Apocalyptica formed back in 1993, however, it was their acclaimed 1996 album Plays Metallica by Four Cellos that brought them to the spotlight. It was a one-of-a-kind experience back then, witnessing cellists brilliantly cover Metallica songs. Die hard Metallica fans were glued to these Finnish neoclassical metallers while unable to fully describe them at the time. To celebrate the album’s twentieth anniversary, the group re-released it last summer with a few bonus tracks including covers of “Battery,” “Nothing Else Matters,” and “Seek and Destroy.” Since then, the band has been touring to support the anniversary including a limited North American run last year with 10 Years.
It wasn’t too long ago when we were lucky to interview Apocalyptica discussing their twenty-year career:
You guys have been a group since 1993. That alone is longer than most bands last these days. What’s the secret that keeps you doing this after all these years?
Love and respect towards music and each other. Ever since the beginning the most important thing is the personal relationship and that has to come before almost everything. Therefore, throughout all of the personal and common difficulties we have found a way to kind of manage and stay in a perfect balance mentally.
The last time I saw you live, you were labelled as a Metallica cover band, how did that come to be, and when was the decision to move away from that label?
Metallica was the main influence. It was our favorite band when we were teenagers. The entire idea was something that nobody expected almost like an accident. We were drinking beer in a dark room and playing heavy metal. It was just an idea like hey maybe this will work.
Apocalyptica announced returning to North America and heading out to South America with over 30 additional tour dates in continuation of celebrating the acclaimed 1996 album Plays Metallica by Four Cellos.
The band stated:
“You’ve all been patiently waiting and today we can finally bring you the news that the four cellos will be packed up and heading over to North & South America later this year! So prepare yourselves for the Plays Metallica By Four Cellos Anniversary Tour with over 30 dates…..”
Tour dates:
9/5 – Atlanta, GA – Center Stage
9/6 – Orlando, FL – House of Blues
9/7 – Jacksonville, FL – Florida Theatre
9/8 – Charlotte, NC – McGlohon Theater at Spirt Square
9/9 – Washington, DC – Lincoln Theatre
9/11 – New York, NY – Town Hall
9/12 – Boston, MA – Wilbur Theatre
9/13 – Montreal, QC – Theatre St. Denis
9/14 – Toronto, ON – Queen Elizabeth Theatre
9/15 – Grand Rapids, MI – 20 Monroe Live
9/16 – Chicago, IL – Park West
9/17 – Minneapolis, MN – Pantages Theatre
9/18 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant
9/20 – Denver, CO – Paramount Theater
9/22 – Seattle, WA – The Moore Theatre
9/23 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom
9/24 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom
9/26 – Oakland, CA – The Fox Theatre
9/27 – Santa Cruz, CA – Rio Theatre
9/28 – Los Angeles, CA – The Mayan
9/29 – San Diego, CA – Copley Symphony Hall
10/1 – Las Vegas, NV – The Joint
11/15 – Mexico City, Mexico
11/18 – San Jose, Costa Rica
11/19 – Bogotá, Columbia
11/21 – Porto Alegre, Brazil
11/23 – Belo Horizonte, Brazil
11/24 – Curitiba, Brazil
11/26 – Sao Paulo, Brazil
11/28 – Rosario, Argentina
11/29 – Cordoba, Argentina
12/1 – Neuquen, Argentina
12/1 3 – Comodoro Rivadavia, Argentina
12/1 5 – Montevideo, Uyaguay
12/1 7 – Buenos Aires, Argentina
12/1 8 – Santiago de Chile, Chile
Tickets and additional information can be found here.
