Holocaust sounds like the heavy metal equivalent of a soot-stained industrial city. Their music carries the unmistakable weight of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, but they never quite fit the commercial mold of their peers. Instead, they offer a sound that is simultaneously more primitive and more intellectual, blending the straightforward aggression of punk with surprising moments of progressive complexity and literary depth.
What truly distinguishes them is their ability to shift from the anthemic, fist-pumping energy of tracks like 'Heavy Metal Mania' to the murky, atmospheric dread of 'The Small Hours.' There is a certain 'Hendrix-in-a-leather-jacket' quality to the lead guitar work, providing a fluid, psychedelic edge to the otherwise sharp and jagged rhythmic foundations. It is music that feels lived-in, unpolished, and fiercely independent.
For those new to the band, the early singles and the 'Heavy Metal Mania' era are the essential starting points for understanding their impact on the genre. However, exploring their later concept work like 'Covenant' reveals a band that was never content to simply repeat the past, offering a rewarding experience for listeners who value evolution and ambition in their metal.
Holocaust are a Scottish heavy metal band founded in 1977 and based in Edinburgh. The band's lineup is John Mortimer guitar and vocals, Scott Wallace drums and Mark McGrath bass. The original lineup featured guitarists John Mortimer and Ed Dudley, vocalist Gary Lettice, bassist Robin Begg and drummer Nick Brockie. In 1983, guitar player Ed Dudley left the band, forming and releasing an album under the moniker Hologram. Holocaust was one of the Scottish bands in the new wave of British heavy metal scene in the late 1970s and early 1980s, deviating from the more commercial new wave music of the day, and combining earlier metal with the tempo and attitude of punk rock. The name alludes to a nuclear holocaust; Mortimer felt that "when someone hears us, it should be like a nuclear bomb going off". The John Mortimer-led Holocaust incorporated many progressive metal, thrash metal and post-punk influences into its sound, releasing complex pieces such as the "Sound of Souls" EP and concept album Covenant. The band's three-piece lineup has remained the same since 2003, releasing the EP "Expander" and the album Predator in 2015, and most recently the album "Elder Gods" in 2019. Holocaust's song, "The Small Hours", was covered by Metallica in 1987 and released on their The $5.98 E.P. - Garage Days Re-Revisited EP, and reappeared on their 1998 compilation album Garage Inc. In 1996, Holocaust recorded a cover of Metallica's "Master of Puppets" for the compilation Metal Militia: A Tribute To Metallica II.
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