The group started out under the name IN COLD BLOOD and it was under that name that the first demo, "Nailed", was recorded, which led to a record deal with NUCLEAR BLAST.
In May 1998, RAISE HELL entered the "Abyss studio" and recorded their first album named "Holy Target". Just before the release, the band changed their name to RAISE HELL. The release of "Holy Target" was followed by a European tour (with DISMEMBER, CHILDREN OF BODOM, NIGHT IN GALES and AGATHODAIMON) and also a gig at the massive metal festival Wacken Open Air (August of 1998).
In August 1999, RAISE HELL entered the studio again to record their second album "Not Dead Yet". This time, the studio session took place at Studio Fredman with Anders Fridén (IN FLAMES) as producer. After "Not Dead Yet" was released, the cult band DESTRUCTION heard the album and wanted RAISE HELL to support them for a mini tour. RAISE HELL gladly accepted and after a cool mini-tour with DESTRUCTION, Wacken Open Air stood at the door again (August 2000). The festival gig was a success for the band and was then followed by a European tour (with DESTRUCTION, HYPOCRISY, CREMATORY and KATAKLYSM) plus some club-gigs in Sweden.
The studio Flat Planet was booked in June 2002, and once again Anders Fridén (IN FLAMES), now with support by Fredrik Reinerdahl, as producers. The album was called "Wicked Is My Game". The release was in October 2002. In late autumn of 2002, RAISE HELL decided to get a new singer because Jonas Nilsson wanted to concentrate on his guitar playing. They decided to try an old friend of theirs, Jimmy Fjällendahl. He had been the singer of a local rock band called Driftaway. After just a few rehearsals, RAISE HELL could hear the capacity that Jimmy had and he almost immediately became a solid member of the band.
After three albums on NUCLEAR BLAST, the relationship came to an end, with which both parties were satisfied. A search for a new label was started and after some good offers, RAISE HELL finally decided to sign with BLACK LODGE (Sweden). At this point, Torstein realized that he no longer could put his full heart and soul into the band and therefore decided to leave RAISE HELL. There have never been any hard feelings. The member changes and label change came as a natural break for the band that resulted in nothing being heard from them in a couple of years except for a few live gigs.
In 2004, just after the signing with Black Lodge Records, two demo songs were recorded and they turned out so good that they ended up on a 7” limited vinyl single. In the summer of 2005, the recording of a new album started. This time it took place at Tyroon Production with Jörgen Svensson as producer. The album is titled "City of the Damned".
Holy Target
Raise Hell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With tanks by my side we grind their empty skulls
In my target I can see tears from their eyes
Let the bullets caress the holy race
I spit on the cross...holy holocaust
I piss on your priest...Jesus is the holy target
As I'm pulling the trigger
Missiles toward the house of god, the house which soon is gone
The cross above is crushed and your god he wept
No time for blessings, run for your lives
And we will hunt you down
To the cross you are stuck!
My sight was landscapes filled with crossed holy ones...fire!
I spit on the cross...holy holocaust
I piss on your priest...Jesus is the holy target
Taking their lives, Jesus will die
As I'm pulling the trigger
The lyrics of "Holy Target" by Raise Hell are controversial and shocking. The song seems to describe a scene of war and destruction, where the singer and their comrades are attacking a religious target - the "holy race" - with violence and hatred. The lyrics are filled with violent imagery, such as "shotgun blast", "ripping the war-filled air", and "grind their empty skulls". The singer takes pleasure in causing pain and suffering, and even spits on the cross and pisses on a priest, showing a complete lack of respect for the Christian religion and its symbols.
The chorus of the song is particularly disturbing, as it seems to revel in the idea of killing Jesus: "Taking their lives, Jesus will die, as I'm pulling the trigger". This statement can be seen as sacrilegious and blasphemous, as it goes against the fundamental beliefs of Christianity. The final lines of the song - "To the cross you are stuck! My sight was landscapes filled with crossed holy ones...fire!" - suggest that the singer is driven by a deep hatred for Christianity, and is determined to destroy it completely.
Overall, "Holy Target" is a powerful and unsettling song that raises difficult questions about religious extremism, violence, and hatred. The lyrics are not for the faint-hearted, and will likely offend many listeners. However, they also showcase the band's ability to provoke strong emotions and challenge conventional beliefs.
Line by Line Meaning
Shotgun blast from my pipe is ripping the war-filled air
I fire my shotgun, and the sound echoes through the battlefield.
With tanks by my side we grind their empty skulls
Me and my fellow soldiers crush our enemies with our tanks.
In my target I can see tears from their eyes
As I aim, I can see the fear in my enemy's eyes.
Let the bullets caress the holy race
Let our bullets kill those who we consider our enemies.
I spit on the cross...holy holocaust
I disrespect and dishonor the symbol of Christianity.
I piss on your priest...Jesus is the holy target
I disrespect and insult the religious leaders of my enemies.
Taking their lives, Jesus will die
As I kill my enemies, I believe I am also killing their god.
As I'm pulling the trigger
As I fire my weapon.
Missiles toward the house of god, the house which soon is gone
We attack a religious building, destroying it completely.
The cross above is crushed and your god he wept
The symbol of Christianity is destroyed, causing my enemies to feel despair.
No time for blessings, run for your lives
We give our enemies no mercy and demand that they flee from us.
And we will hunt you down
We will not stop pursuing our enemies and will kill them all.
To the cross you are stuck!
My enemies are trapped by their religious beliefs.
My sight was landscapes filled with crossed holy ones...fire!
I saw the enemy as a group of religious people who I wanted to kill.
Taking their lives, Jesus will die
I continue to believe that by killing my enemies, I am also killing their god.
As I'm pulling the trigger
As I fire my weapon.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Didier Vancampo
Memories🙂. Fall 1998, my second black metal album I ever bought thanks to the nuclear blast sampler🙂.
Dan warman
Me too👍
The nuclear blast Sampler times....
Vance Joaquin
@Robert Rudy yea, have been watching on KaldroStream for years myself :D
Adrien Madden
@Robert Rudy definitely, I've been using kaldroStream for years myself :)
Anibal Paez
this band is not black metal, their style is death metal for your information....
Didier Vancampo
@Anibal Paez It's heavily dissection influenced black metal for your information. Stated by thé band in An interview in 1998.
Sause HH
masterpiece in metal!!!!
Fo' Flats
It's an eternal shame they came thundering off this their debut album and promptly dropped off the face of the earth. Probably the most exciting band to come along when the tides were really shifting. But we still have this AMAZING album if hatred. C'mon!
francisco torres
what? they have like five albums and are still active
Igor Tomaz
Their debut was an amazing melodic black metal album but then they changed direction on the 2nd album onwards and became more of a thrash metal band and imo that's what caused them to lose momentum at the time. I also think that their choice of album covers (2nd, 3rd and 4th albums) didn't help them much