What does apocalyptic play on? Apocalyptica - Band history \ Biography \ Review \ Photos

Apocalyptica Finnish band, performing metal on cellos. The band consists of four cellists and a drummer, without a permanent vocalist. Initially becoming famous for instrumental cover versions of famous thrash metal bands, Apocalyptica later released mainly material of their own composition.

The band's genre is difficult to define and is often characterized as symphonic metal, neoclassical metal, thrash metal or cello rock. Most of the compositions are instrumental, but Apocalyptica has repeatedly attracted vocalists from Slipknot, The Rasmus, H.I.M., Sepultura, Guano Apes, Rammstein, Soulfly, Bullet For My Valentine, Lacuna Coil, Three Days Grace for joint recordings.

It all began, or perhaps not, in the summer of 1993 at a summer camp for virtuoso musicians near Helsinki. Antero (Antero Manninen), who was not at the camp for the first time, was tasked with introducing two new people to the camp, Max (Max Lilja) and Eiko (Eicca Toppinen). They quickly became friends, as in the saying: the cellist sees the cellist from afar (by his dislocated left arm). The acquaintance at the camp was organized by staff psychologists as a concert for “internal use”, at which the musicians tried to reflect themselves and their tastes.

And so, on one of the cold Finnish summer evenings, this trio was thinking about what to show at this concert (and simply thinking about three), Eiko and Max, two lovers of heavy music, made a proposal to play Metallica at this concert. Antero said that Metallica was bad and they were both crazy, and they continued drinking. So, a good three days passed in acquaintances and libations, two days remained before the concert, and there were no ideas for performance, except for Max’s “drunk” idea, and, plowing into this matter another cellist, a long-time friend of both Antero, Max and Eiko, Paavo Lötjönen, they got to work. Antero tried a couple of times to “excuse himself” from this madness, but he was held back by a lost argument with Max that Max would not drink a bottle of clandestinely delivered vodka (from Russia! 99%). The quartet (for the illiterate, these are four musicians) did this job... and then the day of the concert: a half-empty hall, teachers, educators, “convicts” and here they are performing. And... and nothing. When the authors of the compositions are announced (Hetfield, Ulrich and others like them), they see the faces of the teachers with a huge question, play five compositions arranged by Eiko, and even leave disappointed. The quartet leaves the stage and tries to forget this failure...

Two years have passed. All four are studying at the Jean Sibelius Academy of Music, which also produced Tarja Turunen (Nightwish), keyboardist and second guitarist of Children of Bodom. But, as you know, a well-fed student is good, but a hungry student is better. All four are trying to make money, but not like in Russia, where students earn whatever they can, but like in a country with a very high standard of living, where students earn extra money only in their future specialty. They rush around to small concerts, as well as very small ones, tutor, play even at funerals, for any opportunity to play. And then one day a very cold Finnish winter evening Paavo, a little warmed up, comes running to the dorm and says that he has agreed on a concert at the Teatro rock club. He is almost killed by the others. Out of grief, they continue to actively drink, and Paavo’s action, in their opinion, no longer looks so reckless. Eikka and Max remember an old experiment, Antero tries to dissuade them... and two days later, having taken the notes, not dusty, they played them at their leisure, they go to the concert, still a little afraid, and not forgetting to ask where the back exit is at the club. It was December 18, 1995, the birthday of Apocalyptic.

At first, the audience is openly upset, but gradually they get the hang of it and start singing along. After that, the group played this program twice within the walls of their native academy, came up with a name for themselves (Apocalyptica), gave concerts in clubs in Helsinki and its suburbs, tried to work with vocalists, and then they played with the very young Perttu Kivilaakso (he replaced Max at one of the concerts, he wants to continue this, but the guys are afraid for him musical career...). One day, after such a concert, a representative of the recording company Zen Garden approached them and offered to record an album. The guys, to put it mildly, were stunned; the students didn’t think about fame, they dreamed of going to some big rock concert, but here was something completely unrelated to classical music... And away we go...

Before the start of recording the album, the guys send Metallica cassettes with their songs, played by a somewhat “non-traditional line-up” for music of this genre. Metallica was pleased... When recording the album, the guys chose what they played, and did not take it from some book with notes. And how they chose it note by note (all tracks are arranged by Eikka). Anyone who knows the notes will understand what a titanic work this is... And now it is recorded “Plays Metallica By Four Cellos” (“We play “Metallica” on four cellos”). The name thundered throughout the world. In the booklet for the CD, Apocalyptic boasts of its old and therefore very expensive instruments. By the way, the worst album is “Apocalyptic”, but not because it is bad, it’s just that the others are much better...

And then: “Apocalyptic” performs together with such groups as Sex Pistols, Leningrad Cowboys and Sepultura, are touring. (At the beginning of 1997, the first foreign tour followed, but even before that, “Apocalyptic” was specially invited to open for Metallica, for now only as an opening act)... In the fall of ’96, “Apocalyptic” released “Christmas single” (“X- mas single", "Apocalyptica"), with only two songs, including a children's Christmas ballad, a European "Christmas tree", Oh Holy Night and Little Drummerboy also a children's song.

When recording their “first-born”, “Apocalyptic” did not expect success and continuation of this experiment. And the guys decide to continue. The second album was approaching, and “Apocalyptic”, before its release, released a single “Harmageddon” which contained the first song of “Apocalyptic”, not a cover, and understanding people had already looped the first track of the single Harmageddon to “repeat”. And then the second album “Inquisition Symphony” (“Symphony of the Inquisition”) comes out, on it Metallica (four songs), Sepultura (two tracks) (among them the heaviest thing performed by “Apocalyptic” Refuse, Resist) and one Pantera and Faith No More, as well as three songs written by Eikka (Harmageddon, M.B. (Metal Boogie), Toreador). The album came out much heavier and more aggressive, and everything was played simply brilliantly. After the release, the group goes on tour. Now the group takes up a lot of time Max and Eikka go on sabbatical, and then Paavo and Antero also go on sabbatical...

So, 2000. During the recording of an album, a change occurs in the group. Antero leaves the group and Perttu Kivilaakso, the idol of all the group's fans, comes in because he is single. Antero leaves quite peacefully, having found a replacement for himself in advance Antero prefers the career of a classical musician, and he is a metal star... He graduated from the Jean Sibelius Academy at the end of 1999. And here he is “Cult” (“Cult”) best album groups, although there is no better one, I hope there is still one to come. And on it: two Metallica songs, one classical piece (“In a Cave mountain king"(Hall of the Mountain King) by Edvard Grieg, who turns over in his grave every time he performs it), as well as ten awesome songs by Eikki. And now, for many, their favorite composer is “Toppinen”... Covers do not deserve special attention. Eikka also recorded the double bass part for the album. The titanic work at the studio is visible to the naked eye. One of the main secrets of “Cult” is a lot of cellos, almost 100. Official release: October 25.

And then, for some it’s a tragedy, for others it’s joy, and for others it’s just an experiment, released as a single Path vol. 2 feat. Sandra Nasic (Guano Apes) (Path volume two co-authored with Sandra Nasic (Guano Apes). In the souls of fans it remained as an experiment and as the first pancake lumpy.

Also in 2001, “Apocalyptic”, the song “Apocalyptic” with vocals Hope vol. 2 feat. Matthias Sayer (Farmerboys). Singles released on Path vol. 2 and Hope vol.2. The single (Hope vol. 2) also contains two interesting songs recorded for “Inquisition Symphony”, but not included on the disc: South of Heaven & Mandatory Suicide (Slayer) and My Friend of Misery (Metallica). After the release of “Cult”, “Apocalyptic” publishes a concert (Live in Munich (Munich)).

In support of the album, “Apocalyptic” is giving a gigantic tour. About 200 concerts in less than 2 years. In December 2002, during the creation of “Reflections”, Max Lilya left the group. After this very difficult time, he stopped finding a common language with Eikka. Eikka says that he will leave the group, but since without Eikka it would not be “Apocalyptic”, Max leaves the group.

A month of absolute silence from the group. All the media have already trumpeted Max's departure, and the group's fans are quietly swallowing Validol and turning gray. And here is Eikka’s statement: “The group continues as three of us, there is no question of a replacement yet, but Eikka tearfully asks Antero to return. He refuses, but promises to help at the live shows. He will participate in the recording of some tracks of the album, which has not yet matured in Eikki’s head...”

The “summer syndrome” group is a chronic illness for many Finns. But in the fall things started to improve and in February 2003 “Reflections” was released (although it was promised by the fall of 2002). It gets very mixed reviews. “Apocalyptic” is accused of commercializing its creativity and “popopization”, which is very controversial. Some began to find a “pop quality” already in “Cult”. They also criticize for the loss of originality primarily for the drums on the album (Dave Lombardo (ex-Slayer) recorded them on five tracks), who, despite his eminence, played his parts far from “excellent”, in contrast from the cellists, of which there are nine on the album, a violinist, a double bassist, a trumpeter, a pianist and a second drummer (Sami Kuoppamaki), who played simply but tastefully. And there are individuals who extol the “Cult” and hate the “Reflections”. And there are those who say that because of such electronization, Apocalyptic can play almost nothing live. But they don’t know these virtuosos of their craft well. Almost everything was played perfectly, but if we talk about really real and serious complaints about “Reflections”, then it’s about the compositional beginning of the album. Although they say that such hits as Harmageddon, Path, Struggle, Romance, In Memoriam, Beyond Time, Hope, Kaamos, Coma are written once in a lifetime... (but the four also have their hits, but what is definitely not there from “ Cult” are such features as the intro of Path, the horror of Struggle (which only accompanies horror films), the lyricism of Romance, the siren in In Memoriam, the triangle in Hyperventilation, the seagulls in Beyond Time, the finale of Kaamos, the amorphism of Coma). Two things look very interesting that Eikka was afraid to put on the standard edition of the album, and released only on vinyl and a “corrected” edition, which is not even in the cards yet. These are Leave Me Alone (Eikka Toppinen) and Delusion (Perttu Kivilaakso). Both songs are full of electronic sound and drums play a very big role. Most listeners say, first of all, that if the rest of “Reflections” does not have too much electricity, then in these two songs this very edge is present.

And now the reviewers about the new album have just begun to splash saliva and snot, as it turns out, in general, the expected, Faraway vol. 2 feat. Linda Sundblad (Lambretta, Sweden). Faraway the most gorgeous ballad, with piano (although many believe that when the same move that the piano plays is played pizzicato on the cellos, it sounds better), simple to the point of genius, very melodic and melodious, just begged for vol. 2. But the result disappointed many. But the lyrics, written by Linda and another one (Brady Blade), are great. On the single Faraway vol.2 there is also another song written by Perttu, Perdition - a cool sublime thing, very original.

After recording the album, Apocalyptic goes on tour, which includes two unofficial members of Apocalyptic: Antero Manninen and Mikko Siren (drums). Antero bounces between Apocalyptic and work, so sometimes Apocalyptic had to play “three cellos,” and Paavo was absent from several shows, and Eikka made an excuse: “Tonight we are only three cellos, because Paavo became father this week " During a break in the tour, the band records a cover of an old Rammsteina Seemann song (Apocalyptica feat. Nana Hagen Seemann). This is the first cover of "Apocalyptic" with vocals, and the first song with vocals without vol. 2. Vocals were performed by punk rock retiree, whose fans are Pot and Prince (“The King and the Jester”) Nina Hagen. At the end of 2003, "Reflections Revised" was released - a version of "Reflections" with all the bonus singles, as well as a DVD, with three clips, an interview and several videos from live shows - very interesting thing(although mp3s from audio discs can be found on the Internet, DVDs are of great interest).

A long lull until November 2004. And then the shocking news: “Apocalyptic” is recording a single (Bittersweet) in collaboration with Ville Valo (HIM) and Lauri Ylonen (The Rasmus). Both of these personalities sing light metal, sometimes found even in the music libraries of pop fans... Fans of “Apocalyptic” are not just turning gray, but are already losing their hair. But the result is an excellent ballad, behind which some narrow-minded individuals will accuse “Apocalyptic” of “popsyism” without even listening to it. Also on the single is (except for several versions of Bittersweet) Miscontruction it is no longer full of electricity, but of beautiful and original effects. And most of all, it is defined as a harmonious hybrid of “Cult” and “Reflections”. If the whole five are like this, then they will most likely interrupt His Majesty “Cult”. It will be released on January 24, 2005, and is called very simply “Apocalyptica”.

And here is the first news about the new album Lauri was featured not only on the song Bittersweet, but also on the track Life Burns. For the album, Eikka wrote 17 songs (8 were included less than half of what he wrote), 3 Perttu (all were included, but he had a few more black songs), Paavo also wrote a few things, but as Eikka explained, “they didn’t fit into the theme of the album.” Total: 11 songs + one “hidden” track En Vie track number 2 of the album (Quutamo) with vocals in French, performed by a certain Manu. In general, the album turned out to be very melancholic, its philosophy is reflected by the best song on the album, if not in the entire work of “Apocalyptic” Ruska. In fact, two songs on the album have titles in Finnish. This is Quutamo (=Kuutamo " Moonlight") and Ruska ( Golden autumn). We have already encountered this practice on the “Cult” (Kaamos “Polar Night” and Cohkka “Mountain”). Two things in Perttu are very strong: Betrayal/Forgiveness and Farewell. Farewell can easily compete with such Eikki hits as Harmageddon, Path, Romance, Ruska. Betrayal/Forgiveness is worth mentioning separately, and not because Dave Lombardo plays drums on this track (Mikka Siren on the remaining tracks of the album), but because it is a song with vocals. Perttu sings there with growling, he also wrote poetry.

After the release of the album (February 14), another single is released “Wie Weit”. This is Quutamo (instrumental version) and three versions of this song with vocals on different languages. The lyrics were performed in English (How Far) and German (Wei Weit) by Marta Jandova (Die Happy, Germany). The French version of En Vie is already known. Another single follows in April Life Burns.

“Apocalyptic” records a song composed by ringtone master Shelygin soundtrack to the film “Shadowboxing”...

Story

Early career (1993-1995)

The original composition of Apocalyptica consisted of four classically trained cellists: Eikka Toppinen, Max Lilja, Paavo Lötjönen and Antero Manninen. The young men studied together at the conservatory and were fans of heavy metal music. Max Lilya recalled:

After that performance, the musicians had the idea to approach experiments with heavy music more seriously. They performed the program twice within the walls of their native academy, and then, when Apocalyptica became a quartet, they began performing in rock clubs in the Finnish capital.

In the name of the group, the musicians combined the word “apocalypse” and their love for Metallica. This is how the name Apocalyptica arose.

Since 1995, Apocalyptica began performing at large venues; the attendance of their concerts a year later reached fifty thousand. During Metallica's tour in Finland, the quartet was invited to perform as an opening act for their idols.

Covers period (1995-2000)

In December of the same year, a representative of the local company Zen Garden Records suggested that the group release an entire album with Metallica songs. Debut album Apocalyptica Plays Metallica by Four Cellos(translated from English - "Apocalyptic" plays "Metallica" on four cellos) was published in the same 1996, and within a year it sold 250 thousand copies. Two tracks from the disc were used in the American film Your Friends and Neighbors.

In 1998, Apocalyptica began recording the album Inquisition Symphony, which was published in April. For the first time, in addition to cover versions of songs by Metallica, Sepultura, Pantera and Faith No More, the group also presented on the disc their own compositions, written by Eikka Toppinen. Inquisition Symphony was met with high sales ratings, reaching the top ten on the Finnish album sales chart. Two video clips - "Harmageddon" and "Nothing Else Matters" - were filmed in support of the album.

In addition, Apocalyptica took part in the recording of albums by the groups Heiland and Waltari, a solo project of two members of the Leningrad Cowboys, released a single with its own interpretation of the famous Christmas song “O Holy Night”, and also performed at one music festival together with Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo. In early 2000, Apocalyptica took part in the recording of the single "Letting the Cables Sleep" by the grunge band Bush. When working on this track, the band used full symphony orchestra.

Following the release of the album, Apocalyptica went on tour again, abandoning work and study. Over the next two years, the group visited Greece, Poland, Bulgaria, Lithuania and Mexico, with their concerts taking place in halls with a capacity of at least two thousand people. In the summer of 1999, the band played at the European metal festival Dynamo Open Air in the Dutch city of Eindhoven in front of an audience of about 30,000 people. In 2000, the group visited St. Petersburg and Moscow.

Album Cult (2000-2002)

In October 2000, the third Apocalyptica disc was released - Cult. The album is considered a turning point in the direction of the band's development - almost all of the album's material was now written by Eikka Toppinen. Of the other people’s compositions on the disc, there were only two Metallica covers and an interpretation of Edvard Grieg’s play “In the Cave of the Mountain King.” During the recording of this album, up to 80 cellos were used simultaneously. The song "Hope" from this album, performed by Matthias Sayer from the group Farmer Boys included in the soundtrack of the film Vidocq with Gerard Depardieu. "Path" and "Hope" were set to music by Sandra Nasic (Guano Apes) and Matthias Sayer (Farmer Boys) and were included in a special edition entitled "Path Vol.2" and "Hope Vol.2" respectively. Videos were shot for both versions of the song "Path".

In support of the album, Apocalyptica conducted a world tour, visiting the United States and South America for the first time in March, and also performing together with Rammstein. In total, in 2005, the group played more than 150 shows in dozens of countries in Europe and America. In November, the group gave several concerts in different cities of Russia. In the same year, the musicians, with the participation of Triplex, took part in recording the soundtrack for the Russian sports drama “Shadowboxing”. The composition they performed was written by composer Alexey Shelygin and was nominated for an RMA MTV Russia award.

Album Worlds Collide (2006-2009)

All compositions with the participation of vocalists, previously published on singles, were included in the anniversary collection in 2006 Amplified: a Decade of Reinventing the Cello, dedicated to the tenth anniversary of the group’s concert activity.

In 2007, Apocalyptica recorded the album Worlds Collide, featuring Till Lindemann (Rammstein), Corey Taylor (Slipknot), Adam Gontier (Three Days Grace), Christina Scabbia (Lacuna Coil), as well as drummer Dave Lombardo (Slayer) and guitarist Tomoyatsu Hotei.

Apocalyptica performed as invited guests at Eurovision 2007 during the vote counting. The band played the title track from the album, which had not yet been released at that time. Worlds Collide and a medley of two of his songs - “Faraway” and “Life Burns”. On June 12, 2009, the group performed at the Russian rock festival “Rock over the Volga” in the Samara region along with Russian rock bands. On April 2, 2010, the group performed for the first time in Minsk on the stage of the Palace of the Republic (Minsk).

Album 7th Symphony (2010)

The group's seventh album was named 7th Symphony(With English  -  “Seventh Symphony”). Produced by Joe Barraci and Howard Benson (however, he only produced 2 tracks). Released on August 23, 2010 in Europe, August 20, 2010 in Germany, and August 24, 2010 in the United States. The first single was played on the radio on June 29, 2010.

The album includes 8 instrumental compositions and 4 tracks with guest vocalists. The vocals on the song "End of Me", released as a standalone single, belong to Gavin Rossdale, the former vocalist of the band Bush. Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo plays on the track "2010"; "Bring them to Light" was recorded with Joe Duplantier - vocalist and guitarist of the French death metal band Gojira; "Broken Pieces" - with the vocalist of the American post-grunge band Flyleaf Lacey Sturm; "Not Strong Enough" – with Brent Smith of the American hard rock band Shinedown.

The video for the 1st single was filmed at the end of May 2010, and was released on July 2. Following the “End of Me” video, filming of the video for the song “Broken Pieces” took place. The video was released at the end of September 2010. The third video, “Not Strong Enough” with Brent Smith, was released almost two weeks later.

Album Wagner Reloaded (2013)

Album Wagner Reloaded (With English  - “Wagner: Reloaded”) was released on November 15, 2013 as a recording of concerts in Leipzig on July 5 and 6 of the same year.

Dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the famous German composer Richard Wagner. Apocalyptica received an offer to write music for a stage production. During the action, the musicians are also part of what is happening on stage. The world premiere of the production, which combined choreography, theater, scenery, visual effects and live music - Wagner from a new angle of perception and performance, took place on July 5, 2013 in Leipzig.

Compound

Current lineup

• Eikka Toppinen - main cello, double bass, percussion, programming, composer, additional vocals (since 1993)
• Paavo Lötjönen - rhythm cello, vocals, backing vocals (since 1993)
• Perttu Kivilaakso - cello, programming, additional vocals, backing vocals (1995, since 1999)
• Mikko Siren - drums, double bass, additional vocals, backing vocals (2003-2005 session, since 2005)
• Frankie Perez- vocals (since 2014)

Former members

• Antero Manninen - cello (1993-1999, 2002-2009)
• Max Lilja - cello (1993-2002)

Participants

Eikka Toppinen

Eikka Toppinen

Eikka Toppinen (nickname "Rankka", Finnish rankka - strong, heavy) began studying cello at the age of nine, but after a while he decided to start playing drums. He played in various orchestras, such as the Radio Symphony Orchestra and Avanti. He was also a member of the Sibelius Academy Cello Sextet. Eikka arranges all Metallica songs (except "One", which was arranged by Max Lilja) and composes his own compositions. Now he also plays many solo parts.

Perttu Kivilaakso

Perttu Kivilaakso

He began playing the cello at the age of 5, imitating his father. Perttu came to Apocalyptica at the time of recording the album “Cult”. He was and remains a musician with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. He replaced Antero Manninen in Apocalyptica, who left Apocalyptica to pursue his career with the Philharmonic Orchestra. Perttu could have joined Apocalyptica much earlier, when he was only about 16 or 17 years old, but the other members of Apocalyptica felt that being in the group would have a negative impact on his career as a classical musician. Perttu has a lifetime contract with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.

Paavo Lötjönen

Paavo Lötjönen

Everyone in the family is musicians (parents and grandparents), and when Paavo turned seven, he took the cello into his small hands. He decided that this would be the instrument he would play. Twenty years later he received his diploma as a "performing cellist" from the Finnish Sibelius Academy and began working as a teacher at music school. He also played with the Finnish National Opera.

Mikko Siren

Mikko Siren

Drummer of the Apocalypse. He has been playing in it since 2003, but only in 2005 was he declared a “full” member of the group. Mikko tried himself as a guitarist and vocalist in other projects, as well as as a DJ.

They are approaching five million, and tours, including with Metallica and Rammstein, have already conquered dozens of countries, including Russia.

The group's albums feature vocalists from Slipknot, Sepultura, Guano Apes, Rammstein, Soulfly, Bullet For My Valentine, Lacuna Coil, Bush, Shinedown, Flyleaf, Gojira. Apocalyptica invites soloist from Leningrad Cowboys Like Jonson.

It is interesting that during rehearsals and studio recordings musicians play expensive cellos, but for tours and concerts they use cheaper instruments

For studio recordings and tours the band invites famous musicians and vocalists. Thus, Till Lindemann from Rammstein, Gavin Rossdale from Bush, vocalists of Shinedown, Flyleaf, HIM, The Rasmus, Slipknot, Bullet for My Valentine recorded with her. On some album tracks Reflections, Worlds Collide and Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo recorded.

Eikka Toppinen

Eikka Toppinen(Eicca Toppinen) cellist, composer, band leader. Born on August 5, 1975 in the city of Vantaa, real name Eino. Eikka Toppinen graduated from the Sibelius Academy of Music in Helsinki, played in a symphony and chamber orchestra, but chose the rock stage for himself. In 2005 after the release of the fifth album Eikka Toppinen said in an interview: Apocalyptica was not more a cellists’ band which is playing rock, but a rock band which is playing cellos – Apocalyptic is no longer a group of cellists playing rock, but a rock band playing cellos.

Eikka Toppinen writes most of the compositions performed by the group. Wrote music for feature film Musta jää – Black ice, for which he received a prestigious Finnish award in 2008 Jussi. Plays cello, drums and keyboards. Loves Metallica, Bach, Shostakovich. Married to Finnish actress Kirsi Ylijoki, they have two children Eelis (1998) and Ilmari (2001).

(Paavo Lötjönen) has been with the group since its inception. Born on July 29, 1968 in Kuopio, in a family of professional musicians. He has been studying music since the age of seven, received a diploma from the Helsinki Sibelius Academy, and played in the orchestra of the Finnish National Opera. Favorite musicians are Paul McCartney, Jimi Hendrix and Rostislav Rostropovich.

Married, has three children Okko (2003), Aki (2006) and Anna (2007). In his free time, he teaches cello to students and works part-time as a ski instructor.

Paavo Lotjenen on the right, Eikka's back

Perttu Kivilaakso

Perttu Kivilaakso(Perttu Kivilaakso) cellist and composer, graduated from the same Sibelius Academy of Music. Born on May 11, 1978 in Helsinki. Played with the group at its founding, then went to classical music. He returned to the group in 1999 after Antero Manninen left to join the symphony orchestra. Loves Verdi and Tolkien. Plays guitar and keyboards. Writes music for the group.

Perttu Kivilaakso is a virtuoso cellist and has a lifetime contract with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.

(Mikko Siren) drummer, in the group since 2003. Born December 31, 1978. Loves The Beatles and Massive Attack.

31-05-2011

Apocalyptic (Apocalyptica) is a legendary band from Finland, performing metal on cellos. No matter how paradoxical this may seem at first glance, this is exactly the case. The group consists of four cellists, a drummer, and it is worth noting that they do not have a permanent vocalist.

Initially Apocalyptic played covers of legendary metal bands, but then began releasing her own material.
It is impossible to define the group's style or somehow characterize its framework. Many music critics classify the band's music as neoclassical or symphonic metal.
Throughout the history of their existence, musicians have attracted famous vocalists to record; it is worth listing just a few groups whose vocalists took part in this unusual project: HIM, Rasmus, Sepultura, Three Days Grace, Rammstein,

The very idea of ​​​​creating a rock band with an unconventional orientation originated back in 1993. At that time, in the camp, which was located in the city of Helsinki, children (schoolchildren) were preparing a program for a performance and decided to present something new to it. It was about performing a couple of “metal songs”, played with a classical transformation. This experiment was very successful, i.e. gave him a chair to continue implementing his idea, only this time the approach to music became more serious.

After the concert program was ready, the musicians performed the song twice (namely, their vision of the famous covers) in their music academy, and after the rest of the musicians joined Apocalyptic, the concerts covered local rock clubs.

In 1995, their concert activities brought long-awaited success; performances increasingly took place at large venues and not in small rock bars. The number of audiences that come to their concerts already reaches 50,000 people! The fact that at that time there was a tour of Finland played a favorable role; having heard about the success of local nuggets, the legendary group invites them to their opening act! This was a real breakthrough for creativity, the group Apocalyptica Influential people are finally taking notice.

In December 1995, Zen Garden Records offered to release and record an entire album of the group's songs Metallica.

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This album was released in 1996. It is worth noting that within 12 months it sold out in the amount of 250,000 copies, and two tracks from this debut record were used in the future in the film “Your Friends and Neighbors”

Recording of the first full-length album began only in 1998. It featured covers of famous bands ( Sepultura, Metallica, Pantera), but also their own tracks. This album "Inquisition Symphony" created a real boom in the world of rock music. Its sales rating reached unprecedented levels (in Finland). Also in support of the album, video clips Nothing Else Matters and Harmageddon were shot.
After this, they began to look at the group completely differently. The famous band Bush invited Apocalyptic to take part in the recording of their single called Letting the Cables Sleep.

During this period of time, the first world tour began, which lasted for many years. The group tours with concerts in Bulgaria, Greece, Poland, Lithuania and even Mexico. Next in line were large open air events and a visit to Russia (St. Petersburg and Moscow)

2000 opens new round in the development of the group - the album “Cult” is released. It consisted entirely of their own tracks, with the exception of two covers of the group Metallica and a cover of the play In the Cave of the Mountain King. One of the songs from this album became the official soundtrack (OST) for the film Vidocq.

In conclusion we can say that Apocalyptica opened up a completely new direction in rock music. Their albums today sell hundreds of thousands of copies, and their songs are listened to all over the world, and most of them occupy the top lines of the music charts.

The musicians released several more albums and singles. The army of their fans has become very impressive, of course, like in any group in Apocalyptic, there are also disagreements, but one way or another - the guys make their own music.

Apocalyptica (Apocalyptic) is a Finnish band performing metal on cellos. The band consists of four cellists and a drummer, without a permanent vocalist. Initially becoming famous for instrumental cover versions of famous thrash metal bands, Apocalyptica later released mainly material of their own composition.

In the name of the group, the musicians combined the word “Apocalypse” and their love for Metallica. This is how the name Apocalyptica arose.

The band's genre is not easily defined; it is often characterized as symphonic metal, neoclassical metal, thrash metal or cello rock. Most of the compositions are instrumental, but Apocalyptica has repeatedly attracted vocalists from Slipknot, The Rasmus, HIM, Sepultura, Guano Apes, Rammstein, Soulfly, Bullet for My Valentine, Lacuna Coil, Three Days Grace for joint recordings.

Composition of Apocalyptica:
Eikka Toppinen - cello, drums
Max Lilja - cello, left the group in 2002
Paavo Lotjonen - cello
Antero Manninen - cello, left the group in 2003
Perttu Kivilaakso - cello, replaced Antero Manninen
Mikko Siren - drums

Max Lilya recalled:
“We, the musicians of Apocalyptica, have known each other for more than 10 years. We met several times at summer camps for musicians. Before we started playing Metallica, we'd already played Jimi Hendrix and stuff like that on two or three cellos, so the idea of ​​playing something weird and different on them wasn't new to us at all. We are all big fans of heavy music, and Metallica is our favorite band in general.

It was the summer of 1993. We were preparing an entertainment program for one of the summer camps in Helsinki and wanted to offer listeners something special. So we decided to try to play a couple of “metal” songs for our friends, classically trained musicians. I must admit, we had a lot of fun then! Moreover, we even had some success!”
After that performance, the musicians had the idea to approach experiments with heavy music more seriously. They performed the program twice within the walls of their native academy, and then, when Apocalyptica became a quartet, they began performing in rock clubs in the Finnish capital.

Since 1995, Apocalyptica began performing at large venues; the attendance of their concerts a year later reached fifty thousand. During Metallica's tour in Finland, the quartet was invited to perform as an opening act for their idols.

In December of the same year, a representative of the local company Zen Garden Records suggested that the group release an entire album with Metallica songs. Debut album Plays Metallica By Four Cellos
(translated from English - “Apocalyptic” plays “Metallica” on four cellos) was published in the same 1996, and within a year it sold 250 thousand copies. Two tracks from the disc were used in the American film Your Friends and Neighbors.

In 1998, Apocalyptica began recording the album Inquisition Symphony, which was released in April. For the first time, in addition to cover versions of songs by Metallica, Sepultura, Pantera and Faith No More, the band also presented on the disc their own compositions, written by Eikka Toppinen. Inquisition Symphony was met with high sales ratings, reaching the top ten on the Finnish album sales chart. Two music videos - Harmageddon and Nothing Else Matters - were filmed in support of the album.

In addition, Apocalyptica took part in the recording of albums by the groups Heiland and Waltari, the solo project of two members of the Leningrad Cowboys, released a single with their own interpretation of the famous Christmas song O Holy Night, and also performed at a music festival together with former Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo. In early 2000, Apocalyptica took part in the single Letting the Cables Sleep by grunge band Bush. This track was the first time the band used a full symphony orchestra.

Following the release of the album, Apocalyptica went on tour again, abandoning work and study. Over the next two years, Apocalyptica visited Greece, Poland, Bulgaria, Lithuania and Mexico, with their concerts taking place in venues with a capacity of at least two thousand people. In the summer of 1999, the band played at the European metal festival Dynamo Open Air in the Dutch city of Eindhoven in front of an audience of about 30,000 people. In 2000, the group visited St. Petersburg and Moscow.

In October 2000, the third disc of Apocalyptica - Cult was released. The album is considered a turning point in the direction of the band's development - almost all of the album's material was now written by Eikka Toppinen. Of the other people's compositions on the disc, there were only two Metallica covers and an interpretation of Edvard Grieg's play “In the Cave of the Mountain King.” On the Cult album, up to 80 cellos were used simultaneously during recording. The song "Hope" from this album, performed by Matthias Sayer from the group "Farmers Boy", was included in the soundtrack of the film "Vidocq" with Gerard Depardieu. In support of the album, the single “Path” was released, recorded with the participation of Sandra Nasich, vocalist of Guano Apes, and two videos were shot for this song - an instrumental and a vocal version.

In 2001, a DVD of Apocalyptica's performance in Munich in October 2000 was released. This disc also includes six video clips and a bonus track: a live performance of “Little Drummerboy” in Warsaw in 1999.

By the beginning of 2002, a crisis was brewing in the group due to difficult relations between the musicians, which ended with the departure of Max Lilja. During a performance at Maxidrom 2003, Antero Manninen appeared on stage again, and Mikko Siren sat behind the drum kit, who now participate in the band's live performances.

March 2003 was marked by the release of a new album, Reflections, which featured only Apocalyptica's own compositions, written mainly by Eikka. Perttu wrote three songs for this album. Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo took part in the recording of five tracks. In the fall, a special edition of “Reflections” was released - “Reflections Revised”, which includes a CD and DVD.

In 2003, Apocalyptica visited Moscow at the Maxidrom 2003 festival, as well as several European festivals. The band also toured Mexico, and in August performed at the Viva Overdrive show in Berlin, where they performed the song "Path" with Sandra Nasic, and the song "Faraway" with Linda Sunbland (Lambretta).

At the beginning of 2004, Apocalyptica members were involved in various projects. Perttu went on tour with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra to Argentina and Brazil. Paavo continued his teaching career. Eikka was working on a new project “Sheet-music”. Also, the first half of the year was devoted to working on a new, fifth album. In August-September the group again performed several shows at European festivals (Heitere Open Air, Highfield Open Air, Metal Camp, Huntenpop and others).

In January 2005, the fifth album, called Apocalyptica, was released. The album included tracks with vocals for the first time - “Life Burns”, “Bittersweet”, “En Vie” and “Betrayal/Forgiveness”. Previously, vocal versions of Apocalyptica's own instrumental compositions were released only as singles. Finnish vocalists Lauri Ilonen (The Rasmus) and Ville Valo (HIM) and French singer Emmanuelle Monet (Manu) took part in the recording of the songs. Drummer Dave Lombardo also took part in the recording of the album again. In support of the album, three singles were released: Bittersweet, Wie Weit and Life Burns, and video clips were shot for all three songs and broadcast on MTV. The song Bittersweet became the main song theme song computer game "Die Siedler: Das Erbe Der Konige".

In support of the album, Apocalyptica conducted a world tour, visiting the USA and South America for the first time in March, and also performing together with Rammstein. In total, in 2005, more than 150 shows were performed in dozens of countries in Europe and America. In November, the group gave several concerts in different cities of Russia. In the same year, the musicians, with the participation of Triplex, took part in the recording of the soundtrack for the Russian sports drama “Shadowboxing”. The composition they performed was written by composer Alexey Shelygin and was nominated for an RMA MTV Russia award.

All compositions with the participation of vocalists, previously released on singles, were included in the 2006 anniversary collection Amplified: a Decade of Reinventing the Cello, dedicated to the tenth anniversary of the group’s concert activity.

In 2007, Apocalyptica recorded the album Worlds Collide, which featured Till Lindemann (Rammstein), Corey Taylor (Slipknot), Adam Gontier (Three Days Grace), Cristina Scabbia (Lacuna Coil) and others famous singers, as well as drummer Dave Lombardo (Slayer) and guitarist Tomoyatsu Hotei.

Apocalyptica performed as invited guests at Eurovision 2007 during the vote counting. The band played one new piece from the then-unreleased album “Worlds Collide” and a medley of two of their songs - “Faraway” and “Life Burns”.