Apocalyptic Raids

Before reforming as Celtic Frost, this band began as Hellhammer, one of the most endearingly sloppy and primitive bands to come out of the budding thrash metal scene. Hellhammer was a band that truly personified the phrase "More will than skill". While they may not have had much in the way of technical prowess, they more than made up for it with sheer aggression, power, and attitude.

Apocalyptic Raids is a very unusual EP as it contains three fast, punkish songs and one long, noisy borderline doom metal song. The first two songs on the EP, The Third Of The Storms (Evoked Damnation), and Massacra are both short, fast songs with with buzz saw sounding power chords and simple, rapid paced drumming reminiscent of G.B.H. or Discharge. The first song actually features a guitar solo which helps it stand out a little from the second song. The third song Triumph Of Death is where things get very interesting. This song is much loner than the others and begins with some rather strange guitar noises followed by Tom Warrior screaming and groaning while the band begins to play a slow, almost Saint Vitus style doomy rhythm. It does pick up in pace after a couple of minutes but is certainly not fast. It also probably features the loosest, least precise musicianship on the EP as it sounds like there are few missed notes on the guitarist's part. This actually doesn't take away from the song but instead adds to its charm. The final song Horus/ Aggressor starts of with slow, menacing drums before a droning guitar kicks in followed by some Motorhead style drumming and mid paced heavy riffage. The musicianship is very primitive on Apocalyptic Raids. There is usually more power chords than riffs, and the bass and drums are usually simple patterns. The rudimentary playing however is accompanied by a heaviness and speed that more than makes up for any lack of complexity. Tom's vocals are gruff and slightly guttural like they would be in Celtic Frost and fits the raw and primitive nature of the music. The production is overall very muddy sounding and sounds like it was recorded in hell itself.

While Hellhammer may not be to everyone's taste, there is no denying the influence that they had on thrash and black metal. Some Celtic Frost fans may find Apocalyptic Raids too primitive and sloppy compared to the likes of say Morbid Tales, but this early material was just as much, if not even more ground breaking for the evolution of the metal scene in general. A must listen for thrashers and black metal fans!