Group Apocalyptica: history of creation, members, soloist, albums and concerts

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The band Apocalyptica is known primarily for the fact that brutal guys cut heavy metal, using cellos and a drum kit for this. It is this feature that makes the team unique in its kind. They are innovators who have created something never seen before.

The first recordings were cover versions of Metallica songs, as the musicians are united (first of all) by the love for the work of this group. The team called themselves "Apocalyptic", combining two words: "Apocalypse" and "Metallica". Therefore, the name of the group Apocalyptica has no translation. However, you can call the guys "Knights of the Apocalypse" to make it sound more romantic in our language. 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 band Apocalyptica were talking long before they had the idea to create their own metal band. Because the guysstudied at a school with a musical bias, they often spent the summer in children's camps for future philharmonic players. Therefore, they often gathered to play the themes of the legendary Jimi 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 they are all fans of Metallica's work, the idea to show the world his skills came to Eikki's mind pretty soon.

In the summer of 1993, the future rock stars were rehearsing a musical program for a summer camp in Helsinki and wanted to surprise everyone. It was then that in the circle of their associates - classical musicians - three desperate guys for the first time "lit up" to the public. Everyone had fun, and some people especially liked this variation of metal compositions, and the guys understood in which direction they should move on.

The implementation of the plan

Due to the fact that the experiment was very successful, the musicians got down to business in full force. First there were two performances with a "metal" program on the stage of your favorite academy, and then a fourth member joined the group, and Apocalyptica went to conquer the Helsinki rock clubs.

With the advent of 1995, the guys actively began to 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 musicians of Metallica found out about the talented guys pretty quickly, therefore, visiting Finland on a tour,invited the group Apocalyptica to "warm up" the audience. To say that the guys were delighted is to say nothing, the emotions just went through the roof.

First entry

After the Finnish band Apocalyptica appeared in all its glory on the same stage with their idols, Zen Garden Records made the guys an advantageous offer. They had the opportunity to release a separate album with Metallica cover versions. It was impossible to refuse, so the disc Plays Metallica by Four Cellos was recorded and released in the shortest possible time. The album was released in 1996 and sold over 250,000 copies over the next year. Two compositions from it sounded in the film Your Friends and Neighbors (USA).

Own creativity

In April '98 Apocalyptica's own music was finally featured on Inquisition Symphony, along with covers of Sepultura, Pantera, Faith No More and of course Metallica. Music composed by Eikka Toppinenen.

The CD was more than well received, making Apocalyptica one of the best-selling CDs in Finland. Soon the first two videos were filmed for the compositions Nothing Else Matters and Harmageddon, which were released in support of the Inquisition Symphony. This was followed by a large world tour in countries such as Lithuania, Bulgaria, Poland, Greece and Mexico, and they performed in fairly large halls.

It was summer of '99 and Apocalyptica went to Holland for the metal festival Dynamo Open Air, which became a memorable experiencean event, since the guys had a chance to perform in front of an audience of thirty thousand for the first time. And the year 2000 brought Russian fans the opportunity to attend live concerts of "Apocalyptica" in St. Petersburg and Moscow.

Working with other projects

After the release of Inquisition Symphony, the guys took part in the recording of Leningrad Cowboys solo projects - W altari and Heiland. Then Apocalyptica died down at one of the metal festivals under the leadership of former drummer Dave Lombardo from Slayer.

The new album of Apocalyptica called Cult was released in the same year, and contained only personal compositions of talented Finns. Nora's song was introduced to the world in the film Vidocq starring Gerard Depardieu.

Academic Finnish metalheads have been spotted collaborating with iconic bands such as Rammstein, Slipknot, HIM, Guano Apes, Shinedown, The Rasmus and Three Days Grace.

Composition

Despite the fact that the Apocalyptica group has been successfully existing for 25 years, the members have never changed, these are:

1. Eikka Toppinen. He made friends with the cello as a nine-year-old boy, then he mastered the drum set quite well. Most of the pieces of music are his work.
2. 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.
3. Paavo Letienen. Grew up in an intelligent musical family,so it didn't take long to choose a profession. At one time he worked at the Finnish National Opera.
4. Mikko Siren. Experienced drummer. He came to Apocalyptic only in 2003.
5. Anetro Manninen. He began to study music from the age of seven. He actively participated in the life of the group from the very beginning, but after two albums he decided that his main vocation was to serve in the Philharmonic Orchestra of the town of Lahti. However, the musician has not lost contact with the group, so he often “helps” give concerts.
6. Frankie Pepper. He joined the group in 2014, and his further fate is in doubt.

Style

The question of what genre the songs of Apocalyptica can be attributed to is a very difficult one, because the musicians have become regular innovators who have brought something new to metal. The most accurate, perhaps, is the definition of symphonic-metal. Moreover, today Apocalyptica is the only representative of the heavy scene playing orchestral plucked string instruments. After all, all bands similar to Apocalyptica (Terion, Nightwish, Camelot, Rhapsody Of Fire and others) use standard metal instruments in their work, seasoning the sound with powerful keyboard parts.

The band didn't need their own vocalist, but they were repeatedly seen collaborating with metal stars such as Nina Hagen, Till Lindemann, Corey Taylor, Ville Valo, Lauri Ylönen, Max Cavalera and many others. Frankie Peretz only joined the team in 2014, and, according to Aicki, his constantparticipation is in question. Well, when the new album appears, the answer to the question will be received, but for now Peretz is participating in the recording of some singles.

Throughout the history of Apocalyptica, the gifted Finns have become famous as the most sought-after and successful band with a unique sound.

A new step in creativity

With the release of the new Reflections album in 2003, the musicians' careers took off with a vengeance. This time, not only Eicca worked on the creation of the compositions, but also the rest of the team members. After that, for two years, the guys traveled almost non-stop with concerts around the world, not forgetting to attend iconic festivals.

The release of the fifth album, recorded in the studio, became a new step in the development of "Apocalyptica", as vocals sounded on it for the first time. It was implemented in 2005 under the name Apocalyptica. Such well-known Finns as Ville Valo and Lauri Ylönen were invited to perform the vocal parts. Already in March of the same year, the Apocalyptica group went to different countries to conquer new hearts and souls, offering the public to listen to their new tracks. The tour had a huge scale, because there were more than 150 metal shows around the world, and the army of adherents of the "Knights of the Apocalypse" increased significantly. In 2008, Worlds Collide was released, in which frontmen Slip Knot, Rammstein and other rock stars took an active part. The drums were performed by Dave Lombardo (Slayer), and Tomoyatsu Hotei, a famous guitarist, was brought in for the first time.

A little personal

Ohalmost nothing is known about the backstage life of the musicians of the cult group, except for the fact that:

• Eikki Toppinen has a wife, a film actress, and two wonderful children.
• Perttu Kivilaakso engaged.
• Paavo Letjenen is married and managed to give birth to three children.

New albums

The band's 2010 album 7th-Symphony brought particular popularity, the sound of which is heavier and very different from the previous work. Apocalyptica's eighth album, Shadowmaker, followed in 2015, featuring vocalist Frankie Peretz for the first time in the band's history. His voice is featured on all tracks.

In December 2015, the band Apocalyptica died down in Kyiv, presenting the album Shadowmaker, and performed the national anthem on their legendary cellos. The stage shone with blue and yellow lights, and the Ukrainians sang joyfully. Needless to say, the fans were moved to tears.

In March 2018, Apocalyptica visited Moscow as part of the Apocalyptica Plays Metallica By 4 Cellos tour, which was dedicated to the band's 20th anniversary.

For the entire time of existence, the guys have released 8 studio discs, 1 live, 2 collections with the best recordings and 3 video albums. In addition, many singles and video clips were recorded.

Apocalyptica discography in order

Studio recordings:

1. Plays Metallica by Four Cellos – 1996 (Mercury/Universal);
2. Inquisition Symphony – 1998 (Mercury/Universa);
3. Cult - 2000(Mercury/Universal);
4. Reflections – 2003 (Universal);
5. Apocalyptica - 2005 (Universal);
6. Worlds Collide – 2008 (Sony BMG);
7. 7th Symphony – 2010 (Sony Music);
8. Shadowmaker – 2015 (Eleven Seven Music).

Live album - Wagner Reloaded-Live in Leipzig – 2013 (BMG).

Best Collections:

1. The Best of Apocalyptica – 2002 (Universal);
2. Amplified // A Decade of Reinventing the Cello – 2006 (20-20).

Video albums:

1. Live - 2001 (Island Records);
2. Reflections Revised – 2003 (Universal Music);
3. 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 "Apocalyptica" in any way. And this is good news, because if they leave the stage, the world will lose too much. The group is unique in its kind and promises to please the hearts of its fans for a long time to come.