Only Death Is Real: An Illustrated History of Hellhammer and Early Celtic Frost 1981 1985

Thomas Gabriel Fischer aka Tom G. Warrior, with some help from his early bandmates such as Martin Ain, tells the story of how Tom and a group of his fellow Swiss teenagers followed their dream of living the metal life, and in so doing, helped invent extreme metal as we know it today. Most of the book focuses on the Hellhammer years; there's a little Celtic Frost but it mercifully ends well before that band entered its misguided "Cold Lake" glam metal phase. Instead, you see the young Tom and his friends becoming totally committed to the idea of metal, and, as time passes, to more extreme metal.The photography is really beautiful, the more so because much of it appears to have been (as you'd expect for an unknown teenage band) amateur snapshots of the group members hanging out, goofing around with girlfriends and each other. Whoever laid out this book deserves a graphic design award for making it all look so good. The first-person tales told by Tom and his cohorts do a good job of putting the music in the context of the societal and religious oppression they felt, which also explains some of the more jarring imagery (well, okay, it won't be jarring to normal extreme metal fans, but you know what I mean).An interesting feature is the inclusion, near the end of the book, of numerous pages from various metal 'zines of the early 80s showing reviews of Hellhammer's early "releases" (like other bands of that era, Hellhammer promoted itself by circulating demo tapes) and other material related to the band. Some of the pages also contain reviews or advertisements for other period metal bands, so students of metal history will want to especially check that out.I agree this book is best pored over while listening to "Demon Entrails", the release compiling Hellhammer's early demos. I also am left with the nagging question of whatever happened to Gabriella Enzler, Tom's girlfriend who appears in many of the photographs. I would have the same question regarding Martin's girlfriend Lilith who, as the artist who helped shape the band's image, is the subject of a chapter of the book, but her brother Baphomet has posted recently on metal forums explaining that he and Lilith have their own band.While the price of the book may be a little high for the casual fan, if you can afford it it's a very worthy addition to the library of anyone interested in the evolution of extreme metal.

I was a huge fan of Hellhammer/Celtic Frost in the mid-80's & this book was very interesting to learn about their struggles in bringing this band(s) to life & into the public eye. Tom Warrior & Martin Ain had a specific vision for their band that went against the metal mainstream, & against all odds, with no financial backing & virtually no contacts in the music business, they were able to become an internationally recognized & acclaimed force in the metal/thrash scene.Fans will love this book; however, their story will resonate with anyone who has struggled to make a living as an artist within the music business.

Anyone who loves Celtic Frost will only benefit from owning and reading this book. Not only is Tom an unflinching narrator, he is not misguided by his success in the world. His point of view and honesty seems to be catching as the rest of the interviewees and participants in the narrative history of the band don't sugar coat their remembrances or have seemingly fantastical interludes. Everyone is in agreement on the hardship and struggle it took to make the band a reality.I, personally, had no idea of the true lengths to which everyone involved went to in the pursuit of what was, at all times, looking like a series of horrible choices for no good outcome. Fisher weaves his life story very matter-of-factly and comes off as a man possessed by one true calling. A wonderful story fraught with peril but destined to only turn out one way.....in triumph.

Thomas Gabriel Warrior(Fischer) really wanted to do it different and from within. So committed, dedicated and organized in what he wanted. Ironically, the negative reviews and trash talk about HellHammer actually gave him a boost. He road out the storm, but behind that smirk, he probably intellectually knew how it was going to work out. I've been a fan since 'To Mega Therion'! Thomas Gabriel is also an accomplished writer.

This book covers the early years of Tom G Warrior and company's musical entry and rise in the scene of the early 80s. Loaded with tons of rare and killer photos...various line ups and total monologe-style writing by TG Warrior and others make you feel like you are sitting in a room with them, listening to metal and hearing their history unfold in various stories and events. Told with a true sincerity for what actually happened and covering the up-hill battle they faced on a daily basis for Hellhammer to become a force to be reckoned with in the metal scene.Recommended additional purchase : Hellhammer "Satanic Rites/Triumph of Death/Death Fiend" demos (aka DEMON ENTRAILS - Century Media) and their "Apocalyptic Raids" Mcd

I like how this was written by T.Warrior with quotes and blurbs from former members. Great history, great bands and great pictures. Tom Warrior was certainly determined to make his musical career and he did.Loved the book and it's a nice size too.

What a great read! My single, ONLY gripe really, is that the book ends entirely too abruptly. You're reading, and then in the last paragraph, Tom is pretty much "that's the end and the rest is neither here nor there." Maybe Tom didn't want to venture into To Mega Therion territory, which is fine, but the ending is too abrupt! Otherwise, fantastic read! Great pictures, perspectives, and everything. Buy it!

This book is amazing, I've never read an any book that covers the topic of metal quite like it. I honestly couldn't put it down once I started reading it. Tom G Warrior is such an amazing writer as well. I highly recommend this book to any metal head.

,bien

Perfeito !

Produit arrivé dans les temps, emballé avec soin, l'annonce précisait "neuf", au final l'article était considéré "Comme neuf" (légère usure sur les coins du livre).

Thomas Gabriel Fischer, mejor conocido en el mundo del Metal Extremo como Tom G. "México Pi**es Me Off!" Warrior (para los que hemos visto los videos de su gira del 2007, cuando venían de camino a México, con esos malos comentarios; decepcionante), nos trae junto con su compañero de aventuras musicales, el recientemente finado, Martin Eric Ain (a quien por cierto, nunca veo que mencionen que también contribuyo con el libro), este documento imprescindible en la historia del Heavy Metal.Este libro, "Only Death Is Real: An Illustrated History Of Hellhammer And Early Celtic Frost, 1981 - 1985", nos trae la historia en crudo (aunque en ocasiones de manera romántica, quien sabe si también satanizada) de sus primeros años como Grave Hill, pasando por los días de Hellhammer, hasta los primeros tiempos de Celtic Frost. Así vemos como fueron forjando su carrera, desde su entorno y gustos musicales, su relación con ex-miembros y amigos de la banda, personajes bastante peculiares (lean el capítulo "Lilith & Baphomet"); gente de la industria como Karl Walterbach de Noise Records (el también tiene mucho que contar en su libro "Damn The Machine") o su relación con el genio y artista gráfico Hans Ruedi Giger (creador entre otros, del diseño del Alien y la portada de "To Mega Therion" de Celtic Frost). O la divertida anécdota cuando antes de tener siquiera un contrato discográfico, retaron a Venom en una especie de firma de autógrafos.Sin duda, "Only Death Is Real..." es una lectura si no muy interesante, al menos si, muy entretenida. Lo mejor de este volumen es sin duda el apartado gráfico. Muchas fotos de todas sus épocas, en blanco y negro, así como al final, unas 20 fotografías a color (muchas al tamaño de página completa). Puedes encontrar desde las portadas y el arte de sus discos, así como diseños eliminados y otros realizados para otras bandas (como el logotipo de Hirax), algunas páginas de revistas y fanzines en los que apareció Hellhammer alguna vez.Con un formato de pasta dura, 271 páginas, tamaño de 23.5 x 3.8 x 29.8 cm, y un peso de 1.8 Kg. aproximadamente, este pequeño gigante se lleva una calificación de 5 estrellas, aunque aquí por el contexto, le doy ¡¡¡666 estrellas invertidas!!!Una lectura muy recomendable para fans de la banda, Metalheads y curiosos que deseen conocer más del mundo del Metal Extremo.NOTA: Para muchos, el final del libro les resultó vacío o incompleto, incluso parecen haber dejado de lado algunos otros temas relevantes, pero esto se debe, a que Tom G. Fischer ya había escrito y lanzado en el año 2000 un primer libro titulado "Are You Morbid? Into The Pandemonium Of Celtic Frost", el cual es un material mucho más recomendable que este, en donde ya había sacado su mejor material a relucir, y este volumen de "Hellhammer...", es sólo digamos, material complementario (sobre todo por la parte gráfica).

Bel volume su Hellhammer e i primi anni dei Celtic Frost. Numerose foto d'annata dei nostri amici svizzeri. Imperdibile per fanatici come noi