Apocalyptica Celebrates Its Metallica-Themed Debut

Apocalyptica burst onto the metal scene with its “cello-driven rock opus” of Metallica covers 20 years ago, and the Finnish rockers are returning to the Americas to celebrate the anniversary.

Andrew Whitton / Download 2015 – Apocalyptica
Download Festival, Donington Park, Derby, UK

The North American tour dates start Sept. 5 in Atlanta. The U.S. itinerary wraps up in Las Vegas Oct. 1, and the final North American date is Nov. 15 in Mexico City. After that, the group moves into Central and South America until Dec. 8, when Apocalyptica will play in Santiago, Chile.

The next stop for the band is at Full Metal Mountain in Hermagor, Austria April 1. The band has a European headline run scheduled until April 23 in Moscow, and then continues playing festivals through early August.

Apocalyptica released a remastered version of its classic Plays Metallica by Four Cellos with three bonus tracks last year. The band has a wide catalog of music available and says its debut “changed the landscape of heavy music for years to come.”

Check out the video of the band’s cover of “Nothing Else Matters.”

The lineup currently has two of the original four cellists, Eicca Toppinen and Paavo Lötjönen, who are joined by fellow cellist Perttu Kivilaakso, drummer Mikko Sirén and vocalist Franky Perez, though Plays Metallica was originally an instrumental album, so it is unclear how much singing Perez will do.

Here is the U.S. and Canada routing:

Sep. 5 – Atlanta, Ga., Center Stage Theater

Sep. 6 – Lake Buena Vista, Fla., House Of Blues

Sep. 7 – Jacksonville, Fla., Florida Theatre

Sep. 8 – Charlotte, N.C., McGlohon Theater

Sep. 9 – Washington, D.C., Lincoln Theatre

Sep. 11 – New York, N.Y., Town Hall

Sep. 12 – Boston, Mass., The Wilbur

Sep. 13 – Montreal, Quebec, St. Denis Theatre 1

Sep. 14 – Toronto, Ontario, Queen Elizabeth Theatre

Sep. 15 – Grand Rapids, Mich., 20 roe Live

Sep. 16 – Chicago, Ill., Park West

Sep. 17 – Minneapolis, Minn., Pantages Theatre

Sep. 18 – St. Louis, Mo., The Pageant

Sep. 20 – Denver, Colo., Paramount Theatre

Sep. 22 – Seattle, Wash., Moore Theatre

Sep. 23 – Vancouver, British Columbia, Commodore Ballroom

Sep. 24 – Portland, Ore., McMenamins Crystal Ballroom

Sep. 26 – Oakland, Calif., Fox Theater

Sep. 27 – Santa Cruz, Calif., Rio Theatre

Sep. 28 – Los Angeles, Calif., Mayan Theatre

Sep. 29 – San Diego, Calif., Jacobs Music Center At Copley Symphony Hall

Oct. 1 – Las Vegas, Nev., The Joint @ Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

Presales are ongoing and the general onsale begins March 31.

Learn more about the band at Apocalyptica.com.