Apocalyptica - Cult (2000)

   Who said that electric guitars and drums are necessary to play heavy metal? Apocalyptica proved that they aren't, 4 cellos would do the thing too.
   The band started with covering Metallica songs by cellos and they gained wide attention soon in the age when the main audience seemed like to starve for something new and genuine more than ever. The appearence of symphonic elements in metal wasn't completely new, it's enough to think about some progressive metal bands, to symphonic black metal or to genuine experiments like Celetsial Season. But Apocalypctica made it without involving any ordinary instuments, so their style remained neoclassical, only the way how they played was a reference to the intense, raw features metal. It took for a while until they introduced their own songs like if they were aware to step further from doing covers, though even on "Inquisition Symphony" the self-writen songs were the best. They built on the contrast of classical symphonic melodies and the rough sawing-like noise, that probably nobody expected before to hear by a bowed instrument. Their music is still more relaxing than wild in general, so even if it's able to make other classical musicians crossing themselves, it didn't became the favorite of the moshpits. Still Apocalyptica became one of the most successful bands of the early '00s by their uncommon imaginations. Unfortunately left behind this path slowly by involvolving ordinary instruments and various vocalists too.