''Plays Metallica by Four Cellos'' is the debut album by Finnish

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

band

Apocalyptica Apocalyptica is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Helsinki, formed in 1993. The band is composed of classically trained cellists Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, and Perttu Kivilaakso, and jazz drummer Mikko Sirén. Originally a classical ...

, released in 1996. It features eight

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instru ...

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

covers arranged and played on cellos. The band was invited to record this album by a label employee after a 1995 show in which they performed some of the songs. The members were initially unsure and thought nobody would listen to such a record, but the employee insisted and they recorded it. On 22 July 2016, a remastered version of the album was released with new bonus tracks. In 2017 to 2019, the band returned as a cello quartet for the first time since 2009 to perform all the Metallica tracks they have covered to celebrate their 20th anniversary of the debut album. In late 2018, a live recording was released in CD, vinyl, and DVD with live footage entitled ''Plays Metallica by Four Cellos - A Live Performance''.

Track listing

Certifications

References

{{Authority control Apocalyptica albums 1996 albums Metallica tribute albums Mercury Records albums