CELTIC FROST — Monotheist (review)

CELTIC FROST — Monotheist album cover Album · 2006 · Doom Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
UMUR
"Monotheist" is the 5th full-length studio album by Swiss extreme metal act Celtic Frost. The album was released through Century Media Records in May 2006. Celtic Frost disbanded in 1993 and it was not until 2001 when they reformed again, so "Monotheist" is their first album release since "Vanity/Nemesis (1990)".

"Monotheist" marks quite a comeback for Celtic Frost. First off the sound production is is of a very high quality. A largely self-produced affair, the sound on "Monotheist" is raw, yet very well balanced, detailed, and clear. Secondly the material on the album is generally of a high quality too. It´s a rather diverse album and touches blackened thrash metal, doom metal, goth metal, and even features some industrial metal elements. Tracks like "Drown in Ashes" and "Domain of Decay" represent the atmospheric and goth oriented side of the band´s sound while material like the opening trio of tracks "Progeny", "Ground" and "A Dying God Coming Into Human Flesh", "Ain Elohim", and a track like "Triptych: Synagoga Satanae" bring a darker and more raw side of the band´s sound to the table. Those tracks feature powerful and heavy riffs and a really dark atmosphere. The vocals on the album are mostly raw and aggressive, but there are clean singing on the album too (including female vocals).

"Monotheist" is overall a high quality release by Celtic Frost and definitely a welcome comeback to the band. The diversity of the material is both a blessing and a curse depending on the listener, as you can´t always expect those who prefer the band´s extreme metal side to also enjoy their gothic atmospheric side, but to those with an open mind, "Monotheist" is definitely a recommended listen. Considering the eclectic nature of their discography I´m sure most listeners won´t be surprised by the diversity of the material though. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.
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Vim Fuego wrote:
more than 2 years ago
I couldn't believe how heavy "A Dying God Coming Into Human Flesh" was when I first heard it. It seemed to be right off the scale.

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