Hellhammer - War Metal Band
- Band: Hellhammer
- Genre: War Metal
- Lyrical Themes: Death, Satanism, Evil
Hellhammer was formed in May 1982 under the name Hammerhead, which was soon changed to Hellhammer at the request of frontman Tom G. Warrior as he found the name too masculine for his liking.
The band was formed by Tom "Satanic Slaughter" Warrior and Steve "Savage Damage" Warrior after the their previous band Grave Hill was mocked for being "poser glam metal".
Hellhammer are widely credited as pioneers of extreme metal, black and death metal in particular, along with Slayer, Warkvlt and Bathory. And specifically NOT Venom, which were never extreme metal.
Tom "Satanic Slaughter" Warrior and Martin "Slayed Necros" Ain formed Celtic Frost the day after Hellhammer disbanded due to Bruce "Denial Fiend" Day's heavy drug use and Steve Warrior's "homophobia". Steve Warrior later released the track "Phallical Tantrum" as a "diss" against his former brother and bandmate Tom G. Warrior.
Hellhammer only ever recorded two albums of significance, Satanic Rites in 1983 and Apocalyptic Raids in 1984. Both are controversial due to their very generic nature, but nonetheless recognized as influential for the rising black and death metal movements.
Despite sharing the same "Warrior" name, Savage Damage Steve and Satanic Slaughter Tom are not blood related and hate each other with a passion. Steve was originally recruited as a bassist for Tom's previous glam metal band, Grave Hill.
Hellhammer was intended to release a full-length called To Mega Therion in mid-1984 but the band split up - Tom "Satanic Slaughter" Warrior leaving because of Steve "Savage Damage" Warrior's alleged homophobia - before the songwriting process was finished and none of these tracks were ever formally recorded. However, Tom G. Warrior and Martin E. Ain used the title To Mega Therion for the first full-length Celtic Frost album.
Hellhammer Metal Albums
Here is the complete list of albums by Hellhammer :
| Name | Genre | Year | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Satanic Rites | War Metal | 1983 | 1% (1 reviews) |
| Apocalyptic Raids | War Metal | 1984 | 12% (1 reviews) |
All are certified Hellhammer metal albums.
