Review by Daniel for Hellhammer - Apocalyptic Raids (1984)

It really is pretty amazing when you think of how far Swiss thrashers Hellhammer had come musically in just a nine month period since the first of their three demo tapes “Death Fiend” in June 1983. The quality of the song-writing & musicianship has been improved upon by a huge margin in that time & it just goes to show what can be accomplished when you’re young & driven. I remember that time in my life quite vividly so it’s not hard to imagine that Tom & the boys would likely have thought about nothing else but metal for that nine month period. So what’s the music like then?

Well Hellhammer’s first couple of demo tapes were extremely primitive. And although they presented some good ideas at times as far as atmosphere went, the band generally lacked the technical skills to pull them off. But with 1983’s final demo, “Satanic Rites”, we finally saw Hellhammer achieving the sort of quality that they’d only hinted at previously. Their sound was a real mish-mash of thrash, hardcore punk & doom metal but the atmosphere had a noticeably blackened feel to it with an over-arching coldness enshrouding the overall package. I think the band had really defined their sound there & “Apocalyptic Raids” doesn’t see them deviating from it a lot which isn’t terribly surprising given that over half of the duration of the EP is made up of re-recorded material that originally appeared on “Satanic Rites”. There are a few subtle differences however.

Firstly, the musicianship is once again a little tighter with the rhythm section in particular sounding more solid. Bruce Day’s drumming is very simple with rolls & fills kept to an absolute minimum however his sound is tough & powerful & he does a great job at emphasizing the weight of the riffs. He does still drift a little timing-wise on a couple of occasions during riff changes & I think the impact of that could have been minimized had he gone for more rolls to tie the different sections together but from what I've read it would appear that he simply wasn’t technically capable of that at the time. The basslines of Martin Eric Ain are quite simple but combine very well with the other two musicians to give the songs that extra oomph. Could Martin’s presence have been a major factor in the steep jump in quality between the “Triumph Of Death…” demo & the “Satanic Rites” one that was recorded just six months later? He didn’t even play bass on “Satanic Rites” as far as I’m aware but it’s possible that his guidance was crucial to the transformation because Tom’s approach doesn’t appear to have changed all that much between releases. His simple yet effective riffs sound as colossal as ever & are still the clear focal point of the Hellhammer sound. His technique still possesses all of the rough edges that it did on the demos & I wouldn’t say that he was a master of his instrument by this stage but that was half of the appeal of a band like Hellhammer to be honest.

There’s a glorious feeling of crawling death about Tom's guitar sound that’s quite distinctive & has proven to be highly influential in the decades to come. The simplicity of his approach to song-writing is enhanced by an uncanny understanding of the power of space too; an often overlooked element in extreme metal. He doesn’t try to overcomplicate things or play fast for the sake of it. Everything he does serves a purpose & he exercises a controlled restraint a lot of the time that’s no less powerful. The use of repetition within the song structures is worth noting as Tom has a good understanding of how to milk a riff for all its worth which not only ensures maximum impact & memorability but also leaves the faster numbers sounding quite open & accessible.

On the early demos we heard Tom utilizing some much harsher & more abrasive vocals that would provide strong encouragement for the link to the black metal subgenre but now Tom sounds much gruntier & more consistent & I’m not sure that I can justify that link any more even though his tortured performance on “Triumph Of Death” was unquestionably a big influence on the early black metal underground. It’s been a mostly positive move really as his more intelligible delivery gives the vocal hooks a much better chance to dig their teeth in; again making for a more accessible & memorable Hellhammer. The production is still quite raw though which seems perfectly suitable for a Hellhammer record to be honest. I just don’t think they would have benefited from a cleaner sound but as it is you can easily hear all of the elements in perfect clarity while maintaining the cold atmosphere of the “Satanic Rites” demo.

Back on that black metal topic… I do think that the common consensus that this is a blackened thrash record is incorrect. The early demos certainly had a right to that tag but “Apocalyptic Raids” is another story in my opinion. It offers less of the hardcore punk influence that was so obvious before & I’m much happier with a straight-up thrash metal tag as the three shorter tracks see the band sounding as thrashy as they ever have. Also, Tom’s over-the-top vocal performance on the epic ten minute signature track “Triumph Of Death” may be as iconic as any from the supposed first-wave of black metal but the song's slow dirgy riffs seem to sit far more comfortably under the doom metal banner despite possessing a fair amount of the atmosphere of genuine black metal. Prepare to feel unsettled if you’re not already familiar with "Triumph Of Death" as Tom screams his absolute head off & it’s hard to deny that he’s left nothing in the tank. I’m not one of those Hellhammer fanboys who will tell you that it’s clearly the band’s best track though. In fact, my favourite Hellhammer tracks aren’t even on this release. Personally, I think songs like “Messiah”, “Buried & Forgotten” & “Crucifixion” from the “Triumph Of Death” & “Satanic Rites” demos were the pinnacle of the Hellhammer sound but there’s little doubt that “Apocalyptic Raids” is the band’s most consistent work to date & I generally have the most time for it as a result. That’s not to say that I absolutely love it mind you. It’s always been a part of my collection since my very early days with thrash metal & I enjoy its unique charms but it won’t be making any of my best-of lists.