Plays Metallica by Four Cellos

Plays Metallica by Four Cellos is the debut album by Finnish metal band Apocalyptica, released in 1996. It features eight instrumental Metallica covers arranged and played on cellos.

Plays Metallica by Four Cellos
Studio album by Apocalyptica
Released	June 13, 1996
Genre	Classical, chamber music, cello rock, symphonic metal
Length	44:31
Label	Mercury/PolyGram
Apocalyptica chronology
Plays Metallica by Four Cellos (1996) Inquisition Symphony (1998)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

The band was invited to record this album by a label employee after a 1995 show in which they performed some of the songs. The members were initially unsure and thought nobody would listen to such a record, but the employee insisted and they recorded it.^[2] On 22 July 2016, a remastered version of the album was released with new bonus tracks.^[3] In 2017 to 2019, the band returned as a cello quartet for the first time since 2009 to perform all of the Metallica tracks they have covered at the time to celebrate their 20th anniversary of the debut album and in late 2018, a live recording of the tour was released in CD, vinyl, and a DVD with live footage entitled Plays Metallica by Four Cellos - A Live Performance. A follow-up album entitled Plays Metallica, Vol. 2, was released on June 7, 2024.^[4][5]

Track listing

Original 1996 Release

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original Metallica album	Length
1.	"Enter Sandman"	Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich, James Hetfield	from Metallica	3:41
2.	"Master of Puppets"	Cliff Burton, Hammett, Ulrich, Hetfield	from Master of Puppets	7:17
3.	"Harvester of Sorrow"	Ulrich, Hetfield	from ...And Justice for All	6:15
4.	"The Unforgiven"	Hammett, Ulrich, Hetfield	from Metallica	5:23
5.	"Sad but True"	Ulrich, Hetfield	from Metallica	4:48
6.	"Creeping Death"	Burton, Hammett, Ulrich, Hetfield	from Ride the Lightning	5:08
7.	"Wherever I May Roam"	Ulrich, Hetfield	from Metallica	6:09
8.	"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)"	Hammett, Ulrich, Hetfield	from Master of Puppets	5:50

2016 Remastered bonus tracks

No.	Title	Original Metallica album	Length
9.	"Battery"	from Master of Puppets	4:32
10.	"Nothing Else Matters" (2016 Version)	from Metallica	4:49
11.	"Seek and Destroy"	from Kill 'Em All	4:24

All tracks are written by Ulrich, Hetfield.

Certifications

Certifications for Plays Metallica by Four Cellos

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[6]	Platinum	23,303[6]
Germany (BVMI)[7]	Gold	250,000^
Poland (ZPAV)[8]	Gold	50,000*
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.