Formed in 1993 at the world-renowned Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland, Apocalyptica began life as a loving, lo-fi nod to Metallica from four classically trained musicians with no greater ambition than to explore their favourite band’s music with their chosen instrument. As founding band leader Eicca Toppinnen explains, the project would take on a life of its own when they finally released Plays Metallica By Four Cellos in 1996. More than a debut, it was a monster in waiting. Unbeknownst to Apocalyptica, they’d just boarded a rocket ship that would propel them through multiple rapturously received records, over six million records sold, and a relentless touring schedule that would see them bringing their uniquely symphonic concept of heaviness to every time zone and countless festival stages around the world.