Celtic Frost
To Mega Therion

THE REVIEW

"To Mega Therion" the great beast, the central monolith in the majestic triad of masterpieces branded Celtic Frost, three records that forcefully introduce avant-garde and sound experimentation into the extreme 1980s metal.

The catacomb-like and slowed riffs suffocated in powerful and minimalist rhythmic frameworks enjoy frequent, fast, and violent changes of time, accelerated and granitic, the voice of Tom G Warrior evoking primal human fury and fears and his guitar creating evocative, dark, and decadent scenarios that will embrace the entire work of the brilliant Swiss trio.

Imposing ancestral and majestic orchestrations created by the brass adorn the more avant-garde compositions, the fascinating and hypnotic voice of soprano singer Claudia Maria Mokri hovers over the work like a broken-winged angel, her laments and calls crashing against explosive walls of black and mournful sounds, obstinate rhythms and primitive rage.

From the initial instrumental "Innocence And Wrath" the troubled and mystical atmosphere of the record is palpable, the sound of horns rises majestically among the thundering percussion to merge directly into "The Usurper", intense and powerful tracing the sonic coordinates of the work, brought to its sublimation in classic tracks like the devastating "Circle Of The Tyrants", immersed in fast and agonizing tempo changes and fierce reprisals, or the lashing, sinister and harsh sonic musings of the cruel "Jewel Throne", "Eternal Summer", "(Beyond The) North Winds" and "Fainted Eyes" true obsessive and ingenious metallic diadems adorned with mystical and philosophical lyrics.

The symphonic gem "Dawn Of Megiddo" slowed and majestic, scourged by the heavy winds and a morbid march evokes ancient visions, hordes of beings suffocating in golden and shiny armor slowly and agonizingly advancing towards their end through a hazy and acrid fog, the work closes with "Necromantical Screams" choral, decadent and shadowy painful march towards nothingness, dominated by experimental tones and Warrior's leaden guitar work blending with the heavy orchestral tones of the brass, Tom's hoarse proclamations are accompanied by the angelic voice of the soprano... thus sealing a work of art.