Apocalyptica

There is nothing more bad-ass than rocking out with leather pants and metal hair... on a cello. I first heard of Apocalyptica's Worlds Collide (2007) a while back but I was listening to them again this morning and HOOOEY - you must watch them live. It's all part of the Finnish symphonic/metal experience!

To kick things off: 

Grieg's "Hall of the Mountain King", originally composed for Henrik Ibsen's Pyr Gynt.

Then, throw in some Ville Vallo (H.I.M.) and Lauri Ylönen (The Rasmus) in "Bittersweet". (for some reason I couldn't get the proper music video...*grumble* well, the girl in it's got a crazy amount of hair if you wanted to check it out)

Or, strip everything else away and fall in love with the cello in "Fade to Black";

"Nothing Else Matters" (yes, it's a Metallica cover);

and "Ruska" - if 'epic' had an eerie romance song, this would be it.

Add a pinch of Marta Jandová (Ulm) in "Wie Wiet" (also called "How Far").

And another Metallica cover, "One".

Finally, a song off their latest album 7th Symphony (2010), the eponymous "Beautiful". (just a little f.y.i.: I read on the bio of their official website that if the song sounds "bare and beautiful" its most likely got something to do with the way it was recorded... naked.)

 

Enjoy!