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Apocalyptica (Finland)
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April 23, 2011
Crocus City Hall 
 Since they formed in 1993, Finnish orchestral rock band Apocalyptica has released six studio albums featuring numerous cello-based instrumentals along with some vocal-based songs. Whatever styles they've explored - from atmospheric interludes to fast, battering rhythms - their music has been gripping, dynamic and full of melody.
On May 10, 1996, Finnish rockers Apocalyptica released their epic debut, "Plays Metallica By Four Cellos". The instrumental cello-driven rock opus changed the landscape of heavy music for years to come. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the album, the group re-released it remastered with 3 bonus tracks on July 22, 2016. Added to this new version was brand new / never-before-released instrumental recordings of "Battery", "Nothing Else Matters" and "Seek & Destroy". The album is available on vinyl (2 LP set) for the first time in many years.
"When we made the first album, our expectations were, "Okay, if we sell 1,000 copies and get a few shows, that's cool." Then, we got the requests to play a lot of shows after the first album and the sound changed totally. We realized, "Okay, the first album sounds horrible, so let’s make another one which is more exciting."
On 1998's Inquisition Symphony Apocalyptica refined their approach and procured better production from Otto Donner and Hiili Hiilesmaa. Like their debut, the album featured Metallica songs, but it also included covers of songs by Faith No More, Sepultura, Pantera and three originals. "It was funny because after the first album everybody said, "Alright, this is cool for one time," Toppinen says. "And after the second album, people said, "Okay, now we have seen this thing. You can't do anything next.Apocalyptica's over." And still we are here."
In order to remain relevant, Apocalyptica knew they had to make some changes. So, for their 2000 album Cult they only included three covers; the rest were Toppinen originals. Also, the band brought in vocalists Sandra Nasic and Matthias Sayer to sing on two of the songs. The album didn't sit well with their record label, which wanted another full album of metal covers. Fortunately, Apocalyptica's contract had expired and the label didn't pick up their option in time.
"They wanted crazy cover versions of Motorhead and AC/DC, and we ended up "No, we don't want to do that. The contract is over." And you can hear the emotion in the Cult album. That's a passionate album. We were lucky that we got a new label in Germany and got the album released, but it wasn't easy and it was a really important turning point. If we would have been following the guidance from record label to do a third cover album, I think that would have been the last album of Apocalyptica. That album created a new style."
When Apocalyptica returned to the studio in 2003, they had a new direction and drive. They enjoyed the vocal tracks on Cult so much they asked pop star Nina Hagen to sing on a cover of Rammstein's "Seeman" and Swedish celebrity Linda Sundblad to add vocals to "Faraway, Vol 2.". The follow up, 2005's Apocalyptica was even more star-studded. "Betrayal/Forgiveness" featured guest playing by Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo, "Bittersweet" included vocal tracks by HIM's Ville Valo and The Rasmus' Lauri Ylönen, who also sang on "Life Burns!"
But it was 2007's Worlds Collide that turned Apocalyptica into an international phenomenon. As with its predecessors, the disc featured numerous guest stars: Lombardo returned for "Last Hope", Slipknot's Corey Taylor appeared on "I'm Not Jesus", Lacuna Coil's Cristina Scabbia sang on "S.O.S. (Anything But Love)" Rammstein vocalist Till Lindemann performed on a cover of David Bowie and Brian Eno's "Helden" and Three Days Grace singer Adam Gontier sang his heart out on "I Don't Care". Radio reacted and "I Don't Care" launched the band to number 59 on the Billboard Hot 200 and number seven on the BillboardTop Independent Albums and Top Rock Albums charts.
"It was really strange to have that kind of success," Toppinen says. "The Rammstein cover we did with Nina Hagen was really successful in Central Europe. And the song we did with Ville Valo was really successful in Europe. But we had never had any type of real success in America. Even when we wrote "I Don't Care" and the first demo was finished, I thought, "Okay, this could be massive," but I never expected it to be so big."
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.
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