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Thomas Gabriel Fischer | |
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 Fischer on stage with Triptykon in 2014 | |
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| Born | 19 July 1963 |
| Origin | Switzerland |
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Thomas Gabriel Fischer (born 19 July 1963), also known by the stage names Tom Warrior and Satanic Slaughter, is a Swiss musician. He led the extreme metal bands Hellhammer and Celtic Frost and is currently the frontman of the bands Triptykon and Triumph Of Death.
Fischer, under the alias "Tom Warrior," along with Urs Sprenger (known as "Steve Warrior") on bass and Pete Stratton (real name Peter Ebneter) on drums, formed the metal band Hammerhead in early 1982. Stratton was soon replaced by Bruce "Denial Fiend" Day (real name Jörg Neubart), and the band changed its name to Hellhammer that same year. In late 1983, bassist and songwriter Martin Eric Ain joined Hellhammer, and the lineup of Fischer, Ain, and Day recorded the EP Apocalyptic Raids , as well as a series of demos for the German label Noise Records, before disbanding in May 1984. Fischer and Ain then reunited to form Celtic Frost, an influential avant-garde and extreme metal trio, in June 1984.
In 1985, Fischer was invited to co-produce and sing on the first demo, titled Death Cult, by fellow Swiss group Coroner. Fischer also wrote the lyrics for the songs recorded. Two of Coroner's members served as part of Celtic Frost's road crew until 1986. In 1987, internal conflicts within Celtic Frost led to the band's dissolution.
Several months later, Fischer reformed the band with a completely new lineup. However, the band's 1988 release, Cold Lake , marked a drastic shift in Celtic Frost's sound, moving from their traditional thrash/death/black metal style to a traditional heavy metal/glam metal approach, which greatly disappointed most fans. Fischer has repeatedly stated that he takes full responsibility for this negative change in direction, explaining that he was distracted by a personal relationship and allowed the other band members too much creative control. Celtic Frost eventually disbanded in 1993.
A year after Celtic Frost disbanded, Fischer formed the EBM/industrial rock project Apollyon Sun.
In 2000, Fischer's book Are You Morbid?: Into the Pandemonium of Celtic Frost [1] received many positive reviews, including one from Record Collector, which praised it as: "Intelligent, humble, questioning, insightful – the cultured side of extreme metal."
Sometime in 2001, Fischer and Martin Eric Ain reconnected and began collaborating on music, aiming to create a new, dark, and heavy Celtic Frost album reminiscent of their work on To Mega Therion and Into the Pandemonium . This effort culminated in the release of the album Monotheist in 2006.
Fischer also contributed to Dave Grohl's collaborative project Probot in 2003, performing on the song "Big Sky."
In 2005, Fischer produced vocal tracks (performed by Martin Eric Ain) and guitar tracks (Erol Uenala) for a "gothicized" version of Slayer's classic "Black Magic," recorded by the Los Angeles–based gothic rock band Hatesex. This track appeared on their debut album Unwant.
Due to internal conflict within Celtic Frost, Fischer left the band on 2 April 2008 and subsequently launched a new band named Triptykon. [2]
In 2008, Fischer played guitars and bass for a cover of "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" on the album Revelations of the Black Flame by 1349, a Norwegian black metal band. He also co-mixed the album. In 2009, he co-produced their subsequent album, Demonoir .
In 2010, Fischer was honored with the Inspiration Award at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards. [3] Additionally, he was ranked No. 32 on Guitar World magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time. [4]
In 2019, Fischer established the band Triumph Of Death as a tribute to Hellhammer's legacy. In 2023, the band released a live album, Resurrection Of The Flesh. Triumph Of Death has been actively playing around the world ever since.
Fischer currently plays an Ibanez H. R. Giger series Iceman guitar and uses an Ibanez Tube Screamer overdrive pedal.
Fischer is vegan and an active defender of animal rights. [5] He has also stated that he does not drink, smoke, or take drugs. [6]
From 2007 until H. R. Giger's death, Fischer was the artist's personal assistant. [7] He was a close friend of Giger and still a friend of his widow, Carmen Giger. Fischer remains involved with the Giger estate. He is an active member of the Fondation H.R. Giger and also the co-director of the Museum HR Giger. [8]
Celtic Frost was a Swiss heavy metal band from Zürich. They are remembered for their strong influence on the development of several metal subgenres, particularly extreme metal, and for their avant-garde approach to music in general.
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 often regarded as a key influence on black metal. In June 1984, Hellhammer disbanded but two of its members soon formed the influential extreme metal band Celtic Frost.
Into the Pandemonium is the third studio album by Swiss extreme metal band Celtic Frost, released on 1 June 1987 through Noise Records in Europe, and through Combat Records in the US. The album marks the return of bassist and backing vocalist Martin Eric Ain, who had previously appeared on 1984's Morbid Tales, but not on the band's previous album.
To Mega Therion is the first full-length studio album by Swiss extreme metal band Celtic Frost, released in October 1985 through Noise Records. The cover artwork is a painting by H. R. Giger titled Satan I.
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.
Martin Eric Ain was an American musician best known as the bassist of the influential extreme metal bands Hellhammer and Celtic Frost. He used the stage name Martin Eric Ain throughout.
Morbid Tales is the debut album by Swiss extreme metal band Celtic Frost, released in November 1984. It was originally released in Europe on Noise Records as a mini-LP with six tracks, while the American release by Enigma/Metal Blade added two tracks, bringing it to the length of a regular studio LP. The band retrospectively refers to the LP release as the band's debut studio album.
Cold Lake is the fourth studio album by Swiss extreme metal band Celtic Frost, released on 1 September 1988 by Noise Records. It features a new lineup, reformed by bandleader Tom Warrior with newly joined musicians Oliver Amberg, Curt Victor Bryant and a returning Stephen Priestly, who had previously played with the band in 1984 on the Morbid Tales EP. Despite it being marketed to exploit the mass appeal of glam metal, the album has more of a traditional heavy metal sound.
Vanity/Nemesis is the fifth studio album by Swiss heavy metal band Celtic Frost, released on 11 April 1990 through Noise Records.
Monotheist is the sixth and final studio album by the Swiss extreme metal band Celtic Frost. Released in May 2006, it marked the band's first new recording in 16 years. Upon its release, the album received universal acclaim from music critics.
Emperor's Return is the second release by the Swiss extreme metal band Celtic Frost. It was released in 1985 as an extended play and was their first record featuring American drummer Reid Cruickshank. The band's bleak publicity photographs from this period had an influence on the fashion and style of the developing black metal genre. The tracks of Emperor's Return were remastered and re-released in the 1999 edition of Morbid Tales and yet again remastered and included in the 2017 edition of To Mega Therion.
Tragic Serenades is an EP by Swiss extreme metal band Celtic Frost, released in July 1986 through Noise Records. The EP features three reworked tracks from previous releases.
Death Metal is a 1984 split album by the heavy metal bands Helloween, Hellhammer, 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.
Satanic Rites is the third and final demo tape by Swiss extreme metal band Hellhammer, recorded and distributed during December 1983. Along with Hellhammer's other releases, the demo had a major influence on the emerging death metal and black metal genres.
Death Fiend is an unreleased demo tape by Swiss extreme metal band Hellhammer. It was recorded in June 1983, along with the Triumph of Death demo, and later appeared on the compilation album Demon Entrails.
Triumph of Death is a demo tape by Swiss extreme metal band Hellhammer, self-released in July 1983. It was recorded by producer Rol Fuchs in the band's rehearsal room on portable equipment sometime in June 1983, along with the material for the unreleased Death Fiend demo. The two demos were typically combined into one, simply called Triumph of Death. Along with Hellhammer's other demos, it had a major influence on the emerging death metal and black metal genres.
Demon Entrails is a compilation album that comprises three demos by the Swiss extreme metal band Hellhammer. The demos – Death Fiend, Triumph of Death and Satanic Rites – were all recorded during 1983 and were properly remastered for this compilation.
Triptykon is a Swiss extreme metal band from Zürich, formed in 2008 by Thomas Gabriel Fischer, founding member of the pioneering heavy metal bands Hellhammer, Celtic Frost and Apollyon Sun.
Eparistera Daimones is the debut album by Swiss extreme metal band Triptykon, the most recent musical project of Thomas Gabriel Fischer, founding member of the pioneering heavy metal bands Hellhammer and Celtic Frost and industrial project Apollyon Sun.
Melana Chasmata is the second full-length album by Swiss extreme metal band Triptykon, released through Prowling Death Records /Century Media Records on 14 April 2014 in Europe and on 15 April 2014 in North America. The album was officially announced on 22 October 2013 by the band's frontman, Thomas Gabriel Fischer, on his official blog.
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