Monotheist (album)

Last updated

Monotheist
CelticFrost Monotheist.jpg
Studio album by
Released29 May 2006
Recorded2002–2005
Studio
Various
  • Horus Sound Studio, Hanover, Germany
  • Oakland Recording, Winterthur, Switzerland
  • Celtic Frost Bunker, Zurich, Switzerland
  • Apollyon Sun Bunker, Zurich, Switzerland
  • Department of Noize, Kilchberg, Switzerland
  • FSK-18, Winterthur, Switzerland
  • Transmutation, Thalwil, Switzerland
Genre
Length68:16
Label Century Media
Producer
Celtic Frost chronology
Parched with Thirst Am I and Dying
(1992)
Monotheist
(2006)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Blabbermouth 8/10 [1]
SputnikmusicStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [5]
Metal Storm90% [6]
Metal UndergroundStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [7]
Scene Point Blank9/10 [8]
Metal CryptStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
The Art of Blasphemy98% [10]
Sea of TranquillityStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [11]
Storm Bringer (GER)Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [12]
Metal Temple8/10 [13]
Metalfan (NL)80% [14]
Metal1 (GER)10/10 [15]
Power Metal (GER)8.6/10 [16]
El Portal del MetalStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [17]
Chronicles of Chaos8/10 [18]
Ox Fazine (GER)10/10 [19]
Metal.de (GER)9/10 [20]
Media AssaultStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [21]
Metal Music ArchivesStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [22]
Truemetal (IT)93% [23]
Metal Reviews66% [24]
Aux Portes du Metal64% [25]
Metalitalia (IT)6.5/10 [26]

Monotheist is the sixth and final studio album by the Swiss extreme metal band Celtic Frost. The album was released in May 2006 and was the first new recording released by the band in 16 years. Upon its release, the album was met with universal acclaim by music critics.

Contents

Development

Preparation and development work for the project had been ongoing since 2000. The first recording sessions for the album started in late October 2002. The band consisted of founding members Martin Eric Ain (bass/vocals) and Tom Gabriel Fischer (voice/guitars/keyboards), along with guitarist/producer Erol Unala, Fischer's long-time songwriting partner. Unala became an increasingly significant part of Celtic Frost during the songwriting. [27] Working titles for the album included Probe and Dark Matter Manifest. [28] [29]

"Obscured" comes from the demo track "November" from the 2002 demo album "Prototype".

"Drown in Ashes" uses lyrics from the demo track "The Dying I".

Music

Celtic Frost's earlier work melded elements of thrash metal and black metal. The sound of Monotheist has been described as difficult to reduce to specifics, as the songs vary from doom metal to "blackened thrash" to gothic metal to symphonic metal. [4] The result is a wide-ranging but very dark heavy metal experience. [30] [31] Don Kaye of Blabbermouth called it "a monstrously heavy and oppressive slab of metal" which goes "into even heavier, blacker territory" than previous albums. [1] Adrien Begrand of PopMatters said that the album was nearly a masterpiece of "brutally heavy" metal, "completely devoid of light". [30] Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic noted more subtle touches such as the "instantaneously infectious melody" of "A Dying God Coming into Human Flesh", and the "haunting female voices" heard in duet with bandleader Tom Warrior on "Drown in Ashes". [4]

According to Fischer, [32] some of the lyrics were influenced by the writings of the English occultist Aleister Crowley. [32] This influence manifests itself in tracks such as "Os Abysmi Vel Daath", which is the partial name of one of Crowley's books. [30] [31] [33]

Release

Monotheist was released on CD and LP. A limited edition digipak featured the bonus track "Temple of Depression". Both the vinyl LP version and the Japanese CD release of Monotheist feature the bonus track "Incantation Against You".

A video was made for the song "A Dying God Coming into Human Flesh".

The album was ranked number 2 on Terrorizer 's list of the best albums of the decade. [34]

Track listing

No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Progeny"FischerAin, Fischer, Sesa5:01
2."Ground"FischerFischer, Unala3:55
3."A Dying God Coming into Human Flesh"AinAin, Fischer, Unala5:39
4."Drown in Ashes"FischerFischer4:23
5."Os Abysmi Vel Daath"Ain, FischerAin, Fischer, Sesa, Unala6:41
6."Temple of Depression" (limited edition digipak bonus track)FischerAin, Fischer, Unala4:59
7."Obscured"Ain, Fischer, UnalaAin, Fischer, Unala7:04
8."Incantation Against You" (Japanese version and vinyl LP bonus track)AinAin, Vollenweider5:06
9."Domain of Decay"FischerAin, Fischer, Unala4:38
10."Ain Elohim"AinAin, Fischer, Sesa, Unala7:33
11."Triptych: I. Totengott"AinFischer4:27
12."Triptych: II. Synagoga Satanae"AinAin, Fischer, Sesa14:24
13."Triptych: III. Winter (Requiem, Chapter Three: Finale)"(instrumental)Fischer4:32

Credits

Session musicians

Charts

Chart (2006)Peak
position
French Albums (SNEP) [35] 194
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [36] 67
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [37] 41

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References

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