In the lore of heavy metal, only a handful of artists can claim to have changed history, and even fewer can say they’ve done so twice. Enter Apocalyptica, and one of metal’s greatest, most unlikely success stories. By any account, it’s the stuff of legend, and it’s about to come full circle as Apocalyptica announces their “Apocalyptica Plays Metallica Vol. 2 Tour” across the United States, featuring support from guitar virtuoso Nita Strauss.
Formed in 1993 at the world-renowned Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland, Apocalyptica began as a loving, lo-fi nod to Metallica from four classically trained musicians. Their debut album, Plays Metallica By Four Cellos, released in 1996, was a game-changer. As founding band leader Eicca Toppinen explains, “We just loved Metallica and we wanted to play it with the instruments we were able to play, which just happened to be cellos. We played a metal club in Helsinki, and then we were asked to do an album. Five months after it was released, we were opening for Metallica. It’s still unbelievable to me.”
Fast forward to today, and Apocalyptica has released eight rapturously received records, sold six million albums, and toured relentlessly. Now, they continue their unique homage to Metallica with Plays Metallica, Vol. 2, featuring powerful collaborations with Metallica members and using original tracks from the legendary Cliff Burton. The album came out June 7, 2024 to rave reviews…
“Apocalyptica have gone beyond mere novelty value to become their own unique entity, breathing fresh life and a new perspective into these songs. “ – LOUDER
“Apocalyptica Plays Metallica Vol.2 is a fitting homage to the band, and the fact that Metallica has so much involvement in it gives it that extra stamp of approval.” – Heavy Music HQ
The band looks forward to playing these fresh interpretations of Metallica songs for their US fans in 2025. The “Apocalyptica Plays Metallica Vol. 2 Tour” will kick off on February 6, 2025, in Washington, DC, and will visit major cities across North America.
Tour Dates:
Thu Feb 06 – Washington, DC @ Warner Theatre
Fri Feb 07 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore Philadelphia
Sat Feb 08 – Boston, MA @ Orpheum Theatre
Tue Feb 11 – New York, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount
Wed Feb 12 – Montreal, QC @ MTELUS
Thu Feb 13 – Toronto, ON @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Fri Feb 14 – Cincinnati, OH @ The Andrew J Brady Music Center
Sat Feb 15 – Chicago, IL @ Athenaeum Center
Sun Feb 16 – Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore Detroit
Tue Feb 18 – Minneapolis, MN @ Uptown Theater
Wed Feb 19 – Winnipeg, MB @ Burton Cummings Theatre
Thu Feb 20 – Saskatoon, SK @ Coors Event Centre
Fri Feb 21 – Edmonton, AB @ Midway Music Hall
Sat Feb 22 – Calgary, AB @ Grey Eagle Event Centre
Mon Feb 24 – Vancouver, BC @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Tue Feb 25 – Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre
Wed Feb 26 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
Thu Feb 27 – San Francisco, CA @ Palace of Fine Arts
Fri Feb 28 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Orpheum Theatre
Sat Mar 01 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
Mon Mar 03 – Denver, CO @ Paramount Theatre
Wed Mar 05 – Austin, TX @ ACL Live – Moody Theater
Thu Mar 06 – Dallas, TX @ The Majestic Theatre
Sat Mar 08 – Houston, TX @ Bayou Music Center
