Apocalyptica

It was just about a year ago that I discovered a band that has been in existence for the last eighteen years - Apocalyptica. It was a search for cellists that led me to these amazing artists who, for me, added fascinating dimensions to the cello and lead me to explore genres like progressive and neo-classical metal. The title of their compilations sums up what they have done: A Decade of Reinventing the Cello.
A band from Helsinki, Finland, Apocalyptica was formed in 1993 when four cellists, Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, Max Lilja and Antero Manninen gathered to play Metallica covers at Sibelius Academy. Today, in addition to Eicca and Paavo, the band features Perttu Kivilaakso and Mikko Sirén. All of them play the cello; Mikko also plays the drums.
Across the years, they have released seven albums, two compliations and over a dozen singles. Wiki says they have sold over four million albums to date.
Here are two of my many favorites. The first, Quutamo, performed at the Helsinki World Championships in 2005. And the second, Apocalyptica's version of that old Metallica classic, Nothing Else Matters.