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

metal A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...

band

Apocalyptica Apocalyptica is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Helsinki, formed in 1993. The band is currently composed of three classically trained cellists Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, and Perttu Kivilaakso. Originally a Classical music, classical- ...

, released in 1996. It features eight

instrumental An instrumental or instrumental song is music without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through Semantic change, semantic widening, a broader sense of the word s ...

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and 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 of the Metallica tracks they have covered at the time to celebrate their 20th anniversary of the debut album and in late 2018, a live recording of the tour was released in CD, vinyl, and a DVD with live footage entitled ''Plays Metallica by Four Cellos - A Live Performance''. A follow-up album entitled '' Plays Metallica, Vol. 2'', was released on June 7, 2024.

Track listing

Certifications

References

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