Hellhammer was a Swiss metal band from Nürensdorf, active from 1982 to 1984. Although the band's sound and style were heavily criticized and poorly reviewed during their active years,[1] they have been widely praised in retrospect and are often regarded as a key influence on black metal.[2][3] In June 1984, Hellhammer disbanded but two of its members soon formed the influential extreme metal band Celtic Frost.[4]
Inspired by the music of Black Sabbath, Venom, Raven, Motörhead[5] and Angel Witch,[6] guitarist/vocalist Thomas Gabriel Fischer (a.k.a. "Tom Warrior"), bassist/vocalist Urs Sprenger (a.k.a. "Savage Damage" and "Steve Warrior") and drummer Pete Stratton formed Hammerhead (later Hellhammer) in early 1982.[7] Although Fischer "was not into punk at all," he was "blown away" by the Discharge recordsWhy and Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing,[8] which profoundly influenced his music from then on. As he noted, a lack of extreme metal at the time meant that fans of Venom and Motörhead often had to resort to punk bands for similar sounds.[9]GBH and Anti-Nowhere League also proved influential.[6]
After the exit of Stratton and drummer Jörg Neubart (aka "Denial Fiend" and "Bruce Day") joining in the ranks in autumn 1982, Hellhammer attempted to find proper rehearsal spaces, which proved difficult due to either exceedingly high rents or unavailable studio hours.[10] In June 1983, the group recorded their demo tape, Triumph of Death, for a mere $70.[11] Despite being embarrassed by the end results, Hellhammer shipped their demo to a number of heavy metal magazines, such as Great Britain's Metal Forces; critical response toward them was generally favorable.[12] Although rejected by the labels they sent tapes to, the band eventually caught the attention of newcomer Noise Records.[13]
Steve Warrior had been replaced by former Schizo bassist Martin Eric Ain, a change which marked the beginning of a serious and radical transformation in the band's music and lyrics. These changes were ultimately responsible for Fischer's and Ain's increasing perception of being limited within the confines of the purposely primitive Hellhammer vehicle. Hellhammer disbanded in May 1984, and Fischer and Ain formed a new band under the name of Celtic Frost in June.[4]
At the dawn of the next decade Noise Records released a new version of Hellhammer's debut, retitled Apocalyptic Raids 1990 A.D. This re-issue was augmented by two tracks off the Death Metal compilation, which was "something we always wanted to, even back in '84", claimed Tom Warrior. This re-release also came with a new cover design done by Martin Ain.[14]
In November 2007, Tom Gabriel Fischer announced that the original master tapes of Hellhammer's demos (Death Fiend, Triumph of Death, and Satanic Rites) would be released as a 2CD/3LP package, titled Demon Entrails, in February 2008 with new liner notes on the complete history of Hellhammer, unreleased photos and artwork, and all tracks remastered personally by Tom Gabriel Fischer, Martin Eric Ain and Steve Warrior.[citation needed] The album was released by Prowlin' Death/Century Media Records.
Additionally, Tom Fischer released a book in 2010 titled Only Death Is Real: An Illustrated History of Hellhammer and early Celtic Frost 1982–1985, which documents the early days of said bands.[15] The book featured a foreword by Darkthrone guitarist Nocturno Culto and an introduction by the author Joel McIver.
In 2016, both Century Media and Prowling Death Records joint released an unreleased 7" vinyl single the band originally recorded in 1983 titled Blood Insanity. Tom Gabriel Fischer explained that the band contemplated releasing material they recorded at the time of the Triumph of Death demo sessions which would contain two songs. Unfortunately, the single languished into an unrealized state until the band's split, rendering any plans for future releases redundant. Fischer went on to say that it never left his mind since then and presented the idea of releasing the single to Century Media, in which the record company agreed.[16]
Criticism
Although its former members felt proud of Hellhammer's legacy by the end of the 1980s, that was not always so.[14] In fact, Tom Warrior feared that his prior commitment to Hellhammer could hinder the future of Celtic Frost.[citation needed] A 1985 Kerrang! review summed up his worst fears: "The truly execrable Hellhammer may now have turned into Celtic Frost but still suck on the big one."[17]
Other metal publications were also skeptical of Hellhammer's musical endeavor. Metal Forces, for one, absolutely loathed the group; that started a long-lasting feud between that zine and Warrior, which kept Celtic Frost from playing in England for a couple of years.[17]Rock Power was not fond of Hellhammer either; they considered it "the most terrible, abhorrent, and atrocious thing 'musicians' were ever allowed to record".[18] In fact, they were "receiving miserable reviews everywhere", Warrior concluded.[4]
Regarding the controversial status of his former band, Thomas said:
Way back in 1984 and 85, when Martin Eric Ain and I recorded Celtic Frost's first two albums Morbid Tales and To Mega Therion, Hellhammer lasted on us almost like a curse. Even though Hellhammer was the very reason we had thought over our goals and conceived the Frost, HH's left-overs kept being mighty rocks in our way. Many voices saw Frost as the same band with just a name-change. The lack of musical quality in HH made it almost impossible for us to get an unbiased reaction for Frost. To make a long story short, it almost killed all our work and dreams.[14]
Legacy
A four-track 12" EP, Apocalyptic Raids, was released in March 1984. At the time, it was regarded as one of the heaviest and most extreme records produced.[citation needed] By then, the band had already broken up, but the recording was one of the original black/death metal recordings, and spawned a legion of imitators, playing doom metal, thrash metal, black metal and death metal.[citation needed] Both Fischer and Ain later teamed up again when forming Celtic Frost in summer of 1984.
^"Samael – Medieval Prophecy". Retrieved 10 April 2015.
^"Incantation – Rehearsal demo". Retrieved 24 April 2015.
^"Slaughter – Surrender or Die". Retrieved 24 April 2015.
^"Behemoth – The Return of the Northern Moon". Retrieved 24 April 2015.
^"Gallhammer – The Worship". Retrieved 24 April 2015.
Sources
Bennett, J. (2009). "Procreation of the Wicked". In: Mudrian, A. (ed.), Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces (pp. 31–47). Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press.
Fischer, T. G. (2000). Are You Morbid? Into the Pandemonium of Celtic Frost. London: Sanctuary Publishing Limited.
Gregori, D. (2003). "Thrash Metal or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb". Terrorizer108: 10-14.
Hellhammer (1990). Apocalyptic Raids 1990 A.D. [CD]. New York, NY: Futurist/Noise International.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hellhammer.
hellhammer, drummer, also, known, axel, blomberg, swiss, metal, band, from, nürensdorf, active, from, 1982, 1984, although, band, sound, style, were, heavily, criticized, poorly, reviewed, during, their, active, years, they, have, been, widely, praised, retros. For the drummer also known as Hellhammer see Jan Axel Blomberg Hellhammer was a Swiss metal band from Nurensdorf active from 1982 to 1984 Although the band s sound and style were heavily criticized and poorly reviewed during their active years 1 they have been widely praised in retrospect and are often regarded as a key influence on black metal 2 3 In June 1984 Hellhammer disbanded but two of its members soon formed the influential extreme metal band Celtic Frost 4 HellhammerBackground informationOriginNurensdorf SwitzerlandGenresBlack metalspeed metalthrash metalYears active1982 1984LabelsNoise Century MediaPast membersThomas Gabriel FischerUrs SprengerPete StrattonJorg NeubartMartin Eric AinWebsitehellhammer wbr org Contents 1 History 2 Criticism 3 Legacy 4 Band s members 4 1 Final 4 2 Previous members 4 3 Timeline 5 Discography 5 1 Demos 5 2 Studio releases 5 3 Compilation albums 6 References 7 Sources 8 External linksHistory Edit The group s logo Inspired by the music of Black Sabbath Venom Raven Motorhead 5 and Angel Witch 6 guitarist vocalist Thomas Gabriel Fischer a k a Tom Warrior bassist vocalist Urs Sprenger a k a Savage Damage and Steve Warrior and drummer Pete Stratton formed Hammerhead later Hellhammer in early 1982 7 Although Fischer was not into punk at all he was blown away by the Discharge recordsWhy and Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing 8 which profoundly influenced his music from then on As he noted a lack of extreme metal at the time meant that fans of Venom and Motorhead often had to resort to punk bands for similar sounds 9 GBH and Anti Nowhere League also proved influential 6 After the exit of Stratton and drummer Jorg Neubart aka Denial Fiend and Bruce Day joining in the ranks in autumn 1982 Hellhammer attempted to find proper rehearsal spaces which proved difficult due to either exceedingly high rents or unavailable studio hours 10 In June 1983 the group recorded their demo tape Triumph of Death for a mere 70 11 Despite being embarrassed by the end results Hellhammer shipped their demo to a number of heavy metal magazines such as Great Britain s Metal Forces critical response toward them was generally favorable 12 Although rejected by the labels they sent tapes to the band eventually caught the attention of newcomer Noise Records 13 Steve Warrior had been replaced by former Schizo bassist Martin Eric Ain a change which marked the beginning of a serious and radical transformation in the band s music and lyrics These changes were ultimately responsible for Fischer s and Ain s increasing perception of being limited within the confines of the purposely primitive Hellhammer vehicle Hellhammer disbanded in May 1984 and Fischer and Ain formed a new band under the name of Celtic Frost in June 4 At the dawn of the next decade Noise Records released a new version of Hellhammer s debut retitled Apocalyptic Raids 1990 A D This re issue was augmented by two tracks off the Death Metal compilation which was something we always wanted to even back in 84 claimed Tom Warrior This re release also came with a new cover design done by Martin Ain 14 In November 2007 Tom Gabriel Fischer announced that the original master tapes of Hellhammer s demos Death Fiend Triumph of Death and Satanic Rites would be released as a 2CD 3LP package titled Demon Entrails in February 2008 with new liner notes on the complete history of Hellhammer unreleased photos and artwork and all tracks remastered personally by Tom Gabriel Fischer Martin Eric Ain and Steve Warrior citation needed The album was released by Prowlin Death Century Media Records Additionally Tom Fischer released a book in 2010 titled Only Death Is Real An Illustrated History of Hellhammer and early Celtic Frost 1982 1985 which documents the early days of said bands 15 The book featured a foreword by Darkthrone guitarist Nocturno Culto and an introduction by the author Joel McIver In 2016 both Century Media and Prowling Death Records joint released an unreleased 7 vinyl single the band originally recorded in 1983 titled Blood Insanity Tom Gabriel Fischer explained that the band contemplated releasing material they recorded at the time of the Triumph of Death demo sessions which would contain two songs Unfortunately the single languished into an unrealized state until the band s split rendering any plans for future releases redundant Fischer went on to say that it never left his mind since then and presented the idea of releasing the single to Century Media in which the record company agreed 16 Criticism EditAlthough its former members felt proud of Hellhammer s legacy by the end of the 1980s that was not always so 14 In fact Tom Warrior feared that his prior commitment to Hellhammer could hinder the future of Celtic Frost citation needed A 1985 Kerrang review summed up his worst fears The truly execrable Hellhammer may now have turned into Celtic Frost but still suck on the big one 17 Other metal publications were also skeptical of Hellhammer s musical endeavor Metal Forces for one absolutely loathed the group that started a long lasting feud between that zine and Warrior which kept Celtic Frost from playing in England for a couple of years 17 Rock Power was not fond of Hellhammer either they considered it the most terrible abhorrent and atrocious thing musicians were ever allowed to record 18 In fact they were receiving miserable reviews everywhere Warrior concluded 4 Regarding the controversial status of his former band Thomas said Way back in 1984 and 85 when Martin Eric Ain and I recorded Celtic Frost s first two albums Morbid Tales and To Mega Therion Hellhammer lasted on us almost like a curse Even though Hellhammer was the very reason we had thought over our goals and conceived the Frost HH s left overs kept being mighty rocks in our way Many voices saw Frost as the same band with just a name change The lack of musical quality in HH made it almost impossible for us to get an unbiased reaction for Frost To make a long story short it almost killed all our work and dreams 14 Legacy EditA four track 12 EP Apocalyptic Raids was released in March 1984 At the time it was regarded as one of the heaviest and most extreme records produced citation needed By then the band had already broken up but the recording was one of the original black death metal recordings and spawned a legion of imitators playing doom metal thrash metal black metal and death metal citation needed Both Fischer and Ain later teamed up again when forming Celtic Frost in summer of 1984 Hellhammer covers by notable bands include Napalm Death 19 Sepultura 20 Samael 21 Incantation 22 Slaughter 23 Behemoth 24 and Gallhammer 25 Fischer s post Celtic Frost band Apollyon Sun also re worked Messiah citation needed Band s members EditFinal Edit Tom G Satanic Slaughter Warrior Thomas Gabriel Fischer guitar lead vocals 1982 1984 Slayed Necros Martin Eric Ain bass 1983 1984 died 2017 Bruce Denial Fiend Day Jorg Neubart drums 1982 1984 Previous members Edit Pete Stratton Peter Ebneter drums 1982 Steve Savage Damage Warrior Urs Sprenger bass vocals 1982 1983 Stephen Evoked Damnator Priestly Stephen Gasser bass 1983 Mike Grim Decapitator Owens bass 1983 Vince Dei Infernal Caretti Oliver Amberg guitar 1984 Timeline EditDiscography EditDemos Edit Year Title1983 Death Fiend1983 Triumph of Death1983 Satanic RitesStudio releases Edit Year Title Notes1984 Apocalyptic Raids EP2016 Blood Insanity Single2017 Killing Fields SingleCompilation albums Edit Year Title2008 Demon EntrailsReferences Edit Hellhammer The tortured black metal outcasts who created a monster 5 June 2020 Rivadavia Eduardo Hellhammer gt Overview Retrieved 9 May 2008 Fischer 2000 p 78 a b c Fischer 2000 p 80 Fischer 2000 pp 62 amp 64 a b The Triumph of Tom G Warrior Rolling Stone 15 August 2019 Fischer 2000 p 65 Bennett 2009 p 34 TOM G WARRIOR On Celebrating HELLHAMMER With TRIUMPH OF DEATH I Really Wanted To Do This Before The End Of My Days 30 August 2019 Fischer 2000 pp 65 amp 66 Fischer 2000 p 72 Fischer 2000 p 73 Fischer 2000 p 75 a b c Warrior Thomas Gabriel 1990 The Macabre Existence of Hellhammer Apocalyptic Raids 1990 A D CD booklet Hellhammer Berlin Germany Modern Music Records p 2 ONLY DEATH IS REAL An Illustrated History of Hellhammer and Early Celtic Frost 1982 1985 by Tom Gabriel Fischer with Martin Eric Ain HELLHAMMER s Previously Unreleased Blood Insanity 7 Vinyl Single To See Light Of Day Blabbermouth net 5 July 2016 Retrieved 5 July 2016 a b Gregori 2003 p 11 Doe Bernard December 2007 Death Fiends A Short Biography of Hellhammer Century Media Records Archived from the original on 19 January 2008 Retrieved 10 May 2008 Rivadavia Eduardo Leaders Not Followers Pt 2 gt Overview Retrieved 9 May 2008 Loftus Johnny Revolusongs gt Overview Retrieved 9 May 2008 Samael Medieval Prophecy Retrieved 10 April 2015 Incantation Rehearsal demo Retrieved 24 April 2015 Slaughter Surrender or Die Retrieved 24 April 2015 Behemoth The Return of the Northern Moon Retrieved 24 April 2015 Gallhammer The Worship Retrieved 24 April 2015 Sources EditBennett J 2009 Procreation of the Wicked In Mudrian A ed Precious Metal Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces pp 31 47 Cambridge MA Da Capo Press Fischer T G 2000 Are You Morbid Into the Pandemonium of Celtic Frost London Sanctuary Publishing Limited Gregori D 2003 Thrash Metal or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb Terrorizer 108 10 14 Hellhammer 1990 Apocalyptic Raids 1990 A D CD New York NY Futurist Noise International External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hellhammer Official Hellhammer Burial Site Hellhammer at AllMusic Hellhammer discography at Discogs Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Hellhammer amp oldid 1127103530, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
