VENOM & CELTIC FROST

reviewed by Sully Payton
 

If two of Black Metal's progenitors (who are not from either Norway or Sweden) decided to release CDs this year, would anyone care? Well, apparently people did care. Whether the CDs were worth the investment is another story. Who are the ballyhooed Black Metal grandfathers who released slabs? None other than Venom and Celtic Frost.

VENOM

Metal Black(2006)

Sanctuary Records

 

Venom released the groundbreaking Black Metal back in 1982, during the height of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. While it had nothing musically in common with the Scandinavian offshoot we know today, they were one of the first bands to take their Satan seriously. In 1982, it was pretty edgy stuff. However, in 2006, it's become stale, boring and pretty damn laughable. Clearly unable to come up with a cheeky title, they dropped Metal Black on us this year. Cronos and Company still think they've got what the Satan-craving masses want. "Antichrist", "Burn In Hell", "Rege Satanas" and "Lucifer Rising" sure talk about Old Scratch a lot. Unfortunately, Cronos' lyrics sound like they were written by a 14-year old who's trying to rebel against his parents. Maybe, Cronos has always written like a 14-year old when you think about it. The musicianship is pedestrian at best, with most songs played in relatively similar chords at the same pace. Mykvs on guitar and Antton on drums clearly do not add anything special to this project. The production is a disaster, with the bass and drums produced to the point of distortion. That's probably the best way to mask the lack of musical talent that Venom 2006 bring to the table. Unless you still listen to your Venom catalog every day, there is no good reason to purchase Metal Black.

CELTIC FROST

Monotheist (2006)

Century Media  www.centurymedia.com

 

Celtic Frost, on the other hand, believe that musicianship and lyrical content are critical. Monotheist (Century Media) proves that black metal in 2006 doesn't need blast beats and regular Satanic invocations to scare the shit out of the masses. With only occasional references to the Dark Lord, Celtic Frost have managed to produce probably the creepiest and bleakest record of the year. Like records past, trying to pigeonhole the Celtic Frost sound is nearly impossible as they bring in different influences.

The album starts out fast and heavy with "Progeny". Tom Gabriel Fischer and Martin Ain waste no time re-establishing the the Celtic Frost name and sound. However, from this point forward, they begin to take us down a dark and spiraling path into utter despair and the end of life and there are no anti-depressants in sight. "Ground" starts to slow things down a bit and has Tom G. asking "Oh God, why have you forsaken me?". The loneliness deepens on "A Dying God Coming Into Human Flesh", a tale of a humanity dying from the inside out. Next up is "Drown in Ashes", a moody Bauhaus-like number that has Tom G. sounding like Peter Murphy on Quaaludes. This is one of the strongest tracks on the record as the angelic voice of Lisa Middlehauve sails throughout this song. Not to be outdone is "Obscured", practically a funeral dirge at the mid-point of the record, which features the operatic talents of Simone Vollenweider. Both tracks serve notice that there are in fact angels singing in Hell.

If there's a weakness to this record, it's the Triptych that closes out the record. "Totengott" is a swirl of noise that is almost unlistenable. "Synagoga Satanae" is a bit of overkill clocking in at over fourteen minutes. However, the orchestral "Winter" is the perfect way to close out the record.

Celtic Frost have clearly upped the ante for all of the old timers that are thinking about returning to the musical forefront. With brilliant lyrics and crystal clear production aided by the knob twiddling of Peter Tagtren of Hypocrisy, Celtic Frost have re-established their relevance in the world of black metal. Nobody is going to be laughing here.