Cult

Vinyl LP pressing. Since they formed in 1993, Finnish orchestral rock band Apocalyptica has released eight studio albums featuring numerous cello-based instrumentals along with some vocal-based songs. Whatever styles they've explored - from atmospheric interludes to fast, battering rhythms - their music has been gripping, dynamic and full of melody. In order to remain relevant after two albums of mostly covers, Apocalyptica knew they had to make some changes. So, for their 2000 album Cult they only included three covers; the rest were Eicca Toppinen originals. Also, the band brought in vocalists Sandra Nasic and Matthias Sayer to sing on two of the songs. The album didn't sit well with their record label, however, which wanted another full album of metal covers. Fortunately, Apocalyptica's contract had expired and the label didn't pick up their option in time. "They wanted crazy cover versions of Motorhead and AC/DC, and we ended up 'No, we don't want to do that," explains Toppinen. "The contract is over.' And you can hear the emotion in the Cult album. That's a passionate album. We were lucky that we got a new label in Germany and got the album released, but it wasn't easy and it was a really important turning point. If we would have been following the guidance from record label to do a third cover album, I think that would have been the last album of Apocalyptica. That album created a new style."