Book Apocalyptica

Apocalyptica, a symphonic metal band from Helsinki, Finland, was founded in 1993 by cellists who met at the Sibelius Academy. The current core of Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen and Perttu Kivilaakso are all classically trained cellists, and the group made its name by playing heavy music without conventional guitars or bass. They started as a classical-style tribute to Metallica, and their debut album, Plays Metallica by Four Cellos (1996), consisted entirely of Metallica covers. Inquisition Symphony (1998) widened the repertoire to covers of Pantera, Sepultura and Faith No More and introduced original writing from Toppinen. Cult (2000) leaned mostly on original material and featured "Path Vol. 2" with Sandra Nasic of Guano Apes, while Reflections (2003) was all original and featured Slayer's Dave Lombardo on drums. Their discography continued with Apocalyptica (2005), Worlds Collide (2007), 7th Symphony (2010), Shadowmaker (2015), Cell-0 (2020) and Plays Metallica, Vol. 2 (2024). The band has sold four million-plus albums and won Finland's Muuvi Prize. In concert, Apocalyptica turn cellos into thundering metal instruments, delivering a striking fusion of classical virtuosity and headbanging power.