Finland’s Apocalyptica have gone from strength to strength over the past decade and a half by taking a novelty concept (a string quartet playing metal) and doing it with a straight face until people took them seriously.
Now, seven albums down the track, the quartet are proving that they have gained the respect and admiration of their heroes by releasing a guest-splattered album, '7th Symphony'.The record features guest vocals from Gavin Rossdale (Bush), Dave Lombardo (Slayer), Lacey (Flyleaf), Joe Duplantier (Gokira) and Brent Smith (Shinedown).
The album is taking the classical influence of gothic music to it's logical conclusion and is a long way from their first album of Metallica covers. If you're not on board, you ain't worth squat.
Fans in the USA and Europe can check out the band at any of the following shows:
AUGUST
30 - Center Stage, Atlanta, GA
31 - The Pageant, St. Louis, MO
SEPTEMBER
1 - House of Blues, Chicago, IL
2 - First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN
3 - Slowdown, Omaha, NE
4 - Ogden Theatre, Denver, CO
5 - Sunshine Theatre, Albuquerque, NM
7 - House Of Blues, Las Vegas, NV
8 - Club Nokia, Los Angeles, CA
9 - The Regency Ballroom, San Francisco, CA
11 - The Showbox SoDo, Seattle, WA
12 - Roseland Theatre, Portland, OR
OCTOBER
12 - Casa da Musica, Porto, Portugal
13 - Aula Magnaa, Lisbon, Portugal
14 - Riviera, Madrid, Spain
15 - Rockstar Live, Bilbao, Spain
16 - Espace Julian, Marseille, France
17 - Alkatraz, Milan, Italy
18 - Schützenhaus, Zurich, Switzerland
19 - Gasometer, Vienna, Austria
21 - Schlachthof, Dresden, Germany
22 - Eskulap, Poznan, Poland
23 - Sporthalle, Hamburg, Germany
24 - Columbiahalle, Berlin, Germany
25 - Stodola, Warsaw, Poland
27 - Melkweg, Amsterdam, Netherlands
28 - E-Werk, Cologne, Germany
30 - 013, Tilburg, Netherlands
31 - Zenith, Paris, France
NOVEMBER
1 - Ancienne Belgique, Brussels, Belgium
2 - Forum, London, UK
3 - ABC, Glasgow, UK
4 - Wulfrun Hall, Wolverampton, UK
5 - Dan Atelier, Esch, Luxembourg
6 - Schwabenhalle, Augsburg, Germany
Follow the author Tim Cashmere on Twitter.
