When a non-metal head thinks about metal, the image in there head is someone with a huge mohawk and tattoos. That’s honestly true for the most part. We all look different, but that image is definitely not false.

However, people’s idea about the music is.

It’s easy to throw about terms like it’s the “devil's music” or “satanic.” That has been a criticism ever since bands like Black Sabbath and Deep Purple created the genre way back in the day. Many modern bands — such as Norwegian Black Metal bands like Mayhem and Immortal — have embraced this image and so has their fans. That’s alright because music is music. Classic claims such as AC/DC’s “Night Prowler” inspiring Richard Ramirez to “[rape] and [torture] more than 25 victims and [murder] more than a dozen” are pretty absurd.

Not all metals are necessary into this image, it’s a very diverse genre. People have their own tastes. And it’s all alright.

This leads me into the subject of this article: Apocalyptica.

They are a Finnish Metal Band, but unlike their nordic brothers, they are neither death nor black metal. They are Neo-Classical Metal, meaning the band is made up of currently three master cellists (Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, Perttu Kivilaakso) and a drummer (Mikko Sirén). They do not have an official lead singer, but they currently have singer Franky Perez as a touring member. Before, most of their work was pure instrumental and certain songs with actual lyrics with guest vocalists (notably Corey Taylor of Slipknot in “I’m Not Jesus,” Adam Gontier formerly of Three Days Grace in “I Don’t Care” and Brent Smith of Shinedown in “Not Strong Enough”).

Some may picture metal as screaming lyrics and simplistic instrument playing, but that description does not fit Apocalyptica. The main aspect of their songs is the actual music part- beautifully written and meant to be played by their cellos. That’s why they are “Neo-Classical,” because in a sense they compose new classical music. But, in my opinion, their fully instrumental albums such as "Reflections" or "Wagner Reloaded" blows most of actual classical music away from a musical standpoint — the actual notes and the such. "Wagner Reloaded" is unique because it was inspired by classical composer Richard Wagner, but the songs on the album are all original composed and written mostly by lead cellist Eicca Toppinen. The live perform of that album was marvelous because they performed with a full orchestra.

Performances of songs such as “Quutamo” and “Hope” prove how talented they are. We’re talking people who were classically trained and held prestigious positions in world-renowned orchestras. They are not mediocre by any means. They can go toe-to-toe with any cellist, but they decided to play metal. Their version of metal. An awesome version of metal.

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Is it for anyone? Maybe not. Is it more easy to listen to than more extreme versions of metal? I’ll say so. They head bang. They’re metal. They break the stereotypes of people thinking that those who play metal are talentless or too simplistic. Simply put, they are Apocalyptica.