Finnish symphonic rockers Apocalyptica, who last played in Kyiv in 2005, are coming back to shake the stage at Sports Palace.
While there is no shortage of symphonic metal bands in Finland, Apocalyptica and their rocking cellos managed to captivate with their powerful compositions.
Formed in 1993 by four classically trained cellists, three of them graduates of Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, the band gained local popularity by playing Metallica covers. Accordingly, their debut album was called “Apocalyptica Plays Metallica by Four Cellos.” Their second 1998s record “Inquisition Symphony” was made up mostly of covers sprinkled with a few original compositions written by band member Eicca Toppinen. In 2000, Apocalyptica released “Cult,” a collection of 10 original songs, including the mesmerizing “Path.”
The album also contained “Hall of the Mountain King,” one of Apocalyptica’s most impressive works. At that point the band began experimenting, adding drums to their acoustic sound. Soon after one of the cellists left the band, his place was taken by a drummer. Apocalyptica also continued indulging in collaborations. For instance, 2005’s eponymous album featured a number of famous Finnish guest musicians such as Ville Valo of HIM and Lauri Ylonen of the Rasmus, while their sixth album, “World’s Collide,” contained an unexpected cover of David Bowie’s “Heroes.”
It was renamed to “Helden” and sang in German by Rammstein frontman Till Lindemann. Now Apocalyptica continues touring worldwide and playing successful shows across Europe and the US. In 2008 Apocalyptica ranked 2nd at Billboard’s Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, narrowly beating Metallica whose music, in fact, gave a kick start to their career. The band’s newest album “7th Symphony” is expected to be released in summer 2010.
Sports Palace (1 Sportyvna Square, Palats Sportu metro). March 31, 7 p.m. Tickets Hr 170-1,100.
