Holocaust
Holocaust are a Scottish heavy metal band founded in 1978 and based in Edinburgh.
The band's lineup is John Mortimer (Guitar/Vocals), Scott Wallace (Drums), Steve Walker (Guitar), Jonny Hall (Guitar) and
Craig Shortel (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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