Apocalyptica

Apocalyptica started out in Helsinki in 1993 as four cellists playing Metallica songs classical-style, which sounds like a novelty until you hear the bows sawing through those riffs. Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, Max Lilja and Antero Manninen were the first crew, with Perttu Kivilaakso stepping in in 1999, and from there they grew into a neoclassical metal band that simply refuses to use regular guitars or bass.

Mikko Sirén came aboard on drums in 2003, and by Worlds Collide in 2007 the cellos were carrying full-on rock songs with a guest singer. "I Don't Care", sung by Adam Gontier, is the one that cut through: a brooding, wounded power ballad where the strings do the work a pair of distorted guitars usually would, and do it with more drama. 7th Symphony followed in 2010, and "End of Me" kept the cellos grinding and pushed to the edge.

They have recorded for Mercury, and the band's odd, grand idea has kept them in business for decades: symphonic metal with the orchestra cut down to its sharpest section.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.