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biography / portrait

From cover band in Finland to one of the most original Metal bands in the world - APOCALYPTICA just keeps going higher, faster, and beyond. Their path is lined with sold-out venues and they are among the most remarkable live attractions on the planet, closing the chasm between Shostakovich and Metallica, concert house and Rock club, and tuxedo and studded belt. With "Amplified - A Decade of Reinventing the Cello", APOCALYPTICA has now released an overview of the first ten years of a soaring career that, given the strict constraints of the music business, should never have even been able to get off the ground. "I get the impression that most journalists decided years ago whether or not they would ever like us. Some of them think we're just a joke and they anxiously anticipate justification every time we release a new album. But our music is much more complex than people think. We're doing something new, which causes a confusion that then transforms either into rejection or fondness." Eicca Toppinen, APOCALYPTICA's main composer, is fortunately Finnish enough (in other words: clever, laid back, stubborn, and ambitious) not to be irritated by any prejudices. Even congratulations slide off the backs of those seldom spoiled by fine weather. And how often have orchestra musicians offered apologies after a show? The amazing stamina, the exciting performances, and the insane speed - and all without a written score. Unimaginable! Eicca says, "It definitely feels good to hear such things, especially from musicians that might have laughed at us in the beginning. But we don't allow ourselves to be too influenced by that, just as we don't get too distracted by the negative criticism of a few disgruntled detractors. I was afraid that would go to our heads and start to influence the band. We are all rather normal people and we intend to remain so." At the same time, Toppinen has long been an idol for thousands of kids around the world who are forced to go into classical music training by their parents, but whose lifestyle has been mostly absorbed in the pop culture of the day. "We have managed to change something in people's consciousness. Of course it's been the case for a long time that playing the cello isn't exactly the hippest thing a kid can do. With chamber music and orchestral theory you have to study and practice daily while other kids the same age are playing soccer or going to dances. Anyone serious about playing an instrument is considered to be a weirdo and has a difficult time being accepted. But we cut a new path and internalized the free spirit of making music. For students at Sibelius Academy, it is very normal to try out some Jimi Hendrix on the side. That's actually how APOCALYPTICA came to be. We didn't plan it that way - it just happened." When Perttu Kivilaakso waltzes around the stage without a shirt like the almighty Jimi Hendrix to the thrashing Sepultura song "Inquisition Symphony" - an absolutely deadly cello shredder - the essence of APOCALYPTICA really comes alive. It's pure cello Rock-n-Roll. At first, the debut album "Apocalyptica Plays Metallica by Four Cellos" seemed to be a side note in the history of Hard Rock - four students from the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki play some Metallica songs for fun at the Teatro Heavy Metal Club. In the audience is Kari Hynninen from the tiny independent label Zen Garden Records, who spontaneously offers the boys and their hobby project a recording contract. At the time, Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, Max Lilja, and Antero Manninen were more interested in completing their studies and, like millions of other young people, only listened to Metal music in their spare time. It didn't make things any easier that Hynninen didn't have any money for regular studio time. APOCALYPTICA ended up having to do all their fiddling late at night or in the early morning hours while other bands were enjoying eyelid theater. The efforts proved to be well worth the toil when Metallica's record label, Mercury, quickly showed interest in the recordings and took up worldwide distribution. To this date, over a million copies of the record have been sold! Outrageous! For the second album, "Inquisition Symphony," the foursome really begins to taste metal cello blood. The sounds of the instruments are enhanced by distortions and effects and Hiili Hiilesma, the producer of the successful HIM album "Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666," yanks the band out of the classical niche and lends the album a more modern sound. In addition to other Metallica songs, the covers include tunes from Sepultura, Faith No More, and Pantera. APOCALYPTICA leader Toppinen writes three of his own songs, which coordinate perfectly into the package. For the third work, "Cult," original compositions finally assume the main focus. With "Fight Fire With Fire," the band takes on the Metallica neck-snapper par excellence and, in so doing, manages to saw through many a C-string. The quartet's appearance also changes as Perttu Kivilaakso replaces Antero Manninen. On the "Cult" tour, they show up as a wild gang of head bangers clad in patent leather. They even squeeze in several concert halls performances. Two worlds thus collide. The young Kivilaakso - highly trained and a Metal fan to the core - brings another new quality to APOCALYPTICA. "I'm a solo cellist in the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra with a lifetime contract, basically on a very extended vacation. I love to try new things and to explore myself musically in every conceivable direction. The highpoint of my career was accompanying Luciano Pavarotti during his performance in Helskini. I love Italian operettas." With more than 500 concerts (most of which sell out) in over 60 countries (including Mexico, Russia, Japan, and the USA), APOCALYPTICA are quickly becoming Finland's top musical export. This overwhelms founding member Max Lilja. Prior to the production of "Reflections" he leaves the band. The remaining trio composes 13 straightforward songs, whose arrangements are refined by piano, trumpet, stand-up bass, and violins, and then recorded with two drummers. Slayer legend Dave Lombardo provides the light-handed beats under compelling thrash numbers, while a certain Sami Kuoppamäki takes over the responsibility for the groove component. At times the "Cello Rock" is interrupted by melancholy melodies and a handful of loops. "Reflections" reveals the band's temporary state of insecurity. "It's about us - the frightened young men from Helsinki who have grown up." It's a confrontation that takes the music business along with it. We had a lot of problems on the "Cult" tour and "Reflections" was supposed to get us back into shape. We almost got bored of the band and were as close as we could have come to breaking up." Indeed, it is this experience that makes "Reflections" a powerful and confident album. With their last studio output, "Apocalyptica," the three Fins up the ante. The tracks are all treated in about four minutes. They never grow dull and retain a fresh sound, while being played with extreme precision and enthusiasm. This is much to the credit of drummer Mikko Sirén, whose punches breathe extra life into the material - so much so that we almost forget about Dave Lombardo (who can still be heard on one song). The two superstars Ville Valo from HIM and Lauri Ylönen from The Rasmus carry out a furious duel on the first single "Bittersweet," accompanied by a video from star Finnish director Antti Jokinen. It hasn't been only since placing in the charts that the gentlemen from APOCALYPTICA have also been sought-after session musicians. Their music is used in commercials, video games, motion pictures, and theater productions. Well-known vocalists are also more than happy to be invited by the three cellists to lend their talents to a new single. For "Amplified - A Decade of Reinventing the Cello" you can hear the Brazilian Metal legend Max Cavalera (Soulfly, ex-Sepultura) and Matt Tuck from the skyrocketing British band Bullet for My Valentine, both of whom fit well on the roster of the album's great guest vocalists (see track listing). What, then, is the band's receipt for success? What has made this classic Rock-n-Roll fairy tale come true? It's the boys' insatiable appetite! It's the will to always take on a new challenge, to venture into new territory, and to expand the concept of "Cello Rock" with fresh ideas. APOCALYPTICA isn't something that's easy to copy. Someday they will surely be considered legends. Originals. No matter what journalists or music professors might think. (source: www.apocalyptica.com)