Apocalyptica Brings the Cell-O Tour to Portland, Maine – September 13, 2022

Marking the seventh stop on the 2022 North American Cell-0 Tour, Apocalyptica played the State Theatre in Portland, Maine with supporting acts Wheel and Leprous.

Wheel 

Opening the night with guitar shreds and a melodic rock groove, Wheel, reigning from Helsinki, Finland, made their 7th ever stop in America at the State Theatre in Portland, Maine. The prog-metal band consists of James Lascelles (Vocals/Guitar), Santeri Saksala (Drums), Aki ‘Conan’ Virta (Bass) and Jussi Turunen (Lead Guitar). Most of their songs had a very interesting audible effect that was followed by intriguing riffs and vocals that paired perfectly. James Lascelles asked the crowd who all had heard of them, which a roar of cheers broke out. Following the question with who all were now fans, an even louder applause filled the room as they transitioned into their final song of the night.

Leprous

Following up Wheel was Leprous, the Norwegian rock band that led their set with “Out of Here” from their album Aphelion that debuted last year in 2021. Leprous consists of members Einar Solberg (Lead Vocals, Keyboard), Tod Oddmund Suhrke (guitars, backing vocals), Baard Kolstad (Drums), Simen Børven( bass, backing vocals), Robin Ognedal (guitars, backing vocals) and have one touring member at this stop, Raphael Weinroth-Browne (cello). As they finished off their set, red lights flickered to the pounding of the drums and rich guitars as it increasingly became more intense. Their cellist, Raphael Weinroth-Browne, finished off the last part with a haunting scraping of the bow that echoed the entire State Theatre for many moments to follow.

Apocalyptica 

Blurring the lines between classical and rock music, Finnish band Apocalyptica took the stage to a crowd of excited fans on Tuesday night. Cellists Eicca Toppinen, Perttu Kivilaakso, Paavo Lötjönen and drummer Mikko Sirén took the stage and played some of their hit instruments, as well as a cover of Master of Puppets weaved within their songs. Apocalyptica is extremely well known for their covers of Metallica songs. It was a very special experience watching fans recite the songs back with excitement.

Eicca Toppinen took the mic after their first few songs, gauging interest from the crowd if they had heard their new album, Cell-0. An abrupt applause filled the theater as the majority of the patrons had heard it. And for those who hadn’t? “Well, what the f?!k is wrong with you?” he had laughed before transitioning into more instrumentals off that cover. Seeing Apocalyptica play with a smaller crowd was a very intimate experience. I have noticed that if you manage to catch a tour stop anywhere in Maine, it’s bound to be like that.

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