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 +Chart performance for Apocalyptic Raids Chart (2020–2025) Peakposition Greek Albums (IFPI) 71
References