Holocaust is a Scottish heavy metal band founded in 1977 and based in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Influenced by Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Motörhead, AC/DC, UFO, Led Zeppelin, Rush and Budgie, the current lineup is John Mortimer guitar and vocals, Scott Wallace drums and Mark McGrath bass. 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 premier 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 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 current 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 best known song remains "The Small Hours", which Metallica covered in 1987 and it was released on their The $5.98 E.P. - Garage Days Re-Revisited EP, and reappeared on their 1998 compilation album Garage Inc..