Finnish metal cellists Apocalyptica have unleashed a new cover of the Metallica classic “One” featuring contributions from Metallica members James Hetfield and Robert Trujillo.

Apocalyptica started their career with the 1996 album Plays Metallica With Four Cellos. Now, nearly 30 years later, they are set to unleash Plays Metallica Vol. 2.

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On this new rendition of “One,” Hetfield provides a spoken word interpretation of the lyrics he wrote for the iconic song that appeared on Metallica’s 1988 album …And Justice for All. Meanwhile, Trujillo plays bass on the track.

Apocalyptica’s Eicca Toppinen stated, “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.”

Bandmate Perttu Kivilaakso added, “We used everything at our disposal to make it as bombastic as possible. It had to be epic! The result was truly cinematic, with James Hetfield narrating the story with those poetic lyrics. It was powerful and touching. As a fan I have to say it was unbelievable to finally hear it. I was in my home crying. My hands were shaking. It was an incredible journey.”

Trujillo also appears on Apocalyptica’s cover of “The Four Horseman,” which was released in February. Plays Metallica Vol. 2, set for release on June 7th, also features the cello band’s take on “Ride the Lightning,” “The Unforgiven II,” and “The Call of Ktulu” (in honor of late Metallica bassist Cliff Burton), among other songs. Pre-orders are available here.

Apocalyptica will embark on an extensive UK/European tour in the fall. Metallica, meanwhile, kick off the 2024 dates of their ongoing “M72 World Tour” with a European run before hitting North America again this summer (tickets available here).

Watch the video for Apocalyptica’s cover of “One” featuring James Hetfield and Robert Trujillo below.