An inspiration to both the black metal and death metal communities, Switzerland’s Hellhammer was a short-lived band that created a musical blueprint years before its time. Featuring Thomas Fischer and Martin Eric Ain (who would later form the equally influential Celtic Frost), Hellhammer experimented with chilling atmospheres and brutal musicianship at a time when most bands were primping for glam metal. Although the band only ever released demos and EPs during its 1982-84 lifespan, Hellhammer’s innovations still reverberate to the present day.