Damn they rock. And I also like the Vitamin String Quartet's covers of stuff. And hell yeah it does. For forever I listed my musical influences as "Vivaldi and Slipknot." They're still in there, but they're not the only things anymore.
Metallica is overrated as hell. Really good, but some of their fans are really closed minded. Apocalyptica isn't nearly as well known, though they should be.
That, I have to agree with you partly. Metallica is indeed overated. But I don't think Apocalypta is as good as Metallica.