The Apocalyptica group is known primarily for the fact that brutal guys chop heavy metal using cello and a drum kit. It is this feature that makes the team unique in its kind. They are innovators who have created something hitherto unprecedented.
The first recordings were cover versions of Metallica's compositions, as musicians are united (first of all) by a love for the work of this group. The team called itself “Apocalyptic”, combining two words: “Apocalypse” and “Metallica”. Therefore, the name of the Apocalyptica group has no translation. However, you can call the guys “Knights of the Apocalypse”, so that in our language it sounds more romantic. But all this is not so important, because no matter how they are called, it does not change the essence, because in a relatively short time they managed to win world love.
Start
The guys from the Apocaliptica group communicated long before they came up with the idea of creating their own metal band. Since the guys studied at a school with a musical bias, they often had to spend summers in children's camps for future philharmonists. Therefore, they often gathered to play the themes of the legendary Jimmy Hendrix and many other luminaries of world rock. But they did it not on guitars, like ordinary yard boys, but on real cellos. And since all of them are fanatic from the work of the Metallica team, the idea to show the world their skills came to Eikki's head pretty soon.
In the summer of 1993, future rock stars rehearsed the music program for the summer camp in Helsinki and wanted to surprise everyone. Then, in the circle of their associates - classical musicians - three desperate guys for the first time “lit” the public. Everyone was having fun, and some people especially liked this variation of metal compositions, and the guys realized in which direction to move further.
Fulfillment of the Conceived
Due to the fact that the experiment was very successful, the musicians set to work at full power. First, there were two performances with a “metal” program on the stage of your favorite academy, and then the fourth member joined the group, and Apocalyptica went to conquer the Helsinki rock clubs.
With the onset of 1995, the guys began to actively give concerts on the big stage, and just a year later, the number of people who wanted to hear this miracle live exceeded 50,000 people.
Of course, the Metallica musicians learned about the talented guys quite quickly, therefore, visiting Finland with a tour, they invited Apocalyptica to “warm up” the audience. To say that the guys were delighted was nothing to say, emotions just went wild.
First recording
After the Finnish group Apocalyptica appeared in all its glory on the same stage with their idols, Zen Garden Records made an advantageous offer to the guys. They had the opportunity to release a separate album with cover versions of Metallica. It was impossible to refuse, so the Plays Metallica by Four Cellos disc was recorded and released as soon as possible. The album was released in 1996, and over the next year more than 250,000 copies were sold. Two compositions from it sounded in the movie Your Friends and Neighbors (USA).
Own creativity
In April 98th, Apocalyptica's own music was finally presented in the Inquisition Symphony album, along with covers for Sepultura, Pantera, Faith No More and of course Metallica. The author of the music was Eikka Toppinenen.
The disc was more than well received, so Apocalyptica became one of the best-selling discs in Finland. Soon, the first two clips of Nothing Else Matters and Harmageddon were released, which were released in support of Inquisition Symphony. This was followed by a large world tour in countries such as Lithuania, Bulgaria, Poland, Greece and Mexico, and they performed in rather large halls.
The summer of the 99th came, and the Apocalyptica group went to Holland to the Dynamo Open Air metal fest, which was a memorable event, as the guys first had the chance to speak to an audience of thirty thousand. And the year 2000 brought Russian fans the opportunity to attend live concerts of the Apocalyptic in St. Petersburg and Moscow.
Work with other projects
After the release of Inquisition Symphony, the guys took part in the recording of Leningrad Cowboys solo projects - Waltari and Heiland. Then Apocalyptica died at one of the metal festivals led by former drummer Dave Lombardo from the Slayer group.
Apocalyptica's new album, Cult, was released the same year, and it contained only the personal compositions of talented Finns. The song Norah was presented to the world in the film with the participation of Gerard Depardieu “Vidoc”.
Finnish academically trained metalworkers have been spotted collaborating with iconic bands such as Rammstein, Slipknot, HIM, Guano Apes, Shinedown, The Rasmus and Three Days Grace.
Structure
Despite the fact that the Apocalyptic group has been successfully operating for 25 years, the participants have never changed, these are:
- Eikka Toppinen. He made friends with the cello as a nine-year-old boy, then he mastered the drum kit quite well. Most of the musical plays are his work.
- Perttu Kivilaakso. He has been friends with the instrument since the age of five, has a long-term contract with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and still works within its walls.
- Paavo Lietienen. He grew up in an intelligent musical family, so I did not have to choose a profession for a long time. At one time he worked at the National Finnish Opera.
- Mikko Sirens. Drummer with experience. He joined the Apocalyptic only in 2003.
- Antero Manninen. He began to study music from the age of seven. He took an active part in the life of the group from the very beginning, however, after two albums he decided that his main calling was to serve in the Lahti Philharmonic Orchestra. However, the musician did not lose touch with the group, so he often “helps” to give concerts.
- Frankie Pepper He joined the group in 2014, and his further fate is in question.
Style
The question of which genre Apocalyptica’s songs can be attributed to is a very difficult one, because the musicians have become yet another innovator who brought something new to the metal. The most accurate, perhaps, is the definition of symphonic-metal. And today Apocalyptica is the only representative of a difficult stage playing on orchestral stringed and plucked instruments. After all, all bands similar to Apocalyptica (Terion, Nightwish, Camelot, Rhapsody Of Fire and others) use standard instruments for metallers in their work, seasoning the sound with powerful keyboard parts.
The group had no need for their own vocalist, but they were repeatedly seen in collaboration with metal stars such as Nina Hagen, Till Lindemann, Corey Taylor, Ville Valo, Lauri Yulenen, Max Cavalera and many others. Frankie Peretz became a member of the team only in 2014, and, according to Aikki, his constant participation is a big question. Well, when a new album appears, the answer to the question will be received, but for now Pepper is involved in recording some singles.
In the entire history of the Apocalyptic, gifted Finns have become famous as the most sought-after and successful group with a unique sound.
A new step in creativity
With the release of the new album Reflections in 2003, the career of musicians climbed the mountain with swift force. This time, not only Eykka, but also the rest of the team worked on creating the compositions. After that, for two years, the guys traveled with concerts around the world almost without a hitch, not forgetting to attend iconic festivals.
The release of the fifth album recorded in the studio became a new stepping stone in the development of “Apocalyptic”, as the vocals sounded for the first time on it. It was implemented in 2005 under the name Apocalyptica. Such famous Finns as Ville Valo and Lauri Yulenen were invited to perform vocal parts. In March of the same year, the Apocalyptica group set off to conquer new hearts and souls in different countries, inviting the public to listen to their new tracks. The tour was huge, because more than 150 metal shows were held around the world, and the army of adherents of the “Knights of the Apocalypse” has increased significantly. In 2008, Worlds Collide was released, in which front-runners Slip Knot, Rammstein and other rock stars took an active part. The shock part was played by Dave Lombardo (Slayer), and Tomoyatsu Hotei, the famous guitarist, was first attracted.
A bit about personal
Almost nothing is known about the backstage life of the musicians of the cult group, except that:
- Eikki Toppinen has a wife - a movie actress, and two wonderful children.
- Perttu Kivilaakso is engaged.
- Paavo Lietienen is married and managed to give life to three children.
New Albums
The 2010 album called 7th-Symphony brought particular popularity to the group, the sound of which is heavier and very different from previous work. Then in 2015, the eighth Apocalyptica album, Shadowmaker, was released, in which vocalist Frankie Peretz participated for the first time in the history of the team. His voice sounds on all tracks.
In December 2015, the Apocalyptica band died in Kiev, presenting the Shadowmaker album, and performed the country's anthem on their legendary cellos. The scene shone with blue and yellow lights, and the Ukrainians joyfully sang. Needless to say - the fans were moved to tears.
In March 2018, the Apocalyptic traveled to Moscow as part of the Apocalyptica Plays Metallica By 4 Cellos tour, which was dedicated to the band's twentieth anniversary.
Over the entire period of their existence, the guys sold 8 studio discs, 1 concert, 2 collections with the best recordings and 3 video albums. In addition, many singles and video clips were recorded.
Discography of Apocalyptica in order
Studio recordings:
- Plays Metallica by Four Cellos - 1996 (Mercury / Universal);
- Inquisition Symphony - 1998 (Mercury / Universa);
- Cult - 2000 (Mercury / Universal);
- Reflections - 2003 (Universal);
- Apocalyptica - 2005 (Universal);
- Worlds Collide - 2008 (Sony BMG);
- 7th Symphony - 2010 (Sony Music);
- Shadowmaker - 2015 (Eleven Seven Music).
Live album - Wagner Reloaded-Live in Leipzig - 2013 (BMG).
Collections of the best works:
- The Best of Apocalyptica - 2002 (Universal);
- Amplified // A Decade of Reinventing the Cello - 2006 (20-20).
Video Albums:
- Live - 2001 (Island Records);
- Reflections Revised - 2003 (Universal Music);
- The Life Burns Tour - 2006 (Sony Music Entertainment).
Recently, the soul of the group - Eikka Toppinen - is increasingly engaged in solo performances, but this does not affect the life of the Apocalyptic. And this cannot but rejoice, because if they leave the stage, the world will lose too much. The group is unique in its kind and promises to delight the hearts of its fans for a long time.