What kind of music does apocalyptica play

Apocalyptica is a metal band from Helsinki, Finland formed in The title is not a joke. For their first three albums their second being a tribute album to other heavy metal bands such as Pantera , the third an album of original songs, their line-up consisted of four cellists. They then played at a festival of which Slayer was headlining.

Dave Lombardo, a fan of the string quartet, asked them if they knew any Slayer and, upon finding that they do know how to play Slayer, asked them to join him for a short set, telling them to give him a call if they ever needed a drummer. That small but winning show launched the band on a two-decade-plus trajectory as a successful international touring act. Across an evolving range of releases and live performances, Apocalyptica has covered the songs of metal act Pantera and rock band Faith No More; created original material inspired by the life and work of the revered German opera composer Richard Wagner; performed Beethoven's Symphony No.

In the band released its debut album, "Plays Metallica by Four Cellos," an instrumental collection of all-Metallica covers that featured the group's skillful musical mix of classical elegance and hard rock muscle.

Last year, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of that debut, they released a remastered version that features three new bonus tracks and a two-LP vinyl set. A number of classically trained cellists have carved out respected niches for themselves in the rock world, including experimental composer and performer Zoe Keating and the contemporary music collective Portland Cello Project.

Twenty-one years into their recording career, the members of Apocalyptica deserve credit for helping popularize the instrument in a rock context. The cello-driven hybrid act has consistently and inventively fused the worlds of classical music and metal.

Back when they formed in the early s, however, they didn't consider playing heavy metal covers on cellos as an unusual choice. It was something completely different that they hadn't heard before. But we didn't think we were doing anything strange. Toppinen is calling from a stop in Atlanta, where the band is preparing to kick off its current North American tour. The long string of live dates includes a performance at Park West on Saturday. The band has rotated through a few different members over the years.

The current cellist lineup features founding members Toppinen and Paavo Lotjonen along with longtime member Perttu Kivilaakso. They are joined by drummer Mikko Siren. You think somebody wants to hear this on a record? But the proposal was no joke, and the album celebrated its 20 th anniversary in with a remastered edition containing special bonus tracks. Recalling the experience now, the Apocalyptica frontman shows a deep appreciation for that debut release.

It wasn't like we were intentionally creating a product to sell. Now that Apocalyptica has become a tremendous musical force, the artists no longer need to heed the 7 Tips for Traveling With Your Instrument.

Quite the contrary. In fact, thanks to innovation in string instrument technology, the band often use standard, store-bought cellos in their live performances. Especially on tour. When you're recording, the difference between the quality of the instruments comes across very clearly. When you play live, the difference is not big enough to take the risk. It's nice to have an instrument that's replaceable. In every big city, you can go to a music store and find a cello and get to the show.

It's a practical thing. To that end, however, the musician maintains that they never skimp on their cello strings. Currently they use the Versum A and B strings. Rammstein vocalist Till Lindemann appeared on the album performing a German-language version of David Bowie 's "Helden.

Throughout 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 just as the band were undertaking the writing and recording of a studio album. AllMusic relies heavily on JavaScript. Please enable JavaScript in your browser to use the site fully. Blues Classical Country. Electronic Folk International. Jazz Latin New Age. Aggressive Bittersweet Druggy.