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[COLUMN] HEAVY ROOTS

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Written By: Matt Bolton

The dark roots explored in this edition of HEAVY ROOTS form the foundation for black metal and a style of vocals known as the death gr0wl, as we focus on the great Thomas Gabriel Fischer, known to the metal world as Tom G. Warrior. The man is truely a Warrior having grown up as an outcast living in squalor with his religious parents, his mother a cat hoarder, rebelling against them in a village in Sweden. What the man has achieved is an inspiration to all. In 1982 Fischer, going by the stage name of Satanic Slaughter, formed the infamous Hellhammer along with Bruce Day and Steve Warrior. The band put out three demos in 1983, that being Death Fiend, Triumpth of Death and Satanic Rites. It was the 1984 EP Apocalyptic Raids which truely is a timeless classic today.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SFWHdCDNAI&w=560&h=315]

When Hellhammer disbanded in 1984, Martin Eric Ain who played bass on the infamous Apocalyptic Raids EP, formed a band that went by the name of Celtic Frost with Fischer and the rest is Heavy Metal history. They released groundbreaking records such as the debut Morbid Tales and follow-up, To Mega Therion, of 1984 and 1985 respectively.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqKX3cDWvGA&w=560&h=315]

1987 saw the release of Into the Pandemonium, which was the most experimental for the band with love songs as a theme, elements of doom and goth present and  industrial influenced songs that would later be explored with Fischer‘s Industrial band in 1998, Apollyon Sun. An unlikely cover of Wall of Voodoo‘s Mexican Radio was also a stand out on the record.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIrI50wSAYs?list=RDPIrI50wSAYs&w=560&h=315]

Two more albums were released before the band disbanded in 1993, Cold Lake which sold poorly in 1988, and the follow up in 1990 Vanity/Nemesis, which was said to be a return to form. This record featured another unlikely cover this time by the late David Bowie with Heroes, even more relevant today due to the music icon’s recent passing.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HQpOBVbG8c&w=560&h=315]

Celtic Frost reunited in 2001 and released their final album Monotheist in 2006.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dW6RXTjm4iA&w=560&h=315]

In 2004 Fischer tooke part in the metal project Probot with drum god Dave Grohl of Nirvana, Foo Fighters fame on the doomy track Big Sky.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b24Lu-TqJe0&w=560&h=315]

Fischer currently fronts the doom metal band Triptykon, who have released two flawless records, that being the debut Eparistera Daimones and the follow up 2014’s Melana Chasmata. May the HEAVY ROOTS run deep, and here’s to the great music to come from the mind of the great Tom G. Warrior. \m/

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMamBKqz_8U&w=560&h=315]

 

 

 

 

 

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