28 years ago, students of the world-famous Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, future members of the quartet “Apocalyptica”, paid tribute to the titans of heavy metal – the group “Metallica”. The most famous compositions of Metallica performed on Finnish cellos became a real sensation and the calling card of Apocalyptica, opening a new page not only in their career, but in the history of music.

One of the most famous American metal bands, Metallica, inspired the Finnish quartet Eicca Toppinen. At the age of thirteen, he heard the song “Orion” that shook him to the core. Since then, he has become a fan of heavy music. Metallica is truly special. It has an anarchistic heavy metal sound, but you can feel a beautiful harmony as well,” said the Finn about his idols.

Following the release of the band’s first album, Plays Metallica by Four Cellos, Apocalyptica gained international acclaim and built up a large fan base that includes both heavy metal and academic music lovers. It didn’t take long for the members of the legendary American band to learn about the cello-playing Finns, who visited their concert. “I remember that in 1996 Metallica came to hear us and it was only our fifth show since the album was released. They really liked it and since then we’ve opened many of their concerts,” recalled the Apocalyptica member. Apocalyptica even played at Metallica’s 30th anniversary concert in San Francisco.

Cellists have managed to do the seemingly impossible and change the course of music history – interweaving the delicate sound of classical strings with the explosive energy of heavy metal. Thousands of concerts, dozens of countries visited, millions of records sold and performances with Metallica, Rammstein, HIM and other world-class stars are the best proof that Apocalyptica’s work is worth attention and time.