Apocalyptic Raids

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.

Apocalyptic Raids
EP by Hellhammer
Released	March 1984 1990 (1990 re-release)
Recorded	2–7 March 1984
Studio	Caet Studio, Berlin[1]
Genre	Black metal thrash metal
Length	19:41 27:03 (1990 re-release)
Label	Noise
Producer	Tom Warrior, Martin Ain, Karl U. Walterbach
Hellhammer chronology
Satanic Rites (1983) Apocalyptic Raids (1984) Demon Entrails (2008)

Background and release

Hellhammer split up only three months after recording this EP, and later regrouped as Celtic Frost.^[2] The EP would be reissued six years later as Apocalyptic Raids 1990 A.D., boasting new artwork and two bonus tracks.^[3]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal	1/10[4]

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.^[5]

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".^[6][7] 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."^[8]

Track listings

Original 1984 release

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"The Third of the Storms (Evoked Damnation)"	Tom G. Warrior	2:55
2.	"Massacra"	Warrior	2:49
3.	"Triumph of Death"	Warrior	9:30
4.	"Horus/Aggressor"	Warrior, Martin Eric Ain	4:27

1990 re-release bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
5.	"Revelations of Doom"	Warrior, Ain	2:49
6.	"Messiah"	Warrior, Ain	4:33

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 (a.k.a. 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)	Peak position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[9]	39
Greek Albums (IFPI)[10]	71
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[11]	28