And groups like boombox apocalyptica. Biography of Apocalyptica

The band Apocalyptica is known primarily for the fact that brutal guys cut heavy metal using cellos and a drum kit. 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 compositions, since the musicians are united (first of all) by their 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 what they are called, it does not change the essence, because in a relatively short time they managed to win the love of the world.

Start

The guys from the group Apocaliptica 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 the opportunity to spend the summer in children's camps for future philharmonicists. Therefore, they often gathered to play the themes of the legendary 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 the work of the Metallica team, the idea of showing the world their skills came to Eikki’s head quite soon.

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

Implementation of plans

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 their favorite academy, and then a fourth member joined the group, and Apocalyptica set off to conquer the Helsinki rock clubs.

With the onset of 1995, the guys actively began giving concerts on the big stage, and just a year later the number of people wanting to hear this miracle live exceeded 50,000 people.

Of course, the Metallica musicians learned about the talented guys quite quickly, so while visiting Finland on a tour, they invited the band Apocalyptica to “warm up” the audience. To say that the guys were delighted is to say nothing; emotions simply went off scale.

First recording

After the Finnish group Apocalyptica appeared in all its glory on the same stage with their idols, Zen Garden Records made a lucrative offer to the guys. 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 over the next year it sold more than 250,000 copies. Two compositions from it were performed in the film Your Friends and Neighbors (USA).

Own creativity

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

The disc was received more than well, so the Apocalyptica album became one of the best-selling discs in Finland. Soon the first two videos were shot for the compositions Nothing Else Matters and Harmageddon, 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 quite large halls.

The summer of 1999 came, and the group Apocalyptica went to Holland for the metal festival Dynamo Open Air, which became a memorable event, since the guys had the opportunity 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 “Apocalyptic” in St. Petersburg and Moscow.

Work with other projects

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

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

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

Compound

Despite the fact that the Apocalyptic group has successfully existed for 25 years, the participants have never changed, these are:

Eikka Toppinen. He became friends with the cello when he was a nine-year-old boy, and then became quite good at mastering the drum kit. Most of the musical pieces are his work.
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 Letjenen. I grew up in an intelligent musical family, so it didn’t take me long to choose a profession. At one time he worked at the Finnish National Opera.
Mikko Siren. Drummer with experience. He came to Apocalyptic only in 2003.
Anetro Manninen. Started playing music at 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 calling 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.
Frankie Pepper. He joined the group in 2014, and his future fate is in question.

Style

The question of what genre the songs of the group Apocalyptica can be classified into is a very difficult one, because the musicians became yet another innovator who brought something new to metal. The most accurate definition, perhaps, is symphonic metal. Moreover, today Apocalyptica is the only representative of the heavy scene who plays orchestral plucked string instruments. After all, all the bands similar to Apocalyptica (Terion, Nightwish, Camelot, Rhapsody Of Fire and others) use standard instruments for metalheads in their work, seasoning the sound with powerful keyboard parts.

The band did not need their own vocalist, but they were repeatedly seen collaborating with such metal stars as Nina Hagen, Corey Taylor, Ville Valo, Lauri Ylönen, Max Cavalera and many others. Frankie Peretz became a member of the team only in 2014, and, according to Eikki, his permanent participation is a big 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 Apocalyptic, the gifted Finns have become famous as the most popular and successful group with a unique sound.

A new stage in creativity

With the release of their new album Reflections in 2003, the musicians' careers took off at a rapid pace. This time, not only Eikka, but also the rest of the team members worked on creating the compositions. After that, for two years the guys traveled almost constantly 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 Apocalyptic, as vocals were heard on it for the first time. It was implemented in 2005 under the name Apocalyptica. Such famous Finns as Ville Valo and Lauri Ylönen were invited to perform vocal parts. Already in March of the same year, the Apocalyptica group went to different countries to conquer new hearts and souls, inviting the public to listen to their new tracks. The tour was huge, with more than 150 metal shows held around the world, and the army of followers of the “Knights of the Apocalypse” increased significantly. In 2008, Worlds Collide was released, in which the frontmen of Slip Knot, Rammstein and other rock stars took an active part. Dave Lombardo (Slayer) played drums, and Tomoyatsu Hotei, a renowned guitarist, was brought in for the first time.

A little about personal

Almost nothing is known about the behind-the-scenes life of the musicians of the cult group, except that:

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

New albums

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

In December 2015, the group Apocalyptica performed 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 twentieth anniversary.

Over the entire period of its existence, the guys have sold 8 studio discs, 1 concert disc, 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:

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 doing solo performances, but this does not affect the life of Apocalyptic 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 delight the hearts of its fans for a long time.

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 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.

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 theme song for the 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 other 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”.

The group consists of 3 cellists and a drummer. Having initially become famous for instrumental cover versions of compositions by famous thrash metal bands, Apocalyptica later began releasing material of their own composition.

The genre of the group cannot be clearly defined, but most often it is characterized as symphonic metal or cello metal. Most of the compositions are instrumental, but Apocalyptica also attracted vocalists from Slipknot, The Rasmus, HIM, Sepultura, Guano Apes, Rammstein, Soulfly, Bullet For My Valentine, Lacuna Coil, Three Days Grace, Bush, Shinedown, Flyleaf, Gojira, for joint recordings. Oomph! , Hoobastank , Nina Hagen .

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:

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 had already played Jimi Hendrix and stuff like that on two or three cellos, so the idea of playing something weird and unusual on them was not new to us. 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 and wanted to offer the 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.

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

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 their 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. 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, 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 Nasich (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 7th album was called 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 a live performance in Leipzig on July 5 and 6, 2013.

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 (nickname "Rankka", Finnish rankka - strong, heavy) began learning to play the cello at the age of nine, but after a while he decided to start playing the 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

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

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 a music school. He also played with the Finnish National Opera.

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.

Antero Manninen

He started playing the cello at the age of seven. He played in many orchestras. He joined Apocalyptica in 1993 when it was being created, but after recording the first two albums he left Apocalyptica and returned to the Lahti Philharmonic Orchestra. After Max Lilja left Apocalyptica, Antero Manninen returned to the band's live line-up. He does not take part in the creation and recording of new albums, he plays only at concerts.

Max Lilya

At first I learned to play the violin, but did not get much pleasure from it. When he turned seven, he decided that he would exchange the violin for the cello. At the age of nine he entered the Music Academy, becoming the youngest student. He played in various orchestras such as Avanti, Kuopio City Orchestra. In January 2002, Max decided to leave Apocalyptica due to constant conflicts with other members. Now Max plays in the rock band Hevein, and also participates in concerts of Tarja Turunen (ex-Nightwish) in support of her album My Winter Storm. In April 2013, Max is preparing to release a solo album, Plays Electronica By One Cello, combining electric cello and classical acoustic instrumentation.

Discography

Albums

Plays Metallica by Four Cellos ()
Inquisition Symphony ()
Cult ()
Reflections ()
Apocalyptica ()
Worlds Collide ()
7th Symphony ()
Shadowmaker ()

Live albums

Wagner Reloaded-Live in Leipzig ()

Collections

Best of Apocalyptica() (Published in Japan only)
Amplified - A Decade of Reinventing the Cello() (2CD)

Singles

DVD

Live (Apocalyptica) (2001)
Reflections Revised (2003)
The Life Burns Tour (2006)

Video clips

"Enter Sandman" (1996)
"The Unforgiven" (1996)
"Nothing Else Matters" (1998)
"Harmageddon" (1998)
"Path" (2000)
"Path vol.2" (with Sandra Nasich) (2001)
"Hope vol.2" (with Matthias Sayer) (2001)
"Somewhere Around Nothing" (2003)
"Faraway vol.2" (with Linda Sundblad) (2003)
"Seemann" (with Nina Hagen) (2003)
"Bittersweet" (with Ville Valo and Lauri Ylönen) (2004)
"Wie Weit/How Far/En Vie" (with Marta Jandova and Emmanuelle Monet "(Manu)) (2005)
"Life Burns" (with Lauri Ylönen) (2005)
"Repressed" (with Max Cavalera and Matt Tuck) (2006)
"I'm not Jesus" (with Corey Taylor) (2007)
"S.O.S." (Anything but Love) (with Cristina Scabbia) (2008)
"I Don't Care" (with Adam Gontier) (2008)
"Grace" (with Tomoyatsu Hotei) (2008)
“Judas” (together with the group Pilgrim) (2009)
"End of me" (with Gavin Rossdale) (2010)
"Broken Pieces" (with Lacey Mosley) (2010)
"Not strong Enough" (with Brent Smith) (2010)
"Cold Blood" (c Frankie Perez) (2015)

Soundtracks

Addition for the game Return To Castle Wolfenstein - Curse of the Pharaohs.
Computer game Generals: Reloaded Fire (Apocalyptica - Path).
Smallville TV series: "I Don't Care" (2008)

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Notes

Links

(English) on the Encyclopaedia Metallum website

Apocalyptica



Studio albums

Live albums

Singles

Compilations and box sets

Videography

Soundtracks	MAG: S.V.E.R.

Excerpt characterizing Apocalyptica

Their conversation was interrupted by the cry of several voices at the gate and the arrival of Morel, who came to announce to the captain that the Wirtemberg hussars had arrived and wanted to place their horses in the same yard in which the captain’s horses stood. The difficulty arose mainly because the hussars did not understand what they were told.
The captain ordered the senior non-commissioned officer to be called to him and in a stern voice asked him which regiment he belonged to, who their commander was and on what basis he allowed himself to occupy an apartment that was already occupied. In response to the first two questions, the German, who did not understand French well, named his regiment and his commander; but to the last question, without understanding it, inserting broken French words into German speech, he answered that he was a quartermaster of the regiment and that he had been ordered by his superior to occupy all the houses in a row. Pierre, who knew German, translated to the captain what the German was saying, and The captain's answer was conveyed in German to the Wirtemberg hussar. Realizing what he was told, the German surrendered and took his men away. The captain came out onto the porch, giving some orders in a loud voice.
When he returned back to the room, Pierre was sitting in the same place where he had sat before, with his hands on his head. His face expressed suffering. He was really suffering at that moment. When the captain left and Pierre was left alone, he suddenly came to his senses and realized the position in which he was. It was not that Moscow was taken, and not that these happy victors ruled it and patronized him - no matter how hard Pierre felt this, this was not what tormented him at the moment. He was tormented by the consciousness of his weakness. A few glasses of wine and a conversation with this good-natured man destroyed the concentrated gloomy mood in which Pierre lived these last days and which was necessary for the fulfillment of his intentions. The pistol, the dagger, and the coat were ready; Napoleon was arriving tomorrow. Pierre also considered it useful and worthy to kill the villain; but he felt that now he would not do it. Why? - he didn’t know, but he seemed to have a presentiment that he would not fulfill his intention. He fought against the consciousness of his weakness, but vaguely felt that he could not overcome it, that the previous gloomy system of thoughts about revenge, murder and self-sacrifice had scattered like dust at the touch of the first person.
The captain, limping slightly and whistling something, entered the room.
The Frenchman's chatter, which had previously amused Pierre, now seemed disgusting to him. And the whistling song, and the gait, and the gesture of twirling his mustache - everything now seemed offensive to Pierre.
“I’ll leave now, I won’t say a word to him again,” thought Pierre. He thought this, and meanwhile he was still sitting in the same place. Some strange feeling of weakness chained him to his place: he wanted but could not get up and leave.
The captain, on the contrary, seemed very cheerful. He walked around the room twice. His eyes sparkled and his mustache twitched slightly, as if he was smiling to himself at some funny invention.
“Charmant,” he said suddenly, “le colonel de ces Wurtembourgeois!” C "est un Allemand; mais brave garcon, s"il en fut. Mais Allemand. [Lovely, colonel of these Württembergers! He is German; but a nice fellow, despite this. But German.]
He sat down opposite Pierre.
– A propos, vous savez donc l "allemand, vous? [By the way, do you know German?]
Pierre looked at him silently.
– Comment dites vous asile en allemand? [How do you say shelter in German?]
- Asile? - Pierre repeated. – Asile en allemand – Unterkunft. [Asylum? Refuge - in German - Unterkunft.]
– Comment dites vous? [How do you say?] - the captain asked incredulously and quickly.
“Unterkunft,” Pierre repeated.
“Onterkoff,” said the captain and looked at Pierre with laughing eyes for several seconds. – Les Allemands sont de fieres betes. “N"est ce pas, monsieur Pierre? [These Germans are such fools. Isn’t it so, Monsieur Pierre?],” he concluded.
- Eh bien, encore une bouteille de ce Bordeau Moscovite, n "est ce pas? Morel, va nous chauffer encore une pelilo bouteille. Morel! [Well, another bottle of this Moscow Bordeaux, isn’t it? Morel will warm us another bottle. Morel !] – the captain shouted cheerfully.
Morel served candles and a bottle of wine. The captain looked at Pierre in the light, and he was apparently struck by the upset face of his interlocutor. Rambal, with sincere grief and sympathy on his face, approached Pierre and bent over him.
“Eh bien, nous sommes tristes, [What is it, are we sad?],” he said, touching Pierre’s hand. – Vous aurai je fait de la peine? “Non, vrai, avez vous quelque chose contre moi,” he asked again. – Peut etre rapport a la situation? [Perhaps I have upset you? No, really, don’t you have something against me? Maybe regarding the position?]
Pierre did not answer, but looked affectionately into the Frenchman’s eyes. This expression of participation pleased him.
- Parole d"honneur, sans parler de ce que je vous dois, j"ai de l"amitie pour vous. Puis je faire quelque chose pour vous? Disposez de moi. C"est a la vie et a la mort. C"est la main sur le c?ur que je vous le dis, [Honestly, not to mention what I owe you, I feel friendship for you. Can I do something for you? Use me. This is for life and death. I tell you this with my hand on my heart,” he said, hitting his chest.
“Merci,” said Pierre. The captain looked intently at Pierre the same way he looked when he learned what the shelter was called in German, and his face suddenly lit up.
- Ah! dans ce cas je bois a notre amitie! [Ah, in that case, I drink to your friendship!] - he shouted cheerfully, pouring two glasses of wine. Pierre took the glass he had poured and drank it. Rambal drank his, shook Pierre's hand again and leaned his elbows on the table in a thoughtfully melancholy pose.
“Oui, mon cher ami, voila les caprices de la fortune,” he began. – Qui m"aurait dit que je serai soldat et capitaine de dragons au service de Bonaparte, comme nous l"appellions jadis. Et cependant me voila a Moscou avec lui. “Il faut vous dire, mon cher,” he continued in the sad, measured voice of a man who is about to tell a long story, “que notre nom est l"un des plus anciens de la France. [Yes, my friend, here is the wheel of fortune. Who said I wish I would be a soldier and captain of dragoons in the service of Bonaparte, as we used to call him. However, here I am in Moscow with him. I must tell you, my dear... that our name is one of the most ancient in France.]
And with the easy and naive frankness of a Frenchman, the captain told Pierre the history of his ancestors, his childhood, adolescence and manhood, all his family, property, and family relationships. “Ma pauvre mere [“My poor mother.”] played, of course, an important role in this story.
– Mais tout ca ce n"est que la mise en scene de la vie, le fond c"est l"amour? L"amour! “N"est ce pas, monsieur; Pierre?” he said, perking up. “Encore un verre.” [But all this is only an introduction to life, its essence is love. Love! Isn’t it so, Monsieur Pierre? Another glass. ]
Pierre drank again and poured himself a third.
- Oh! Les femmes, les femmes! [ABOUT! women, women!] - and the captain, looking at Pierre with oily eyes, began to talk about love and his love affairs. There were a lot of them, which was easy to believe, looking at the smug, handsome face of the officer and at the enthusiastic animation with which he spoke about women. Despite the fact that all of Rambal's love stories had that dirty character in which the French see the exceptional charm and poetry of love, the captain told his stories with such sincere conviction that he alone experienced and knew all the delights of love, and described women so temptingly that Pierre listened to him with curiosity.
It was obvious that l "amour, which the Frenchman loved so much, was neither that lower and simple kind of love that Pierre once felt for his wife, nor that romantic love, inflated by himself, that he felt for Natasha (both types of this love Rambal equally despised - one was l"amour des charretiers, the other l"amour des nigauds) [the love of cab drivers, the other - the love of fools.]; l"amour, which the Frenchman worshiped, consisted mainly in the unnaturalness of relationships with women and in the combination of ugliness that gave the main charm to the feeling.
So the captain told the touching story of his love for one charming thirty-five-year-old marquise and at the same time for a charming innocent seventeen-year-old child, the daughter of a charming marquise. The struggle of generosity between mother and daughter, which ended with the mother, sacrificing herself, offering her daughter as a wife to her lover, even now, although a long-past memory, worried the captain. Then he told one episode in which the husband played the role of a lover, and he (the lover) played the role of a husband, and several comic episodes from souvenirs d'Allemagne, where asile means Unterkunft, where les maris mangent de la choux croute and where les jeunes filles sont trop blondes [memories of Germany, where husbands eat cabbage soup and where young girls are too blond.]
Finally, the last episode in Poland, still fresh in the captain’s memory, which he recounted with quick gestures and a flushed face, was that he saved the life of one Pole (in general, in the captain’s stories, the episode of saving a life occurred incessantly) and this Pole entrusted him with his charming wife (Parisienne de c?ur [Parisian at heart]), while he himself entered the French service. The captain was happy, the charming Polish woman wanted to run away with him; but, moved by generosity, the captain returned his wife to the husband, saying to him: “Je vous ai sauve la vie et je sauve votre honneur!” [I saved your life and save your honor!] Having repeated these words, the captain rubbed his eyes and shook himself, as if driving away the weakness that had seized him at this touching memory.
Listening to the captain's stories, as often happens in the late evening and under the influence of wine, Pierre followed everything that the captain said, understood everything and at the same time followed a number of personal memories that suddenly appeared to his imagination for some reason. When he listened to these stories of love, his own love for Natasha suddenly suddenly came to his mind, and, turning over the pictures of this love in his imagination, he mentally compared them with the stories of Rambal. Following the story of the struggle between duty and love, Pierre saw before him all the smallest details of his last meeting with the object of his love at the Sukharev Tower. Then this meeting had no influence on him; he never even thought about her. But now it seemed to him that this meeting had something very significant and poetic.
“Peter Kirilych, come here, I found out,” he now heard these words spoken, saw before him her eyes, her smile, her travel cap, a stray strand of hair... and something touching, touching seemed to him in all this.
Having finished his story about the charming Polish woman, the captain turned to Pierre with the question of whether he had experienced a similar feeling of self-sacrifice for love and envy of his lawful husband.
Provoked by this question, Pierre raised his head and felt the need to express the thoughts that were occupying him; he began to explain how he understood love for a woman a little differently. He said that in all his life he had loved and loves only one woman and that this woman could never belong to him.
- Tiens! [Look!] - said the captain.
Then Pierre explained that he had loved this woman from a very young age; but he did not dare to think about her, because she was too young, and he was an illegitimate son without a name. Then, when he received name and wealth, he did not dare to think about her, because he loved her too much, placed her too high above the whole world and therefore, especially above himself. Having reached this point in his story, Pierre turned to the captain with a question: does he understand this?
The captain made a gesture expressing that if he did not understand, he still asked to continue.
“L"amour platonique, les nuages... [Platonic love, clouds...],” he muttered. Was it the wine he drank, or the need for frankness, or the thought that this person does not know and will not recognize any of the characters in his story, or all together unleashed tongue to Pierre. And with a murmuring mouth and oily eyes, looking somewhere into the distance, he told his whole story: his marriage, and the story of Natasha’s love for his best friend, and her betrayal, and all his simple relationship with her. Provoked by Rambal’s questions, he also told him what he had hidden at first - his position in the world and even revealed his name to him.
What struck the captain most from Pierre’s story was that Pierre was very rich, that he had two palaces in Moscow, and that he gave up everything and did not leave Moscow, but remained in the city, hiding his name and rank.
It was late at night and they went out together. The night was warm and bright. To the left of the house the glow of the first fire that started in Moscow, on Petrovka, brightened. To the right stood high the young crescent of the month, and on the opposite side of the month hung that bright comet that was associated in Pierre’s soul with his love. At the gate stood Gerasim, the cook and two Frenchmen. Their laughter and conversation in a language incomprehensible to each other could be heard. They looked at the glow visible in the city.
There was nothing terrible about a small, distant fire in a huge city.
Looking at the high starry sky, the month, the comet and the glow, Pierre experienced joyful emotion. “Well, that’s how good it is. Well, what else do you need?!” - he thought. And suddenly, when he remembered his intention, his head began to spin, he felt sick, so he leaned against the fence so as not to fall.
Without saying goodbye to his new friend, Pierre walked away from the gate with unsteady steps and, returning to his room, lay down on the sofa and immediately fell asleep.

The glow of the first fire that started on September 2nd was watched from different roads by fleeing residents and retreating troops with different feelings.
That night the Rostovs' train stood in Mytishchi, twenty miles from Moscow. On September 1, they left so late, the road was so cluttered with carts and troops, so many things had been forgotten, for which people had been sent, that that night it was decided to spend the night five miles outside Moscow. The next morning we set off late, and again there were so many stops that we only got to Bolshie Mytishchi. At ten o'clock the gentlemen of the Rostovs and the wounded who were traveling with them all settled in the courtyards and huts of the large village. The people, the Rostovs' coachmen and the wounded's orderlies, having removed the gentlemen, had dinner, fed the horses and went out onto the porch.
In the next hut lay Raevsky’s wounded adjutant, with a broken hand, and the terrible pain he felt made him moan pitifully, without ceasing, and these groans sounded terribly in the autumn darkness of the night. On the first night, this adjutant spent the night in the same courtyard in which the Rostovs stood. The Countess said that she could not close her eyes from this groan, and in Mytishchi she moved to a worse hut just to be away from this wounded man.
One of the people in the darkness of the night, from behind the high body of a carriage standing at the entrance, noticed another small glow of a fire. One glow had been visible for a long time, and everyone knew that it was Malye Mytishchi that was burning, lit by Mamonov’s Cossacks.
“But this, brothers, is a different fire,” said the orderly.
Everyone turned their attention to the glow.
“But, they said, Mamonov’s Cossacks set Mamonov’s Cossacks on fire.”
- They! No, this is not Mytishchi, this is further away.
- Look, it’s definitely in Moscow.
Two of the people got off the porch, went behind the carriage and sat down on the step.
- This is left! Of course, Mytishchi is over there, and this is in a completely different direction.
Several people joined the first.
“Look, it’s burning,” said one, “this, gentlemen, is a fire in Moscow: either in Sushchevskaya or in Rogozhskaya.”
No one responded to this remark. And for quite a long time all these people silently looked at the distant flames of a new fire flaring up.
The old man, the count's valet (as he was called), Danilo Terentich, approached the crowd and shouted to Mishka.
- What haven’t you seen, slut... The Count will ask, but no one is there; go get your dress.
“Yes, I was just running for water,” said Mishka.
– What do you think, Danilo Terentich, it’s like there’s a glow in Moscow? - said one of the footmen.
Danilo Terentich did not answer anything, and for a long time everyone was silent again. The glow spread and swayed further and further.
“God have mercy!.. wind and dryness...” the voice said again.
- Look how it went. Oh my God! You can already see the jackdaws. Lord, have mercy on us sinners!
- They'll probably put it out.
- Who should put it out? – the voice of Danila Terentich, who had been silent until now, was heard. His voice was calm and slow. “Moscow is, brothers,” he said, “she is mother squirrel...” His voice broke off, and he suddenly sobbed like an old man. And it was as if everyone was waiting for just this in order to understand the meaning that this visible glow had for them. Sighs, words of prayer and the sobbing of the old count's valet were heard.

The valet, returning, reported to the count that Moscow was burning. The Count put on his robe and went out to have a look. Sonya, who had not yet undressed, and Madame Schoss came out with him. Natasha and the Countess remained alone in the room. (Petya was no longer with his family; he went forward with his regiment, marching to Trinity.)
The Countess began to cry when she heard the news of the fire in Moscow. Natasha, pale, with fixed eyes, sitting under the icons on the bench (in the very place where she sat when she arrived), did not pay any attention to her father’s words. She listened to the incessant moaning of the adjutant, heard three houses away.
- Oh, what a horror! - said Sonya, cold and frightened, returned from the yard. – I think all of Moscow will burn, a terrible glow! Natasha, look now, you can see from the window from here,” she said to her sister, apparently wanting to entertain her with something. But Natasha looked at her, as if not understanding what they were asking her, and again stared at the corner of the stove. Natasha had been in this state of tetanus since this morning, ever since Sonya, to the surprise and annoyance of the Countess, for some unknown reason, found it necessary to announce to Natasha about Prince Andrei’s wound and his presence with them on the train. The Countess became angry with Sonya, as she was rarely angry. Sonya cried and asked for forgiveness and now, as if trying to make amends for her guilt, she never stopped caring for her sister.
“Look, Natasha, how terribly it burns,” said Sonya.
– What’s burning? – Natasha asked. - Oh, yes, Moscow.
And as if in order not to offend Sonya by refusing and to get rid of her, she moved her head to the window, looked so that, obviously, she could not see anything, and again sat down in her previous position.
-Have you not seen it?
“No, really, I saw it,” she said in a voice pleading for calm.
Both the Countess and Sonya understood that Moscow, the fire of Moscow, whatever it was, of course, could not matter to Natasha.
The Count again went behind the partition and lay down. The Countess approached Natasha, touched her head with her inverted hand, as she did when her daughter was sick, then touched her forehead with her lips, as if to find out if there was a fever, and kissed her.

The background to this very unique project began in 1993, when four students from the Helsinki Music Academy named after Jean Sibelius began playing Metallica compositions on cellos for fun. Eikka Toppinen, Paavo Lotjonen, Max Lilja and Antero Manninen did not even think about world fame in such an unusual field, but simply did what they liked. However, the talent of the musicians could not be ignored, and when the guys performed at the Teatro Heavy Metal Club, they were offered a contract by the owner of the independent label Zen Garden Records, Kari Hynninen. The beginning was difficult, because the cellist students wanted to complete their studies, and Kari did not always have enough money to pay for studio time. However, the work was still completed, and the first thing the musicians did was send the recorded tapes to their idols from Metallica.

In response, the Finns received the go-ahead by fax. Moreover, the Metallica label Mercury Records took over the distribution of the debut album Apocalyptica, thanks to which all the costs incurred were more than recouped. Already from the title of the disc "Apocalyptica Plays Metallica By Four Cellos" it was clear whose covers and in what processing were presented here.

The band's first official concert took place in front of an audience of a thousand people at a party dedicated to the release of the album "Load". Then things went from strength to strength, and already at the fourth performance there were about 50,000 spectators, and at the end of the year the group was honored to open concerts of their idols in Helsinki. In 1998, Apocalyptica, with the participation of producer Hiili Hiilesma (H.I.M.), recorded their second full-length, Inquisition Symphony. This time, along with “Metallica” covers, the disc included arrangements of “Sepultura”, “Faith No More” and “Pantera”. In addition, Toppinen wrote three of his own compositions, which combined quite well with Metallic's "Fight Fire With Fire". In 1999, Antero Manninen replaced Perttu Kivilaakso, so the third album "Apocalyptica" was recorded with an updated line-up.

"Cult" differed from its predecessors in that it featured covers in favor of original material, mostly by Toppinen. At the same time, the “apocalyptics” first tried to use vocals in their work, and thus the songs “Path Vol. 2” with the participation of Sandra Nasik from “Guano Apes” and “Hope Vol. 2” with Mathias Sayer from “Farmer Boys” were born. .

By the time of the release of "Cult", the group had become one of the most profitable Finnish musical exports. Metal cellists managed to visit more than 60 countries of the world and almost everywhere their concerts were sold out. However, the unprecedented success did not keep Max Lilju from leaving, and in 2002 the “apocalyptic” line-up was reduced to a trio. The following year, the experimental album "Reflections" was released, on which piano, trumpet, double bass, violins and drums were added to the cellos. Two distinguished guests performed as drummers: Dave Lombardo from Slayer and Sami Kuoppamaki from Stratovarius. The release of "Reflections" was accompanied by the singles "Faraway" and "Seemann", the latter featuring the grandmother of German punk Nina Hagen.

The fifth album "Apocalyptica" also did not do without guests, but this time, along with Lombardo, Ville Vallo from "H.I.M." and Lauri Ylonen from "Rasmus" contributed to the creation of the disc. The functions of the main drummer in this work were performed by Mikko Siren, who later became an official member of the team. The band celebrated its tenth anniversary with the release of the retrospective album "Amplified - A Decade Of Reinventing The Cello".

Last update 12.02.07

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 group 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 a 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. He played with the group when it was founded, then went into 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.