To Mega Therion's Master

Orginally published in the HMS column: Blood Is Not Enough, 2014 as "The Loss of To Mega Therion's Master".

The date of May 12, 2014 will forever be known as the day when the indescribable light will no longer illuminate the night skies - according to Tom Gabriel Warrior. The former Celtic Frost guitarist and frontman was a friend to the iconic artist known as H.R. Giger and like most of us the news of his passing saddens us all.

Giger will forever be linked with Celtic Frost having his artwork adorn the cover to the band's classic 1985 album To Mega Therion. The artist's association with Warrior would continue on with Triptykon allowing his work to grace the cover of Eparistera Daimones (2010) and then on the band's follow-up release Melana Chasmata (2014). Ultimately, the partnership between the two, established over thirty years ago when Tom was struggling to maintain his first band Hellhammer, became more than just a business relationship.

According to Tom, he reached out to Giger when Hellhammer was unknown and firmly entrenched in the Swiss metal underground. Giger listened to them band, talked to them and eventually gave the group a chance. A year later Hellhammer evolved further into Celtic Frost and Giger delivered to them the most important image to single-handedly forge the identity of the band - the album cover for To Mega Therion.

For most fans of the band, To Mega Therion is considered to be the most consistent and probably the best representation of the band's style - with such tracks like "The Usurper", "Dawn of Meggido" and "Circle of the Tyrants" all becoming instant classics. Notwithstanding Giger's cover image to help sell this bombastic beast of an album, Celtic Frost quickly became an important part of the 80's metal scene.

Giger had become a mentor to the band and over the years that mentorship evolved into a friendship. For Tom, it became a personal connection, in particular during the devastating break-up of Celtic Frost in 2008. Giger and his wife Carmen stood by Tom, consoling him and eventually Giger offered to work with his new band Triptykon. The collaboration meant a new beginning for Tom and when he first laid eyes upon Giger's art for Eparistera Daimones - he felt it was the most dramatic painting of all.

The collaboration didn't end there. Giger had told Tom about how pleased he was with the finished piece and insisted they continue working together. Tom was stunned by the revelation and it was this mentorship and friendship that lured Tom back into making a second Triptykon release. Once again Giger delivered a stunning painting for Melana Chasmata and sadly it was to be his final painting for the band.

This final painting may ultimately become the most significant image to firmly represent the impactful friendship shared by both Tom and Giger. Tom had become despondent in recent years and at one point contemplated suicide. Edging close to 51, he realized that he no longer needed to be that macho metal musician of old, having carved out a legacy spawning 33 years already. Luckily his girlfriend pleaded with him not to take his own life and convinced him to stick around. Tom managed to cope with his fledgling situation and turned things around - including reconnecting with his Triptykon bandmates and finishing the second album. Then Giger re-entered the picture and produced the painting to magically lift Tom's spirit. It made Tom proud and it meant a lot to him that they indeed were working together again.

Tom felt fortunate to once again be working with Giger, and the iconic artist's work managed to establish that visual link to Celtic Frost's "To Mega Therion" album. Perhaps going full circle, Giger's work was symbolic to Tom and it meant that Triptykon was as important to him as Celtic Frost was. Utilizing Giger's work on album covers proved how unique his work was and Tom, being a long-time fan, considered him to be the greatest living surrealist painter on the planet.

Tom Gabriel Warrior has always possessed that frame of mind of still being a kid in the 1970's discovering the Giger's work for the first time. And that mindset continues to make Giger's work special for Tom. It will probably always be that way for Tom, despite Giger's passing.

In a statement that Tom recently made he had this to say:
"Regardless of anything I may write about H.R. Giger, however, none of these words will ever be able to truly, accurately describe him as a person and as a friend. It is utterly inconceivable to imagine a world without his wit, his perception, his genius, his horizon, his determination, his humour, his friendship, and his immeasurable kindness. And yet, we are now left in exactly such a world"

A world without Giger is indeed a truly sad reality and he will be missed by many, including Thomas Gabriel Warrior. For that, we lament the loss of "To Mega Therion's" master and let us all raise our cigarette lighters in tribute to the fallen surrealist painter.

Kenneth Gallant, HMS

Back to Dead Meat Presents