Apocalypse [Deluxe]

Swiss thrashers APOCALYPSE formed in 1984 and unleashed a five-song demo the following year, but the quintet didn't really pick up steam until reissuing their initially self-released debut album in 1988 through Out of Tune Records. As with most metal bands of the era, APOCALYPSE drew influence from the Bay Area thrash scene - most notably METALLICA, going so far as to enlist the talents of long-running producer, Flemming Rasmussen, to handle the engineering of their debut. A perfectly executed album, Apocalypse is chock full of intense riffs upon a foundation of intricate and melodically-charged arrangements. The strengths of the material come as no surprise, given that the band spent several years fine-tuning many of the album's nine tracks. The only metal group signed to Out of Tune-a label owned and operated by darkwave project THE VYLLIE - APOCALYPSE seemed very much out of place on the roster, and without the support of a label completely devoted to the album's success, the LP slowly dwindled toward obscurity. But now, years after first tackling a CD reissue in 2016, Divebomb Records is excited to once again present a deluxe edition of Apocalypse-including six bonus tracks from early demo sessions - all remastered by Jamie King Audio. In addition to archival photos and a 2016 interview by Konstantin Chilikin of Stay Heavy fanzine, this pressing's 16-page booklet also restores the original APOCALYPSE logo and artwork from the very first self-released iteration of the LP back in 1987. For the fans, by the fans!