’m Not Jesus, 2007
S.O.S. (Anything but Love), 2008
I Don’t Care, 2008
End of Me, 2010
Broken Pieces, 2010
Not Strong Enough, 2011
Psalm, 2013
Angry Birds Theme, 2014
Shadowmaker, 2014
Slow Burn, 2015
Shadowmaker, 2015
House of Chains, 2016
The Symphony of Extremes, 2017
Me melkein kuoltiin, 2019
Fields of Verdun, 2019
Ashes of the Modern World, 2019
Live or Die, 2020
Talk to Me, 2020
Ei vaihtoehtoo, 2021
White Room, 2021
I’ll Get Through It, 2022
Bolero, 2022
Beethoven 5th, 2022
Rise Again, 2022
What We’re Up Against, 2023
One, 2024
Splits:
Fono Rocks!, 2000 (z Megadeth, Pain, Farmer Boys, The Hellacopters i The Wallflowers)
Rock Hard, Boxman, Musik100.de präsentieren…, 2000 (z Full Devil Jacket, Primer 55 i Knorkator)
Five to Go! Rock, 2003 (z The Rasmus, Muse, In Extremo i Wohlstandskinder)
The Sage, the Fool, the Sinner / Bring Them to Light, 2011 (z Helloween)
Death Stranding (Songs from the Video Game), 2020 (z Low Roar, Silent Poets i Chvrches)
Live albums:
Wagner Reloaded – Live in Leipzig, 2013
Apocalyptica Plays Metallica by Four Cellos – A Live Performance, 2018
Live at Dynamo Open Air 1999, 2019
Live in Helsinki St. John’s Church, 2023
Compilations:
Best of Apocalyptica, 2002
Amplified – A Decade of Reinventing the Cello, 2006
Collaborations:
Sin in Justice, 2015 (z VAMPS)
Angels Calling, 2020 (z Sabaton)
Venomous Moon, 2021 (z The Rasmus)
Peltirumpu (Laulu Rakkaudelle Kausi 2), 2022 (z Ismo Alanko)
Rivers (Live at the AFAS Live), 2023 (z Epicą)