CELTIC FROST

Biography
Celtic Frost's former frontman, guitarist and singer Tom Gabriel Fischer, adopted the alias Tom Warrior. With Steve Warrior on bass, he formed one of the earliest extreme metal bands, Hellhammer, in 1982. Steve Warrior was later replaced by Martin Eric Ain - also a pseudonym. The band attracted a small international fan-base, got signed to Noise Records in Germany and recorded their debut EP Apocalyptic Raids in March 1984, now a rare finding on e-Bay or second hand record stores around the world.

By May 1984, Hellhammer had disbanded. Fischer and Ain, along with session drummer Stephen Priestly, regrouped as Celtic Frost. Their 1984 debut mini-LP, Morbid Tales was a hit in the underground metal scene, and the band set out on its first tour, through Germany and Austria. This was followed with an EP "Emperor's Return". Both early releases are now available on the one CD. One of their more influential recordings was 1985's "To Mega Therion" which did not feature Ain on bass, but stand-in Dominic Steiner. Ain did return after the album was recorded however. In 1987 followed Into the Pandemonium. These albums were some of the pivotal LPs for underground metal and inducted a new and more varied sound. Celtic Frost, along with Venom and Bathory were pioneers in the still underground black metal scene, although Celtic Frost were much more experimental with the addition of classical instruments, operatic female vocals and sampling. They were often given the title of avant-garde metal.

After a subsequent North American tour (which saw the addition of a second guitarist, Ron Marks to the groups ranks), financial trouble, personal tension between the band members and an ill-fated relationship with their record label led to a complete dissolution of the band. Six months later, Warrior decided to reform the band with Stephen Priestly back on drums, Oliver Amberg on guitars and Curt Victor Bryant on bass. The resulting album Cold Lake was a disappointment to most of the group's established fan-base but achieved notable success in the North American market. Bryant fired Amberg and former live guitarist Ron Marks returned as a guest for the recording of Vanity/Nemesis in 1990. The most significant change, however, was the return of early bassist Martin Eric Ain. But Celtic Frost's reputation did not fully recover. The group's next (and, as it would turn out, last for several years) album was a collection of rare and unreleased recordings called Parched With Thirst Am I and Dying (1992). The compilation's title was inspired by an old Roman prayer. It featured unreleased material, re-recorded versions of older songs and some studio session versions, closing the chapter on one of the most important underground and experimental bands of all time.

A final album titled "Under Apollyon's Sun" never eventuated under that title, although Fischer co-founded a new group called Apollyon Sun.

Band members
Final lineup (2008)
* Tom Gabriel Fischer - vocals, guitars, programming (1984 - 2008)
* Martin Eric Ain - bass guitar, vocals (1984 - 2008)
* Franco Sesa - drums, percussion (2001 - 2008)
* V Santura - guitar (live, 2007 - 2008)

Previous members
* Ron Marks - guitar (1987)
* Oliver Amberg - guitar (1988 – 1989)
* Stephen Priestly - drums, percussion (1984, 1988 - 1992)
* Reed St. Mark - drums, percussion (1985 – 1988, 1992 – 1993)
* Curt Victor Bryant - guitar (1989 – 1993)
* Erol Unala - guitar (live, 2001 – 2006)
* Anders Odden - guitar (live, 2006 – 2007)

Discography
* Morbid Tales (1984, re-released in 1999) (vinyl re-release in 2008)
* To Mega Therion (1985, re-released in 1999)
* Into the Pandemonium (1987, re-released in 1999)
* Cold Lake (1988)
* Vanity/Nemesis (1990, re-released in 1999)
* Monotheist (2006)