Finnish symphonic metal group Apocalyptica have shared their new cover of the Metallica classic track “One” featuring James Hetfield and Robert Trujillo. Apocalyptica initially began their career with the 1996 album Plays Metallica with Four Cellos. Now, nearly 30 years later, they are set to release Plays Metallica Vol. 2.

Apocalyptica’s Eicca Toppinen commented, “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.”

Apocalyptica’s version of “One” is a slow burn with the themes of war and ruin remaining prevalent. In the video, destroyed buildings can be seen in the background as a man is dragging a corpse through the snow. The instrumental is played on cello and other traditional instruments rather than modern serving as a classic take on the first version. The lyrics of the song sound like a narrator speaking over a film.

The original “One” by Metallica delves into its lyrics one minute and thirty seconds into the song. After its iconic instrumental, lyrics about war and ruin are sung. Lyrics like “Darkness imprisoning me/absolute horror/Body my holding cell” describe a state of inner turmoil. The instrumental takes up much of the song, it becomes more fast paced near the end.

Photo Credit: Boston Lynn Schulz