Search - Celtic Frost :: Monotheist

Not your old Celtic Frost... and that's too bad

Metalbutt68 | New York, NY | 02/25/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As a longtime fan of Celtic Frost, no one was more excited than I was when they released Monotheist in May 2006 after a prolonged hiatus. It has taken me almost four years to review this album because I did not want to base my opinions on first impressions. Morbid Tales and To Mega Therion were difficult for me to listen to in 1986 due to how heavy and extreme they were for their time. The ensuing years, however, have allowed me to realize how brilliant those records were and how well they continue to hold up even after generations of bands have come and gone.



My love for Celtic Frost is what made it so hard for me to give Monotheist anything less than a 5 star review. The album starts off well by opening with "Progeny", a heavy, pummeling track with a simple but effective riff. "Ground" is solid and "Domain Of Decay" and "Ain Elohim" are angry, aggressive, thrashy songs that remind the listener of the glory that was old Celtic Frost.



Unfortunately, for those who like that style of music there is not enough for you to enjoy. The remainder of the record is slow, droning, and more than a little boring. Most of the songs are too repetitive, drag out too long, and lack breakdowns or solos to break the monotony. You will feel like falling asleep during the middle of the album, "Os Abysmi vel Daath" and "Obscured". "Synagoga Satanae" starts brilliantly but begins to run out of steam and ideas at about the 6 minute mark. It would have been a far more effective song at a length of 8 or 9 minutes than at its actual length of over 14. The album ends with a string instrumental, which kills any momentum that was built from the previous track and left a less than satisfying final impression for me.



Early Celtic Frost was a unique blend of black, death, thrash, and doom metal. When I bought Monotheist, I was not expecting To Mega Therion II because I know that Tom G. Warrior likes to experiment and is too much of an artist to stick to a formula. But I think he departed a little too far from his roots on Monotheist, which is almost as goth as it is metal. There are few memorable riffs, surprising when you consider that Warrior occupies the same rarified air as Tony Iommi when it comes to riff-writing. The guitars are loud but the tone lacked the richness and depth they once achieved before the digital age. The drums sounded a little low in the mix. Warrior's vocals are excellent until he abandons his trademark death growl and actually tries to sing, such as on "Drown In Ashes" and "Obscured".



As a longtime Celtic Frost fan, I am glad that they are receiving long overdue accolades. Yet I am more than a little surprised at the praise that Monotheist has received. Old schoolers like me will still want to own this because it is a dark, heavy record punctuated by sections of all-out headbanging brutality. But overall it is slow and ponderous, too repetitious, and at about 70 minutes is just too long to listen to during one sitting. Sometimes less is more.

"