Hellhammer
Demon Entrails
Band: Hellhammer
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Before giving birth to Celtic Frost, Tom Gabriel Fischer and his demonic cohorts invoked the name of Lucifer with Hellhammer. Building on the satanic might of Venom, Hellhammer first rose from the abyss in 1982. The group released three cult demos in 1983 that were heavily traded in the metal underground. For the first time, Century Media has compiled those three recordings onto a two-disc set.
"Demon Entrails" is a digipack album containing the "Satanic Rites," "Death Fiend and "Triumph of Death" demos in their entirety. Disc one has re-recorded and initial recordings from the "Satanic Rites" demo. An insert of professionally-upgraded artwork from the original tape is included inside the sleeve. Disc two contains the "Death Fiend" and "Triumph of Death" demos. This seventeen-song disc stays true to the raw, low-fi production values of the original. Although the second disc features songs in their primary form, all three demos received a re-mastering. Of the two discs, the "Satanic Rites" album is a more accessible album. The sound quality is bearable, although still raw. The production on "Death Fiend" and "Triumph of Death" is so poor it hinders the listening experience. Tom G. Warrior's vocals are too deep in the mix and the bass and drums drown out the crackling guitar. This recording sounds like a hand-held tape recording. Many of the tracks on "Satanic Rites" appear in their minimalist form on the second disc. CD two is worth owning, though, because of the historical value (even though this isn't the original) and for the songs that are not on "Satanic Rites." Tracks like the punk-fueled "Metallic Storm" and the bangin' bass of "Bloody Pussies" merit a few spins. Stylistically, all three demos depict a Celtic Frost in its infancy. Hellhammer could be seen as a darker, rougher version of Celtic Frost. Everything about Hellhammer including vocals, riffing and pace are all relative to Celtic Frost. Tom G.'s famous vocal idiosyncrasies such as the "ooohs" and "heeeys" are all there, plus trippy vocal echoes not found in Celtic Frost. Also, Celtic Frost's lust for dramatic entrances and exits are found here. Cob wedded organs summon barbaric drums on the second version of "Crucifixion." The demonic voice on the intro and outro on "Satanic Rites" most likely compelled a few mothers to put their sons back into church. Many diehard black metal and death metal fans already own at least one of the three demos represented here by Century Media. This compilation is a definite must for anyone that does not have all of these albums. "Demon Entrails" is even more required for newcomers to the death and black metal scene. The fashion, the raw production, the black, sacrilegious themes represented in the music all influenced major black and death metal acts of today. Although Hellhammer was such a short-lived band, their recordings are a crucial piece to extreme metal. Darren Cowan
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