Apocalyptica Team With James Hetfield of Metallica on 'One'
APOCALYPTICA are thrilled to release the third single from Apocalyptica Plays Metallica, Vol. 2 – the hotly-anticipated sequel to their legendary debut record. 'One' falls hot on the heels of first singles 'The Four Horsemen (Ft. Robert Trujillo)' and 'The Unforgiven II', and features none other than James Hetfield himself.
Check out the video here.
In a stunning development, the single sees Metallica frontman James Hetfield joining proceedings for a soul-stirring, spoken word of those inimitable, now immortal lyrics. More than a unique collaboration, this is history in the making. Eicca Toppinen comments:
"I think it's incredible that James wanted to do it. We were always thinking 'it'd be great to someday do something with Metallica!' I think the excitement for him came from the different approach we were taking - sometimes the craziest ideas are what excites people and that was our challenge."
"We used everything at our disposal to make it as bombastic as possible. It had to be epic! The result was truly cinematic, with James Hetfield narrating the story with those poetic lyrics. It was powerful and touching," adds Perttu Kivilaakso. "As a fan I have to say it was unbelievable to finally hear it. I was in my home crying. My hands were shaking. It was an incredible journey."
Apocalyptica Plays Metallica Vol. 2 will continue the journey that began in 1996 when cellists from Helsinki’s world-renowned Sibelius Academy played symphonic tribute to the biggest of the big four – heavy metal titans Metallica. For their tenth record the classically-minded dynamos are returning to their roots to bring a legendary story full circle. It also features a host of surprises beginning with a unique collaboration. Third single 'One', taken from Metallica's 1988 landmark release ...And Justice For All, is a breathtaking reinterpretation of one of The Big Four's greatest musical moments - a true crowing creative achievement in their staggering 40 year career.
This album will be the band’s final studio release with APOCALYPTICA’s long-time member, drummer Mikko Sirén, who amicably departed after the new album’s completion. Plays Metallica Vol. 2 was produced by longtime collaborator and studio supremo Joe Barresi (Queens of the Stone Age, Soundgarden, Nine Inch Nails, Tool) and will be released via new label Throwdown Entertainment on 7th June 2024.
Founding band-leader Eicca Toppinen comments:
“It’s the coolest thing. We didn’t push - it was offered. We played the first album live and it was so much more fun and exciting than we expected, so we got the idea to do something like the first album, but we couldn’t do it in exactly the same way – we needed to challenge ourselves and bring a totally new perspective to the original energy and emotion of Metallica.”
Lead cellist Perttu Kivilaakso adds: “We’ve been talking about making another Metallica album for around 20 years, as there were still so many great songs we wanted to play! We waited for the perfect moment to do it. Thinking of that teenage me who is now getting to play his favourite tracks gives me goosebumps!"
