Triptykon is a Swiss avant-garde extreme metal band from Zürich, founded in 2008 by Thomas Gabriel Fischer, professionally known as Tom G. Warrior, after the dissolution of his influential band Celtic Frost.[1][2]The band's current lineup consists of Tom G. Warrior on vocals, guitars, and programming; V. Santura (Victor Bullok) on guitars and vocals; Vanja Šlajh on bass; and Hannes Grossmann on drums and percussion.[3][2] Triptykon's music blends elements of doom metal, death metal, black metal, and gothic metal, characterized by its dark, atmospheric soundscapes, heavy riffs, and themes of despair and existential dread, continuing the experimental legacy of Warrior's earlier projects like Hellhammer and Celtic Frost.[1][4][2]Triptykon has released two studio albums to date: Eparistera Daimones in 2010 and Melana Chasmata in 2014, along with the EP Shatter in 2010 and the live album Requiem (Live at Roadburn 2019) in 2020. The band announced in 2024 that their third studio album is in production and scheduled for release in 2025.[3][5][2][6] Signed to Century Media Records since their inception, the band has toured extensively in Europe and North America, performing at major festivals such as Roadburn and Wacken Open Air, and collaborating with orchestras for symphonic interpretations of their work.[1][2]
Formation and Background
Origins in Celtic Frost
Thomas Gabriel Fischer, known professionally as Tom G. Warrior, founded Celtic Frost in June 1984 alongside bassist Martin Eric Ain, immediately after the dissolution of their short-lived but influential extreme metal band Hellhammer, which laid early groundwork for the genre's development.[7] As the band's leader, primary songwriter, and frontman, Fischer guided Celtic Frost through its original active period from 1984 to 1993, during which it pioneered elements of extreme metal with albums like Morbid Tales (1984) and To Mega Therion (1985).[7] The group disbanded temporarily in 1993 amid personal and creative challenges, but Fischer reformed Celtic Frost in 2001 with Ain, leading to a critically acclaimed return marked by the release of Monotheist in May 2006, an album that took five years to complete and featured extensive touring, including over 125 shows worldwide.[7]By late 2007, escalating internal conflicts and creative differences had severely strained the band's dynamics, culminating in Fischer's departure on April 2, 2008.[7] In an official statement, he cited "the irresolvable, severe erosion of the personal basis so essential for Celtic Frost while we were writing Monotheist" as the reason, describing it as a "catastrophe" that left him "deeply saddened and disappointed" after devoting everything to the band's survival.[8] The remaining members, bassist Ain and drummer Franco Sesa, confirmed the group's effective end in a June 2008 press release, stating they would not continue recording or touring without Fischer, ultimately announcing Celtic Frost's permanent disbandment in September 2008.[9][10]Fischer's exit directly precipitated the cancellation of Celtic Frost's scheduled 2008 commitments, including summer festival appearances and a planned anniversary show at the H.R. Giger Museum, as the band entered what Ain and Sesa described as a "coma of sorts."[9] These events freed Fischer to channel his ongoing creative energy into new material, unencumbered by the prior group's turmoil. On May 21, 2008, he announced the formation of Triptykon as his immediate next project, positioning it as a continuation of his extreme metal vision from Celtic Frost while signaling a deliberate fresh start.[11] Fischer emphasized that Triptykon would "sound as close to Celtic Frost as is humanly possible," incorporating songs originally conceived for the band's aborted follow-up to Monotheist and aiming for a darker, heavier, and more experimental evolution.[11][7]
Initial Assembly and Debut Preparations
Following the dissolution of Celtic Frost in April 2008, Thomas Gabriel Fischer, known professionally as Tom G. Warrior, initiated the assembly of Triptykon as a means to pursue his ongoing musical endeavors without the constraints of prior band dynamics.[7] In May 2008, Fischer recruited longtime friend and bassist Vanja Slajh, formerly of the band Freitod, to form the core of the new project.[7] Later that spring, guitarist and producer V. Santura—previously of Dark Fortress and Noneuclid—joined as a full member, bringing his expertise in extreme metal production and performance.[7]For the drumming position, Fischer initially brought in Reed St. Mark, a former Celtic Frost collaborator, for brief rehearsal sessions in late 2008 to test the nascent lineup's chemistry.[7] St. Mark's involvement proved short-lived, and he was soon replaced by Norman Lonhard, formerly of Fear My Thoughts and Pigeon Toe, who became the band's primary drummer from 2008 through 2017.[7] This lineup solidified Triptykon's foundation, allowing Fischer to channel his established extreme metal sensibilities into fresh collaborations.Early songwriting sessions took place in Zürich, Switzerland, where Fischer resided, emphasizing dark and heavy riffs that built directly on material originally conceived for Celtic Frost's uncompleted next album.[7] These compositions maintained Fischer's signature style of riff-worshipping metal—characterized by disturbing, intricate guitar work—while incorporating experimental elements through band jamming and collective input, diverging from his typical solitary creative process.[12] The Zürich environment, a quiet suburban setting outside the city center, provided an isolated space conducive to developing these intense, atmospheric structures.[12]In 2009, Triptykon secured a recording contract with Century Media Records, enabling formal preparations for their debut album.[7] Recording commenced in August 2009 at V. Santura's Woodshed Studio in Landshut, Germany, with sessions extending through November; Fischer and Santura co-produced the effort, focusing on capturing the band's raw energy in a controlled, high-fidelity setting.[7] This period marked the transition from initial rehearsals to polished output, setting the stage for Triptykon's emergence in the extreme metal scene.
Musical Style and Themes
Extreme Metal Foundations
Triptykon's core sound is firmly rooted in the extreme metal subgenres of black metal, doom metal, and death metal, creating a hybrid characterized by slow, crushing riffs that evoke an overwhelming sense of weight and inevitability, guttural vocals that convey raw aggression and despair, and lyrics steeped in occult themes exploring nihilism, religious fanaticism, and human disintegration.[7][13] This fusion draws directly from the band's foundational intent to extend the darkness of earlier Swiss extreme metal works, emphasizing a relentless intensity that defines their stylistic identity across releases.[14]Central to this foundation is the influence of Thomas Gabriel Fischer, known as Tom G. Warrior, who adapts pioneering elements from Black Sabbath's heavy, dissonant riffing—particularly the use of the tritone for unsettling tension—and Venom's raw, satanic aggression into a distinct Zürichextreme metal tradition.[13][15] Despite a hostile local scene that initially rejected such innovations, Fischer's approach forged a legacy of uncompromising extremity emerging from Zürich, blending these British heavy metal roots with a uniquely brooding, atmospheric heaviness.[15][14]Foundational techniques such as dissonance to heighten emotional chaos, down-tuned guitars for deepened sonic brutality, and intermittent blast beats to inject bursts of ferocity remain consistent hallmarks, underpinning the band's commitment to extreme metal's visceral power.[7] These elements not only anchor Triptykon's sound but also allow for subtle evolutions in later works while preserving their aggressive core.[13]
Atmospheric and Experimental Aspects
Triptykon's music prominently incorporates gothic and ambient influences, creating expansive soundscapes that evoke profound emotional depth. These elements manifest through lengthy instrumental passages that build tension and immersion, often utilizing reverb-heavy production to simulate vast, echoing voids. The band's thematic core revolves around despair, isolation, and apocalyptic visions, drawing from literary and artistic sources such as H.P. Lovecraft's cosmic horror and the surreal imagery of H.R. Giger, which infuse the compositions with a sense of eternal desolation and human fragility.[7]Central to achieving this atmospheric immersion is the production work of V. Santura, Triptykon's guitarist and co-producer, conducted at his Woodshed Studio in rural Germany. Santura's approach prioritizes organic and raw recording methods, capturing performances in a natural environment that preserves the unpolished intensity of the instruments and vocals, thereby fostering an immersive depth that envelops listeners in the music's darkness. This technique avoids over-polished digital effects, instead leveraging the studio's acoustics to enhance spatial reverb and sonic layering, resulting in a tangible sense of vast, foreboding landscapes.[7][16]Triptykon further distinguishes itself through experimental deviations, including spoken-word segments that interrupt the heaviness with narrativeintrospection and orchestral elements in live performances that add symphonic grandeur to the extreme metal framework. These innovations stem from Thomas Gabriel Fischer's longstanding interests in industrial and avant-garde expressions, which echo the boundary-pushing ethos of his earlier work with Celtic Frost while evolving into Triptykon's occult-tinged avant-garde metal.[7][17]
Career Milestones
Eparistera Daimones Era
Triptykon's debut album, Eparistera Daimones, was released on March 22, 2010, through Century Media Records under a licensing agreement with the band's own Prowling Death Records imprint.[18] The album features nine tracks, including the extended opener "Goetia" and the aggressive "Myopic Empire," which exemplify its brooding doom metal structure with layered atmospheres and unrelenting riffs.[19] It achieved modest commercial success, peaking at No. 28 on the Finnish albums chart, No. 73 on the Swiss albums chart, and No. 81 on the German albums chart, while selling approximately 1,300 copies in the United States during its first week to reach No. 27 on the Heatseekers chart.[18]The album received widespread critical acclaim for perpetuating Thomas Gabriel Fischer's extreme metal legacy from Celtic Frost, but with a denser, more monolithic sonic palette that amplified its doom and gothic elements.[20] Reviewers praised its production for delivering a "deep and powerful" heaviness, with Fischer's signature gruff vocals and guitar tone creating an immersive, oppressive atmosphere that built on the intensity of prior works like Celtic Frost's Monotheist.[21] This reception solidified Triptykon's emergence as a vital continuation of Fischer's vision, emphasizing slow-burning despair and experimental textures over speed.Following the album's launch, Triptykon embarked on initial tours across Europe in spring 2010, including headline shows and festival appearances, before undertaking their first North American run, the "Weltenbrand Tour," in October 2010 alongside 1349 and Yakuza.[22] The tour covered key cities from New York to Vancouver, extending into 2011 with additional European club dates and festivals, allowing the band to refine their live presentation of the album's material amid growing fan interest.[23]On October 25, 2010, Triptykon issued the EP Shatter via Century Media, serving as an expansion of the album with previously unreleased tracks from the same recording sessions, including the title track "Shatter" and atmospheric pieces like "I Am the Twilight."[24] The five-track release also incorporated live renditions of Celtic Frost classics "Circle of the Tyrants" and "Dethroned Emperor," bridging the band's past and present while maintaining the debut's dark, introspective tone.[25]
Melana Chasmata and Lineup Shifts
Triptykon announced their second studio album, Melana Chasmata, on October 22, 2013, via their official website, revealing it would be released through Prowling Death Records and Century Media Records.[26] The album was produced by frontman Tom Gabriel Warrior and guitarist V. Santura, recorded between November 2013 and January 2014 at Woodshed Studio in Landshut, Germany, and the band's own facilities in Zürich, Switzerland.[26] It arrived on April 14, 2014, in Europe and April 15 in North America, marking a continuation of the band's extreme metal sound with tracks such as the lead single "Breathing," which was issued on March 17, 2014, as a limited-edition 7-inch vinyl.[27] The album achieved improved commercial performance over the debut, peaking at number 16 on the Finnish charts and number 32 on the Swiss charts.[28]Musically, Melana Chasmata represented a subtle evolution for Triptykon, incorporating slightly more melodic elements and atmospheric textures—such as layered guitars and mournful passages—while preserving the core heaviness and doom-laden intensity of their prior work.[29] This direction was evident in songs like "Aurorae" and "Tree of Suffocating Souls," which blended crushing riffs with eerie, expansive soundscapes.[30] To promote the release, the band embarked on extensive tours across Europe and the United States from 2014 to 2015, including appearances at festivals such as Rock Hard Festival in Germany and Maryland Deathfest in Baltimore, alongside headline shows that showcased the album's material alongside earlier tracks.[31]In August 2017, Triptykon announced the departure of longtime drummer Norman Lonhard following their performances at Party.San Open Air and Leyendas del Rock festivals, citing an amicable split due to scheduling conflicts that prevented him from committing to the band's touring and recording demands.[32] Lonhard, who had joined in 2008, played his final shows with the group that month.[33] By early 2018, the band welcomed Hannes Grossmann—formerly of Obscura and Necrophagist—as his replacement, bringing a heightened level of technical precision to the rhythm section that aligned with Triptykon's increasingly complex compositions.[34] Grossmann debuted live with Triptykon at the Maryland Deathfest in May 2018.[34]
Post-2014 Developments and 2025 Plans
Following the release of their second studio album, Triptykon entered a period of relative inactivity on the recording front, during which frontman Tom G. Warrior focused on side projects such as his Hellhammer tribute band Triumph of Death. This hiatus allowed Warrior to explore early extreme metal influences through live performances and recordings with Triumph of Death, including the 2023 live album Resurrection of the Flesh and subsequent tours.[35] In July 2024, the band confirmed they had reconvened to work on material for their third studio album, scheduled for release in 2025 via longstanding partners Century Media Records and Sony Music Entertainment. As of November 2025, the album has not yet been released.[36] The current lineup, stabilized after shifts in the post-Melana Chasmata era, has enabled this renewed focus on songwriting and production.In May 2020, amid the hiatus, Triptykon issued the live album Requiem (Live at Roadburn 2019), documenting their orchestral performance of the three-part Requiem suite—"Rex Irae," "Grave Eternal," and "Winter"—with the Metropole Orkest at the Roadburn Festival in Tilburg, Netherlands, on April 12, 2019. The recording captures the full set from the event, including the debut live renditions of "Rex Irae" and "Winter," and emphasizes the band's atmospheric intensity through the integration of symphonic elements that amplify the doom-laden themes. Released on Warrior's Prowling Death Records imprint in conjunction with Century Media, the album serves as a culmination of a project originally conceived during Celtic Frost's 1980s era.In 2025, Triptykon released limited-edition vinyl reissues of their debut Eparistera Daimones (2010) and Melana Chasmata (2014), each pressed on exclusive colored 180-gram vinyl—lilac and grey variants for the former, blood red and black swirl for the latter—and limited to 500 copies, on May 2 via Prowling Death Records and Century Media.[37] These reissues retained the original H.R. Giger artwork and packaging in gatefold formats, including posters and inner sleeves, to make the albums accessible to vinyl collectors. Complementing these efforts, the band performed a UK-exclusive Celtic Frost tribute set at the Incineration Festival's Roundhouse stage in London on May 3, 2025, revisiting classic material from Warrior's influential prior band in a gesture of homage to its legacy.[38]
Band Members
Current Members
The current lineup of Triptykon as of 2025 features Thomas Gabriel Fischer on vocals and guitar, V. Santura on guitar and vocals, Vanja Slajh on bass, and Hannes Grossmann on drums.[39]Thomas Gabriel Fischer, known professionally as Tom Gabriel Warrior, founded Triptykon in 2008 following the dissolution of Celtic Frost and remains the band's primary songwriter, visionary leader, and driving creative force, informed by over four decades in extreme metal.[7][40][41] He performs lead and backing vocals, rhythm guitar, and programming, shaping the group's avant-garde direction through his foundational role in pioneering heavy acts like Hellhammer.[4]V. Santura (Victor Bullok) co-founded the band in 2008 as lead guitarist and contributes lead and backing vocals, serving as a core collaborator and co-producer who enhances Triptykon's atmospheric depth via his expertise in extreme metal production at Woodshed Studio in Landshut, Germany.[4][16][42] His prior work with Dark Fortress and Noneuclid informs his integration of layered, immersive soundscapes into the band's compositions.[4][43]Vanja Slajh joined as bassist in 2008, providing the steady rhythmic backbone and monolithic low-end tone that underpin Triptykon's heavy, doom-laden structures, while also offering backing vocals.[4][7] A fixture from the Swiss underground scene, her earlier involvement in black metal project Freitod aligns with the band's intense, subterranean aesthetic.[4][44]Hannes Grossmann has handled drums and percussion since 2018, infusing Triptykon's rhythms with technical precision and polyrhythmic complexity drawn from his progressive death metal background.[4] Known for collaborations with Obscura, Alkaloid, and Blotted Science, his style merges jazz, fusion, and extreme metal elements to elevate the band's dynamic intensity.[4][45][46]
Former Members
Triptykon's inaugural drummer, Reed St. Mark, contributed to the band's early formation phase in late 2008. A longtime collaborator of frontman Thomas Gabriel Warrior from their shared history in Celtic Frost, St. Mark participated in initial rehearsal sessions to help solidify the lineup. However, this arrangement proved unsatisfactory for the group's evolving vision, leading to his departure shortly thereafter without any recorded material or performances together.[7]Following St. Mark's exit, Norman Lonhard joined Triptykon as drummer in December 2008, completing the core lineup that would define the band's first era. Renowned for his progressive style from prior work with Fear My Thoughts, Lonhard provided the rhythmic foundation for the debut album Eparistera Daimones (2010) and the follow-up Melana Chasmata (2014), both of which showcased his dynamic and intense drumming integral to the band's extreme metal sound. He also supported extensive touring, including European and North American dates that helped establish Triptykon's live presence. Lonhard remained with the band until 2017, departing amicably after final performances to pursue other musical endeavors, paving the way for subsequent lineup adjustments.[47][32]
Discography
Studio Albums
Triptykon's debut studio album, Eparistera Daimones, was released on March 22, 2010, through Century Media Records under exclusive license from Prowling Death Records.[18] The album features nine tracks with a total runtime of approximately 72 minutes, including the epic closing piece "The Prolonging" at over 19 minutes.[48] It received widespread praise for its unrelenting heaviness and atmospheric doom, with critics highlighting its status as one of the heaviest releases in extreme metal.[49] The album charted at No. 28 in Finland and No. 73 in Switzerland during its first week.[18]The band's second studio album, Melana Chasmata, followed on April 14, 2014 (Europe) and April 15, 2014 (North America), again via Century Media Records.[50] Comprising nine tracks and running about 67 minutes, it explores themes of despair and occultism through extended compositions averaging over seven minutes each.[51] Reviewers noted its profound emotional depth, particularly in tracks like "Waiting," which blends raw aggression with haunting melancholy.[52] It achieved stronger chart performance, reaching No. 16 in Finland and No. 32 in Switzerland.[28] While specific first-week positions for these countries are documented in industry reports, the album's reception solidified Triptykon's reputation for evolving extreme metal.[53]In May 2025, colored vinyl reissues of Eparistera Daimones and Melana Chasmata were released by Century Media Records in their original packaging as gatefold 2LP editions.[54]As of November 2025, Triptykon is actively working on its third studio album, slated for release in 2025 through Century Media Records in partnership with Sony Music Entertainment.[55][56] No title, tracklist, or further details have been announced, though the band has indicated it will build on their signature experimental approach to atmospheric extreme metal.[57]
Extended Plays
Triptykon's sole extended play, Shatter, was released on October 25, 2010, through Century Media Records, shortly after the band's debut studio album Eparistera Daimones.[58] This EP primarily features material recorded during the sessions for Eparistera Daimones, functioning as a companion release that expands on the album's atmospheric doom and black metal sound with three original studio tracks: "Shatter" (4:56), "I Am the Twilight" (7:59), and "Crucifixus" (4:18).[25] These compositions delve deeper into themes of despair and occultism, maintaining the band's signature blend of crushing riffs and experimental elements, while "Shatter" itself originated as a bonus track on the Japanese edition of the debut album.[59]The EP also includes two live covers of Celtic Frost classics—"Circle of the Tyrants" (5:12, recorded live at Roadburn Festival 2010) and "Dethroned Emperor" (3:56, featuring guest vocals by Darkthrone's Nocturno Culto)—paying homage to Thomas Gabriel Fischer's influential past work with that band.[25] Clocking in at approximately 26 minutes total, Shatter underscores Triptykon's evolution from Celtic Frost's legacy, bridging old and new through raw, intense performances that highlight the band's live prowess.[60] As a supplementary release, it provided fans with additional insight into the creative process behind Eparistera Daimones, reinforcing Triptykon's position in the extreme metal scene without overshadowing the full-length album.[61]
Live Albums
Triptykon's sole live album, Requiem (Live at Roadburn 2019), was released on May 15, 2020, by Prowling Death Records in conjunction with Century Media Records.[62] The recording documents the band's one-off performance at the Roadburn Festival in Tilburg, Netherlands, on April 12, 2019, where Triptykon collaborated with the Dutch Metropole Orkest to present the complete "Requiem" suite—a monumental composition conceived by frontman Thomas Gabriel Fischer during his time in Celtic Frost in the late 1980s and revisited in Triptykon's work.[62][63] This event marked the suite's first full orchestral rendition, blending extreme metal intensity with classical orchestration across eight tracks that integrate Celtic Frost demos, unfinished material, and Triptykon adaptations into a cohesive, hour-long epic.[64]The tracklist unfolds as a narrative progression: "Rex Irae (Requiem, Chapter One: Overture)" opens with a brooding instrumental evoking Celtic Frost's raw energy; it transitions into the multi-part "Grave Eternal (Requiem, Chapter Two: Transition)," incorporating 1980s Winterthur demos and atmospheric builds; the finale, "The Inevitable Factor (Requiem, Chapter Three: Finale)," merges elements from Celtic Frost's Into the Pandemoniumalbum with closing motifs, culminating in a cathartic resolution.[65][66] Available in formats including CD, vinyl, and digital, the album includes a DVD edition capturing the visual spectacle of the 013 venue stage, where Fischer's commanding presence and the orchestra's 50-plus members amplified the music's doom-laden grandeur.[62][67]Critically acclaimed for its emotional depth and technical execution, Requiem preserves the performance's immersive quality, with the live recording emphasizing dynamic shifts from crushing riffs to orchestral swells that highlight Triptykon's evolution from black and doom metal roots.[63][68] This release, stemming from the band's 2019 festival appearance amid post-lineup stabilization, stands as a landmark document of Fischer's visionary project realized in a concert setting.[62]
Singles
Triptykon's discography includes a single promotional release tied to their second studio album.The double-sided single "Breathing" / "Boleskine House" was issued on March 17, 2014, through Prowling Death Records and Century Media Records as the lead single for Melana Chasmata.[27] It featured the tracks "Breathing" (5:50) and "Boleskine House" (7:12), with a total runtime of approximately 13 minutes, and was made available in digital format as well as a collector's gatefold 7" vinyl edition limited to 1,000 copies (800 on black vinyl and 200 on transparent red vinyl).[69][70] The release included streaming premieres of both tracks on platforms such as YouTube and SoundCloud to build anticipation for the album.[27]