''Death Metal'' is a 1984

split album A split album (or split) is a music album that includes tracks by two or more separate artists. There are also singles and EPs of the same variety, which are often called "split singles" and "split EPs" respectively. Split albums differ from "v ...

by the heavy metal bands

Helloween Helloween is a German power metal band founded in 1984 in Hamburg by members of bands Iron Fist, Gentry, Second Hell and Powerfool. The band has at times been called one of the most influential European heavy metal bands of the 1980s. Its first ...

Hellhammer Hellhammer was a Swiss extreme metal band from Nürensdorf, active from 1982 to 1984. Although the band's sound and style were heavily criticized and poorly reviewed during their active years, they have been widely praised in retrospect and are ...

, Running Wild, and Dark Avenger. It contains the only recorded material by the German group Dark Avenger besides their 1985 demo tape. Despite its name, the musical style is not actually

death metal Death metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep death growl, growling vocals; aggressive ...

. The album offers a snapshot of the Central European metal scene during the end of the early 1980s. At that time, Running Wild were still in their "satanic" lyrical phase and had yet to develop their "

pirate metal Pirate metal is a style of heavy metal music characterized by its incorporation of Piracy, pirate mythology within the music and sometimes in stage performances. Lyrics often use piratical jargon and various musical genres, such as thrash metal, ...

" focus. Helloween had more of a thrash or

speed metal Speed metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that originated in the late 1970s from new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) roots.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' (Berg Publishers, 2007), , p. 31. It is desc ...

sound compared to the more melodic

power metal Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within a symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in co ...

style they would soon develop. Hellhammer were the darkest and heaviest band of the foursome and would later evolve into the group

Celtic Frost Celtic Frost () was a Swiss metal music, heavy metal band from Zürich. They are remembered for their strong influence on the development of several metal subgenres, particularly extreme metal,Bukszpan, Daniel. ''The Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal' ...

. Running Wild's songs appear as Japanese bonus tracks on their 1995 album, '' Masquerade''; Helloween's tracks appear on the second disc of the 2006 remastered and expanded edition of their 1985 album, '' Walls of Jericho''; and Hellhammer's tracks appear on the 1990 re-issue of their 1984 EP, '' Apocalyptic Raids''.Fischer, Thomas Gabriel (2000). ''Are You Morbid? Into the Pandemonium of Celtic Frost''. London: Sanctuary Publishing Limited. p. 8.

Track listing

Credits

;Running Wild * Rock 'n' Rolf Kasparek – vocals, guitars * Gerald "Preacher" Warnecke – guitars * Stephan Boriss – bass * Wolfgang "Hasche" Hagemann – drums ;Hellhammer * Tom "Satanic Slaughter" Warrior – vocals, guitars * Martin "Slayed Necros" Ain – bass * Bruce "Denial Fiend" Day – drums ;Dark Avenger * Siegfried Kohmann – vocals * Bernd Piontek – guitars * Claus Johannson – guitars * Uwe Neff – bass * Andreas Breindl – drums ;Helloween *

Kai Hansen Kai Michael Hansen (born 17 January 1963) is a German musician who is the founder, lead guitarist and vocalist of power metal band Gamma Ray (band), Gamma Ray. He is also one of the co-founders of another power metal band Helloween, which he was ...

– vocals, guitars *

Michael Weikath Michael Ingo Joachim "Weiki" Weikath (born 7 August 1962) is a German musician, best known as a founding member and one of the guitarists of pioneering power metal band Helloween. Biography Weikath was born in Hamburg and was musical from a ...

– guitars *

Markus Grosskopf Markus Grosskopf (born 21 September 1965) is a German musician best known as the bass guitarist, backing vocalist and a founding member of the power metal band Helloween. Biography Grosskopf started playing bass at the age of 15 when he became ...

– bass *

Ingo Schwichtenberg Ingo "Mr. Smile" Schwichtenberg (18 May 1965 – 8 March 1995) was a German drummer and one of the founding members of the power metal band Helloween. Biography Helloween guitarist Roland Grapow said about Schwichtenberg in an interview 1999: ...

– drums

References

{{Authority control Helloween albums Hellhammer albums Running Wild (band) albums 1984 EPs Split EPs Noise Records EPs