Apocalyptic Raids is an EP by Swiss extreme metal band Hellhammer. It was recorded and released in March 1984, and was the band's only commercial release.

Background and release

Hellhammer split up only three months after recording this EP, and later regrouped as Celtic Frost. The EP would be reissued six years later as Apocalyptic Raids 1990 A.D., boasting new artwork and two bonus tracks.

Artwork

The cover art of Apocalyptic Raids is influenced by German Expressionism's stark aesthetic, combining monochromaticity with the band's blood-red, blackletter-styled logo.

Legacy and impact

The record was a major influence on the then-emerging death metal and black metal genres. It has served as an inspiration to such varied and respected bands as Napalm Death and Sepultura, both of whom recorded cover versions of "Messiah". In 2018, the staff of Revolver included the album in their list of the "25 Essential Black Metal Albums". They said: "Though the band existed for less than two years, the harsh cacophony of the Apocalyptic Raids demo perfectly expressed black metal’s caustic furor."

Track listings

Tracks 5 and 6 were originally part of the now out-of-print Death Metal (1984) compilation.

Credits

Original 1984 release

Hellhammer – producers

• Satanic Slaughter ( Tom Warrior) – V-Axe Holocaust (guitar), Dambuster Vocals (lead vocals)

• Slayed Necros (a.k.a. Martin Ain) – Deadly Bassdose (bass), Backing Howling... (backing vocals)

• Denial Fiend (a.k.a. Bruce Day) – Hellish Crossfire on Wooden Coffins (drums)

• Horst Mueller – engineer

• Thomas Fischer – cover design, frontcover drawing "The Sitting Death" (© 1984)

• Mr. Jeckyl – heptagram

• Burzelbar – pix

Apocalyptic Raids 1990 A.D.

• Tom G. Warrior – vocals, guitar, backing vocals

• Martin E. Ain – bass, cover design

• Bruce Day – drums

• Horst Müller – engineer, mixing

• Julia Schechner – layout

• José Posada – illustrations

• Karl U. Walterbach – executive producer

Charts

References