Cellorama
For any band, having played with Metallica is a notch on your belt. Covering Metallica (and getting away with it) is another notch. Having Metallica themselves play on a bill under your name has got to be pretty impressive but doing all three would be insane, wouldn't it? Not if you're Apocalyptica.
Apocalyptica are a cello band that covers Metallica. They're also a rock band that covers Metallica. It goes without saying that for a bunch of classically trained cellists to support Rammstein is, at the face of it, a rather odd choice. One might wonder just how on earth will over 10,000 German industrial fans respond to the tuning up of cellos. Surprisingly well.
Heading through their repertoire, the last thing you would expect would be cheers for their own material matching those of Metallica covers - but that is exactly what happens when they announce their next song. As they do so the crowd cheer whilst hair-swinging and cello carrying happens as if each band member were carrying a tambourine rather than a heavy wooden cello.
Shortly after a room of metal heads singing along to an instrumental version of "Enter Sandman", something really strange happens - the crowd actually want to see this support band. It's no longer the polite claps that most support bands receive. A full-on, ear-deafening cheer is heard as Apocalyptica demand the crowd to cheer for a final song.
Finishing on what most will know as "the Alton Towers theme music", Apocalyptica prove what music in its purest sense is about. Music is beautiful - hard rocking anthems can become melodic cello pieces whilst melodic cello pieces become hard rocking anthems.
If you're thinking that a full CD of Apocalyptica may not be your cup of tea - then reconsider it and you may be pleasantly surprised.