Morbid Tales

by

Celtic Frost

Edit

In 1984 while much of the world was headbanging to the likes of Ride the Lightning, Powerslave, and even stuff like Quiet Riot there were a smaller group of people getting into the much more evil Celtic Frost. This along with the CF precursor band Hellhammer, Mercyful Fate, and Bathory were laying down the foundation for black metal and the other extreme metal styles that were still coming into being. In 1984 all three of these bands made influential and groundbreaking releases. What really sets this one in particular apart was CF's ultimate guitar tone from Hell, their doomy/sludgy/thrashy riffs were unlike any other. Tom G Warrior's (isn't such a cool stage name?) voice was also quite unique, his deeper more guttural voice coupled with his heavy accent adds an evil touch to the songs that no one else really had at the time. Quorthon and King Diamond had much higher pitched vocals yet still unrelentingly evil as well.

As for the actual songs, they're filled with occult themes and those proto-doom/thrash/black metal riffs. If speed's what you're looking for check out the opener "Into the Crypts of Rays", the title track, and Nocturnal Fear leave you headbanging into rigor mortis. If you're looking for doom and gloom we have that too! Listen to Visions of Mortality and Procreation of the Wicked. There's even more midpaced songs like Return of the Eve and Dethroned Emperor to satisfy all your cravings. WAIT A SEC! This album also contains perhaps the creepiest soundscape ever in Danse Macabre, I'm not even going to bother describing it you just have to hear it to believe it, words couldn't do justice. Yes it's true these three guys might not be the most talented "technically proficient" (that phrase is overused) guys in the biz but they still managed to churn out a f*cking classic. This is just another reason technicality is sometimes overrated if you ask me. I know this is a big hit with the older group of metal fans and with damn good reason too, and with people like me spreading the good word it should be liked and appreciated by my generation as well.

If you like this and are interested in more of the roots of extreme metal pick up basically all the stuff that's listed in the "customers who bought this cd also bought..." section up above. I leave you asking this very important question-

ARE YOU MORBID???

I am too much of progressive metal and good musicianship to like this album. You might see it on some of the lists of the best metal albums ever. However, Morbid Tales doesn't have much to offer. There is a certain type of fan though that would love this. For example, if you love Bleach by Nirvana, which was Nirvana's first effort, put out before they got big, then you might like Morbid Tales. Another band Morbid Tales by Celtic Frost reminds me of is Type O Negative. There is not much talent, but the music accomplishes something through just being so primitive and dark. And, keep in mind when I give an album a star, I give it a start because I live the album! I don't give starred reviews to albums that I don't like!