Four classically trained musicians who wish to celebrate their favourite band in a way that only they can. Formed in 1993, this is a project that few could have anticipated would have mushroomed in such a way. “We just loved Metallica and we wanted to play it with the instruments we were able to play, which just happened to be cellos,” says band leader Eicca Toppinnen. “We played a metal club in Helsinki, and then we were asked to do an album and we thought the guy must be kidding. Like, who listens to this shit on record? And then like five months after it was released, we were opening for Metallica. It’s still unbelievable to me.”
Astonishingly, this is Apocalyptica’s ninth album and their second tribute to the metal legends, with whom they have now become good friends. The band formed the idea for this second album when they celebrated the 25th anniversary of their first album, Plays Metallica by Four Cellos. “We played the full first album and it was so much more fun and exciting than we expected. We got the idea to do something like the first album, but we couldn’t do it in exactly the same way – we needed to challenge ourselves and bring a totally new perspective to the original energy and emotion of Metallica”.
Having purchased that album way back in 1996 and witnessed them play live, I jumped at the chance to have an early listen and review this album. The album begins with the classic Ride the Lightning, and it has a suitably meaty feel to it. As with their earlier tribute the instruments do the talking, and there few vocals, something which a live crowd makes up for in goose bumping fashion. It works well and is entertaining. We move into St. Anger, and this brought a smile to my face as the original, now infamous drum sound is replicated. This also works surprisingly well. As the album progressed, there’s a guest appearance by Dave Lombardo on a powerful version of Blackened, and a stunning The Call of Ktulu which is followed by the raw heavy metal cello sound for The Four Horsemen which interestingly features a certain Mr Rob Trujillo. Not to be outdone, James Hetfield makes an effective appearance on the version of One. This is one of four singles already released from the album, with a well-made video to accompany it. I found this poignant, and this version manages to get the hairs standing on the arms.
Obviously, all the tracks on this second Metallica tribute are perfectly rendered and performed. If you are a Metallica fan you will easily recognise every track, but they certainly give these tunes a different sound. The tracks are performed with reverence and skill, displaying Apocalyptica’s continued love for the source material.
It is easy to see why this Finnish band have made such a mark, sold so many albums and befriended Metallica enough for them to appear on this record. With support slots to Metallica in the past, it’s perhaps no surprise to see that they will once again be involved in the upcoming Helsinki Metallica Take Over events.
Plays Metallica. Vol 2 is released on Throwdown Entertainment on 7th June
Review by Neil 'Thrashtash' Bolton
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