Celtic Frost "To Mega Therion (1988 Reissue, Germany, Noise Records, N 0031-3)"

To Mega Therion is the second studio album by Swiss extreme metal band Celtic Frost, released in October 1985 through Noise Records. The cover artwork is a painting by H. R. Giger titled Satan I.

"To Mega Therion" translates to the great beast in Greek. It is an expression found in the Bible but was also a nickname used by Aleister Crowley.

The album was highly influential on death metal and black metal, and some consider it to be one of the best albums of the 1980s.

Sam Sodomsky of Pitchfork said To Mega Therion "spread apocalyptic visions over ungodly, vicious thrash metal." He further explained: "As subgenres began to harden into unified aesthetics, this music could not be pinned down: French horns, droning keyboards, and constantly shifting song structures assured that even the most devoted metalheads had never heard anything quite like it."

The album's horn sections have been described as "Wagnerian".

Ned Raggett in his review for AllMusic wrote, "The bombastic 'Innocence and Wrath' starts To Mega Therion off on just the appropriate note – Wagnerian horn lines, booming drums, and a slow crunch toward apocalypse. ... With that setting the tone, it is into the maddeningly wild and woolly Celtic Frost universe full bore, Warrior roaring out his vocals with glee and a wicked smile while never resorting to self-parodic castrato wails. 'The Usurper' alone is worth the price of admission, an awesome display of Warrior's knack around brute power and unexpectedly memorable riffs." According to Raggett, "other prime cuts" include "Circle of the Tyrants", "Dawn of Megiddo", "Tears in a Prophet's Dream", "Eternal Summer" and "Necromantical Screams". Raggett concludes his review by stating that the album "is and remains death metal at its finest".

The album was a major influence on the then-developing death metal and black metal genres.

Canadian journalist Martin Popoff considers the album "a black metal landmark" and "the most consistent example of early death metal that exists". He remarks how "the band had decided to delve more into the extreme" and praised Tom Warrior's "surprisingly accomplished" lyrics and the mix of death, black and doom metal with a pinch of ambient music.

Decibel magazine ranked To Mega Therion #21 in their "Decibel Thrash Top 50" list. Writer Nick Green praises both its "purer" thrash metal tracks such as "Circle of the Tyrants" and the experimental edge of "Necromantical Screams."

Sam Sodomsky of Pitchfork wrote in 2018: "Whatever response they elicited, Celtic Frost never seemed to care much: After all, they reminded us, we’re all going to the same place anyway."

Tracklist:

1. Innocence and Wrath 01:02   
2. The Usurper 03:27
3. Jewel Throne 04:06
4. Dawn of Megiddo 05:47   
5. Eternal Summer 04:31   
6. Circle of the Tyrants 04:38  
7. (Beyond the) North Winds 03:08   
8. Fainted Eyes 05:09
9. Tears in a Prophet's Dream 02:33  
10. Necromantical Screams 06:02  

Time:  40:23

Issued in a standard jewel case, with a 4-page booklet.

Track 2 (inspired by »Hear The Ballad Of The Swords« and »The Sign Of The Usurper« by Tom G. Warrior)

Track 6 [some] lines inspired by a poem by Robert E. Howard, called »Cimmeria«

Track 10 inspired by the song »Buried And Forgotten«, by Tom G. Warrior, Autumn 1983.

Fourth track is titled "Dawn of Meggido" in booklet.

- Official Video : Circle Of The Tyrants

Recording information:

Recorded, mixed, and mastered at Casablanca Studio, Berlin, 14-28 September 1985.

Horst Müller – producer, engineer, mixing

Rick Lights – assistant engineer

Karl Walterbach – executive producer

Celtic Frost "To Mega Therion (1993 Reissue, USA, Futurist, 9086-11049-2)"

To Mega Therion is the second studio album by Swiss extreme metal band Celtic Frost, released in October 1985 through Noise Records. The cover artwork is a painting by H. R. Giger titled Satan I.

"To Mega Therion" translates to the great beast in Greek. It is an expression found in the Bible but was also a nickname used by Aleister Crowley.

The album was highly influential on death metal and black metal, and some consider it to be one of the best albums of the 1980s.

Sam Sodomsky of Pitchfork said To Mega Therion "spread apocalyptic visions over ungodly, vicious thrash metal." He further explained: "As subgenres began to harden into unified aesthetics, this music could not be pinned down: French horns, droning keyboards, and constantly shifting song structures assured that even the most devoted metalheads had never heard anything quite like it."

The album's horn sections have been described as "Wagnerian".

Ned Raggett in his review for AllMusic wrote, "The bombastic 'Innocence and Wrath' starts To Mega Therion off on just the appropriate note – Wagnerian horn lines, booming drums, and a slow crunch toward apocalypse. ... With that setting the tone, it is into the maddeningly wild and woolly Celtic Frost universe full bore, Warrior roaring out his vocals with glee and a wicked smile while never resorting to self-parodic castrato wails. 'The Usurper' alone is worth the price of admission, an awesome display of Warrior's knack around brute power and unexpectedly memorable riffs." According to Raggett, "other prime cuts" include "Circle of the Tyrants", "Dawn of Megiddo", "Tears in a Prophet's Dream", "Eternal Summer" and "Necromantical Screams". Raggett concludes his review by stating that the album "is and remains death metal at its finest".

The album was a major influence on the then-developing death metal and black metal genres.

Canadian journalist Martin Popoff considers the album "a black metal landmark" and "the most consistent example of early death metal that exists". He remarks how "the band had decided to delve more into the extreme" and praised Tom Warrior's "surprisingly accomplished" lyrics and the mix of death, black and doom metal with a pinch of ambient music.

Decibel magazine ranked To Mega Therion #21 in their "Decibel Thrash Top 50" list. Writer Nick Green praises both its "purer" thrash metal tracks such as "Circle of the Tyrants" and the experimental edge of "Necromantical Screams."

Sam Sodomsky of Pitchfork wrote in 2018: "Whatever response they elicited, Celtic Frost never seemed to care much: After all, they reminded us, we’re all going to the same place anyway."

Tracklist:

1. Innocence and Wrath 01:02   
2. The Usurper 03:27
3. Jewel Throne 04:06
4. Dawn of Megiddo 05:47   
5. Eternal Summer 04:31   
6. Circle of the Tyrants 04:38  
7. (Beyond the) North Winds 03:08   
8. Fainted Eyes 05:09
9. Tears in a Prophet's Dream 02:33  
10. Necromantical Screams 06:02  

Time:  40:23

Fourth track is titled "Dawn of Meggido" in booklet.

- Official Video : Circle Of The Tyrants

Recording information:

Recorded, mixed, and mastered at Casablanca Studio, Berlin, 14-28 September 1985.

Horst Müller – producer, engineer, mixing

Rick Lights – assistant engineer

Karl Walterbach – executive producer

Celtic Frost "Morbid Tales (1999 Reissue, Remastered, Germany, Noise Records, N 0325-2)"

Morbid Tales is the debut album by Swiss extreme metal band Celtic Frost, released in November 1984. It was originally released in Europe on Noise Records as a mini-LP with six tracks, while the American release by Enigma/Metal Blade added two tracks, bringing it to the length of a regular studio LP. The band retrospectively refers to the LP release as the band's debut studio album.

In 1999, a remastered edition of Morbid Tales was released on CD by Noise Records, which also contained the tracks from their 1985 EP Emperor's Return as well as a 2017 remastered edition released by the same label on CD and vinyl formats.

The album's guitars are tuned to E standard.

The thrash metal intensity of Morbid Tales had a major influence on the then-developing death metal and black metal genres, along with In the Sign of the Black Mark by Bathory and Seven Churches by Possessed. It included elements that were adopted by the pioneers of both styles. The band's bleak and dead serious fashion style was also influential, including their corpse paint face makeup.

In 2014, J. Andrew of Metal Injection wrote: "In a way, Celtic Frost (along with Hellhammer) could really go on any essential listening list for extreme metal. They've been so influential to thrash, death, and black metal that they transcend any tight, genre-specific limitations. And though To Mega Therion is often considered their signature musical achievement, Morbid Tales offers a glimpse into the raw beginnings of what many of us fans now take for granted. [...] Morbid Tales marks an important moment in the mid-1980s where signs of what was to come with extreme music began to emerge."

In 2017, Rolling Stone ranked Morbid Tales as 28th on their list of 'The 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time.' Decibel placed Morbid Tales at #14 in their "Decibel Thrash Top 50". Contributor Jeff Wagner wrote about how the LP was "Hellhammer refined, but no less demented", and that it "remains as pure and primal as Celtic Frost would ever be."

In the commentary for Darkthrone's album Panzerfaust, Fenriz cites this album along with Bathory's Under the Sign of the Black Mark and Vader's Necrolust as key riff inspirations.

"Danse Macabre" was later sampled in the demo track "Totgetanzt" from their 2002 demo album Prototype.

Tracklist:

1. Human 00:41  
2. Into the Crypts of Rays 03:39  
3. Visions of Mortality 04:48   
4. Dethroned Emperor 04:38   
5. Morbid Tales 03:29   
6. Procreation (of the Wicked) 04:05
7. Return to the Eve 04:08  
8. Danse Macabre 03:52
9. Nocturnal Fear 03:38
10. Circle of the Tyrants 04:27
11. Visual Aggression 04:11  
12. Suicidal Winds 04:36   

Time:  46:12  

- Bonus tracks 4-5 taken from the album's North American pressing.

- Bonus tracks 10-12 taken from the 1985 Emperor's Return ep.

- Track 1 was originally the unnamed intro to "Into the Crypts of Rays". Here it is identified as a separate named track.

- The duration of some tracks differ quite a bit from what is printed on the release.

Recording information:

Horst Müller – producer, engineer, mixing, mastering

Karl Walterbach – executive producer

Tracks 1-9:

- Recorded and mixed Oct. 8-15, 1984 at Caet Studio, Berlin, Germany.

Tracks 10-12:

- Recorded, mixed & mastered April 8-12, 1985 at Line In Recording Studio, Zurich, Switzerland.

Tracks 1-12:

- Remastered at Oakland Recording, Winterhur, Switzerland.

Celtic Frost/Hellhammer/Apollyon Sun "Are You Morbid? - The Best Of Celtic Frost (UK, Delta Deluxe, CD 47 17980)"

Are You Morbid? is a split compilation album by Swiss bands Celtic Frost, Hellhammer and Apollyon Sun, released December 2003.

Tracklist:

1. Hellhammer - Messiah 04:35   
2. Hellhammer - Triumph of Death 09:31
3. Celtic Frost - Morbid Tales 03:29   
4. Celtic Frost - Suicidal Winds 04:37  
5. Celtic Frost - Necromantical Screams 06:02
6. Celtic Frost - In the Chapel, in the Moonlight 02:04   
7. Celtic Frost - I Won't Dance 04:33   
8. Celtic Frost - Mexican Radio (Wall of Voodoo cover) 03:30
9. Celtic Frost - Juices like Wine 04:14
10. Celtic Frost - Cherry Orchards 04:02  
11. Celtic Frost - Vanity 04:24   
12. Celtic Frost - Nemesis 07:49  
13. Celtic Frost - Heroes (David Bowie cover) 03:47  
14. Celtic Frost - Under Apollyon's Sun 05:36
15. Apollyon Sun - Messiah (Second Coming) 04:10   

Time:  01:12:23

Tracks 1 & 2 by Hellhammer; track 15 by Apollyon Sun; all other tracks by Celtic Frost.

Track 1 from Death Metal (1984), track 2 from Apocalyptic Raids (1984), both later re-released on Apocalyptic Raids 1990 A.D. (1990) by Hellhammer.

Tracks 3 and 4 from Emperor's Return (1985).

Track 5 from To Mega Therion (1985).

Track 6 from The Collector's Celtic Frost (1987).

Track 7 from I Won't Dance (1987).

Track 8 from Into the Pandemonium (1987).

Tracks 9 and 10 from Cold Lake (1988).

Tracks 11, 12 and 13 from Vanity/Nemesis (1990).

Track 14 from Parched with Thirst Am I and Dying (1992).

Track 15 from Sub (2000) by Apollyon Sun.

"Are You Morbid?" is also the title of the official Celtic Frost autobiography, written by Tom G. Warrior.

Celtic Frost "Monotheist (Japan, Victor Entertainment, VICP-63530)"

Monotheist is the sixth and final studio album by the Swiss extreme metal band Celtic Frost. Released in May 2006, it marked the band's first new recording in 16 years. Upon its release, the album received universal acclaim from music critics.

Preparation and development for the project began in 2000. The first recording sessions for the album commenced in late October 2002. The band comprised founding members Martin Eric Ain (bass/vocals) and Tom Gabriel Fischer (vocals/guitars/keyboards), alongside guitarist and producer Erol Unala, who was Fischer's long-time songwriting partner. Unala became an increasingly significant contributor to Celtic Frost during the songwriting process. Working titles for the album included Probe and Dark Matter Manifest.

"Obscured" is derived from the demo track "November," which appeared on the 2002 demo album "Prototype."

"Drown in Ashes" features lyrics from the demo track "The Dying I."

Celtic Frost's earlier work blended elements of thrash metal and black metal. The sound of Monotheist has been characterized as challenging to define, as the songs range from doom metal to "blackened thrash" to gothic metal to symphonic metal. The result is a diverse yet profoundly dark heavy metal experience. Don Kaye of Blabbermouth described it as "a monstrously heavy and oppressive slab of metal," venturing "into even heavier, blacker territory" than previous albums. Adrien Begrand of PopMatters remarked that the album approaches a masterpiece of "brutally heavy" metal, "completely devoid of light." Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic highlighted more nuanced elements, such as the "instantaneously infectious melody" of "A Dying God Coming into Human Flesh" and the "haunting female voices" that duet with bandleader Tom Warrior on "Drown in Ashes."

According to Fischer, some of the lyrics were influenced by the writings of English occultist Aleister Crowley. This influence is evident in tracks such as "Os Abysmi Vel Daath," which is part of the title of one of Crowley's books.

Monotheist was released on both CD and LP formats. A limited edition digipak included the bonus track "Temple of Depression." Both the vinyl LP version and the Japanese CD release of Monotheist featured the bonus track "Incantation Against You."

A music video was created for the song "A Dying God Coming into Human Flesh."

The album received overwhelmingly positive reviews and is widely regarded as a triumphant comeback for the band. Blabbermouth awarded the record an 8/10, stating,

"The question regarding every comeback by a long-dormant group is always whether they can recapture the sound, vibe, and chemistry that made them successful the first time around. The answer here is yes: Fischer and Ain (along with new drummer Franco Sesa) have labored long and hard to create an album that ranks with their best work in terms of sheer heaviness and atmosphere, while employing some dramatic new musical ventures that honor the experimental side of the band. If the group's songs are less concise and perhaps not as catchy as earlier work, they're still propelled by sheer musical muscle and an epic, ambitious scope."

The album was ranked number 2 on Terrorizer's list of the best albums of the decade.

Track listing

1. "Progeny" Thomas Gabriel Fischer Martin Eric Ain, Fischer, Franco Sesa 5:01
2. "Ground" Fischer Fischer, Erol Unala 3:55
3. "A Dying God Coming into Human Flesh" Ain Ain, Fischer, Unala 5:39
4. "Drown in Ashes" Fischer Fischer 4:23
5. "Os Abysmi Vel Daath" Ain, Fischer Ain, Fischer, Sesa, Unala 6:41
6. "Temple of Depression" (Limited edition digipak bonus track) Fischer Ain, Fischer, Unala 4:59
7. "Obscured" Ain, Fischer, Unala Ain, Fischer, Unala 7:04
8. "Incantation Against You" (Japanese version and vinyl LP bonus track) Ain Ain, Simone Vollenweider 5:06
9. "Domain of Decay" Fischer Ain, Fischer, Unala 4:38
10. "Ain Elohim" Ain Ain, Fischer, Sesa, Unala 7:33
11. "Triptych: I. Totengott" Ain Fischer 4:27
12. "Triptych: II. Synagoga Satanae" Ain Ain, Fischer, Sesa 14:24
13. "Triptych: III. Winter (Requiem, Chapter Three: Finale)" (instrumental) Fischer 4:32

Time:  01:13:25

Recording information:

Recorded at Horus Sound Studio (Hanover, Germany), Oakland Recording (Winterthur, Switzerland), Celtic Frost Bunker (Zurich, Switzerland), Apollyon Sun Bunker (Zurich, Switzerland), Department of Noize (Kilchberg, Switzerland), FSK-18 (Winterthur, Switzerland), Transmutation (Thalwil, Switzerland), 2002 to 2005.

Mixed at Horus Sound Studio (Hanover, Germany), Oakland Recording (Winterthur, Switzerland), Department of Noize (Kilchberg, Switzerland), summer/autumn 2005.

Mastered at Oakland Recording (Winterthur, Switzerland), November 2005.