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THE REVIEW
The year is 1984. The Venom are in crisis after releasing the decent "At War With Satan", Thrash Metal begins to spread on the international scene after the first works of Metallica and Slayer. It is at this moment that the Swiss Celtic Frost, born from the ashes of Hellhammer, begin to take their first steps into the world of music.
"Morbid Tales" is the first work of this legendary band, considered boring by many, the album has an incredible historical importance. In fact, Celtic Frost took the typical sounds of Venom and mixed them with very violent thrash. Starting from "Morbid Tales," Celtic Frost, along with Bathory, became the leading figures of black metal, which would take its definitive shape in the early 90s.
In this album, we find the leader and singer Tom G. Warrior on guitar, Thomas Gabriel Fisher on drums, and Martin Eric Ain on bass. "Morbid Tales" is a work technically structured very well; Warrior surprises us with killer riffs and sings with his terrible demonic roar, Fisher relentlessly strikes his drums, and Eric Ain is quite audible with the bass.
Among all the beautiful black gems of this CD, the best episode is the legendary Nocturnal Fear, where a sinister guitar introduces a dark atmosphere that evolves increasingly with Warrior's roar and Gabriel Fisher's drums. This album, along with Bathory's self-titled first, opened a new period for black metal, a period in which the genre would evolve more and more.
To conclude, I think that "Morbid Tales" is one of the best (if not the best) albums of Celtic Frost.
"The sleeping lord awakes
Tiamat pulls on her chains
The blind phantom rages
Azag-Thoth Howls
Vibrations at the black ethers edge
As nocturnal fear penetrates the land
Ecstatical celebrations at their zenith
The seven sharpen their claws"
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Summary by Bot
Released in 1984, Celtic Frost's debut album Morbid Tales is a groundbreaking work that merges thrash and black metal, influencing the genre's definitive shape. The album features strong musicianship from Tom G. Warrior, Thomas Gabriel Fisher, and Martin Eric Ain. Notably, the track Nocturnal Fear stands out for creating a dark and intense atmosphere. This album is hailed as one of Celtic Frost's best and a foundational black metal release.
Celtic Frost
Celtic Frost were a Swiss extreme metal band led by Thomas Gabriel “Tom G. Warrior” Fischer, with bassist Martin Eric Ain as a key collaborator. Reviews emphasize their role in early extreme metal and first-wave black metal, plus a reputation for bold experimentation—peaking for many with 1987’s Into the Pandemonium—followed by a widely criticized glam-leaning detour on Cold Lake and a later reunion that produced Monotheist.13 Reviews
Other reviews
By gate
Celtic Frost’s extensive musical exploration begins with a work that fits into the so-called 'first wave of black metal.'
It remains an excellent album of wholesome (extreme) metal... noteworthy.
