Apocalyptica

Apocalyptica are a multi-platinum symphonic metal band from Helsinki, Finland. They originally formed as a metal tribute quartet and comprised cellists Eicca Toppinen, Antero Manninen, Paavo Lötjönen Max Lilja, and jazz drummer Mikko Sirén, who all met at Sibelius Academy. After playing together for a short time, they adopted a neoclassical metal style of their own without the use of conventional guitars. Their driving sound (often accompanied by other musicians) is created using sophisticated classical techniques, a knack for reinterpreting jarring, often percussive riffs and spiraling lead lines, and multivalent textures, all evident on their 1996 breakthrough Plays Metallica by Four Cellos. Apocalyptica’s sound evolved texturally and dynamically from these thrash metal beginnings to become a progressive, symphonic metal outfit, amply displayed on later albums such as 2007′s Reflections, 2014′s Cult, and 2015′s Shadowmaker. Following world tours, the band recorded the acclaimed Cell-0 issued in 2020. They released Live in Helsinki St. John's Church in 2023, and in 2024, Apocalyptica released the long-awaited Plays Metallica, Vol. 2. Apocalyptica’s original members met while attending Helsinki’s Sibelius Academy in 1993. After rehearsing, learning to arrange, and playing gigs, they made waves internationally in 1996 with Plays Metallica by Four Cellos, which combined their formal background with their love of heavy metal. The album found favor with both classical buffs and metalheads alike, and two years later Apocalyptica resurfaced with Inquisition Symphony in 1998; it included covers of material by Faith No More and Pantera. Manninen soon left the band and was replaced by Perttu Kivilaanso. They added double bass and percussion to the mix for 2001′s Cult, a collection of all-original material, and again on 2003′s Reflections, which featured guest drummer Dave Lombardo from Slayer. Lilja left the band and Mikko Sirén joined as permanent drummer. After Reflections was reissued as Reflections Revised, featuring a bonus track with new wave diva Nina Hagen, the eponymous Apocalyptica was released in 2005, followed in 2006 by the collection Amplified: A Decade of Reinventing the Cello. The band returned to the studio the following year for Worlds Collide. Rammstein vocalist Till Lindemann appeared on the album performing a German-language version of David Bowie’s “Helden.” Apocalyptica issued their Live album in 2008, and followed it with the adventurous 7th Symphony in 2010, with guest appearances by Gavin Rossdale, Brent Smith from Shinedown, Slayer’s Dave Lombardo, Lacey Mosley of Flyleaf, and Joe Duplantier of Gojira. 2013 saw the group issue the ambitious Wagner Reloaded: Live in Leipzig, and in 2015 they released their eighth studio album, Shadowmaker, which eschewed the usual rotating cast of vocalists in favor of relying solely on the talents of Scars on Broadway singer/guitarist Franky Perez. Throughout 2017 and much of the following year, Apocalyptica toured the world to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their debut album. Plays Metallica: A Live Performance was released in the spring of 2019 just as the band was undertaking the writing and recording of the studio album Cell-0, whichi appeared in 2020. Unable to tour due to the COVID-19 quarantine, Apocalyptica played gigs over the internet, and rehearsed that way, too. They returned to touring at the end of 2021. In 2023 they reconvened in a studio with producer Joe Barresi to record Plays Metallica, Vol. 2. In February, their cover of “The Four Horsemen” was issued as an advance single and included a guest appearance by Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo. Just before the album’s April release, Apocalyptica announced that it would be Sirén’s last with the band, and that his separation was amiable and bittersweet. ~ Jason Ankeny