Celtic Frost – Monotheist – Soundtrack to Your Suicide
CELTIC FROST
Monotheist
(Century Media/Prowling Death Records)
Performance *****
Sound *** (now my readers, you will see what it is like listening to an advance copy marred with digital beeps)
The beepless version of this review will soon be up on American Wired.
Celtic Frost have been termed >beeeeeeeeep< “the elder statesmen of innovative metal� because they were one of, if not the first band to >beeeeeeeeeep< experiment by adding elements such as orchestral music and soft >beeeeeeeep< female vocals to metal >beeeeeeeeeep< music back in the early 80s when things >beeeeeeeeep< like that just weren’t done. Maligned and >beeeeeeeeeeeeep< then beloved by critics, Celtic Frost have been pushing musical boundaries their entire career. According to bassist and founder Martin Eric Ain the main goal >beeeeeeeeep< of the band is to infuse their >beeeeeeeep< music with >beeeeeeeep< spirit. “Monotheist� did achieve that goal, projecting and eliciting pure >beeeeeeeep< emotion by dint of methods harking back to Bauhaus and other old school goth bands, as well as >beeeeeeeep< certain hardcore tendencies like repetitive >beeeeeeep< chord barrage and intensity weaved with atmospheric interludes. The disc brings a slew of different >beeeeeeeeeeeep< styles ranging from hardcore to the Cure. And the sound is tempered for that scratchy vinyl effect >and now you all know what it felt like listening to that advance copy marred with digital >beeeeeeps< . But the frightening reality about this disc is that it really makes you want to kill yourself. Bleak, cold sorrow and hopelessness permeates every track on this disc to a razor sharp depth that only the truly talented can attain. I wonder what they would accomplish with their music if they were happy. Click here for more philosophical ponderings caused by this disc.
It’s awful to think that this band lives the ‘rock star’ dream of so many and are still so painfully devoid of happiness – at least, that’s what you get from listening to this disc and a bit from speaking with Martin Eric Ain. It takes a huge amount, a HUGE amount of talent to make focused, potent music and to think what they could have done with this talent were they not so damnably miserable is even more painful.
But it comes part and parcel with their religious statements – the lyrical content is a mockery of G-d (what they term theodicy) and basically asserts worship of self (regular white-bread Satanism).
To say “Ain Elohim” (there is no G-d (chalila) is just plain silly. The first rule of philosophy is that you can’t prove a negative. And if you know you’re going to die and there is no point to existence other than worshipping yourself who could tomorrow be feast for the maggots, of course you’re miserable.
In any case, if you know anyone who should kill himself you can pipe this into his ears as he’s sleeping.
Hello,
I have just read your absurd review of the very good new Celtic Frost CD “Monotheist”. It is absurd because I think you are interpreting their music in a one-way philosophical way and you are in no way acknowledging their artistic output. If the band plays around with religious concepts like “Ain Elohim”, “Monotheist”, “Synagoga Satanae”, it is for reasons of free association. They are playing with these words as if they did not belong to anyone (as in property) and as if one could do with them what one likes. Thou Art as Thou Will. Yes, White Bread Satanism, but did you know that white bread makes the most delicious sandwiches?
If you like you can read an interview with Martin Eric Ain on the official CF Forum (www.ezboard.com) that I have written. Thank you.
Regards
Christopher
Christopher Strunz said this on June 7th, 2006 at 12:21 pm
man, you’re just peeved cause I said Satanism is white bread – I said they have a lot of talent – read it again
Metal Israel said this on June 8th, 2006 at 12:13 pm
Hey hey hey,
White Bread Satanism is all right, man.
Christopher Strunz said this on June 16th, 2006 at 1:14 am
listen
as far as i remember from my dabblings in satanism
it’s basically worship of self, of pride, etc
birthday being the most important holiday
am I mistaken?
but if I’m not –
why would one worship something that defecates? it doesn’t make sense. one car accident and you’re maggot food.
making a religion out of worshipping something so temporal is just silly to me.
Metal Israel said this on June 22nd, 2006 at 6:43 pm
satanism is about a lot of things. Worship of self is one point of what is associated with it in the famous sentence “thou art as thou will” (Crowley). it can be about the negation of Christian ideals. It is only attractive for people who are in anyway religious that is they believe in God or gods, – metaphysics. it’s heaven and hell (Benedictum). but then there is the groundshaking sentence by Engels that religion is opium for the people. What is expressed in this is that it keeps “the people” away from understanding important political issues like class structures and their power. But first this sentence is obviously quite simply against any form of drug abuse which seems at least problematic to me. Secondly Christian religion itself is about capitalistic power structure, conservatism, economics, SEXUALITY. From this perspective satanism can be a collective form of resistance against repressive norms of modern society. Even though it is often associated with madness, authority, murder and illness.
Christopher Strunz said this on June 30th, 2006 at 11:28 am
The opium came from LENIN of course.
Christopher Strunz said this on June 30th, 2006 at 4:20 pm
though laced with big words that was mad hard to follow.
what do you mean, that believe in metaphysics?
i also believe christianity is a power structure to control the plebeian – however, it doesn\’t negate that Satanism is basically about worshipping yourself.
religion being opium for the masses is a pretty statement but it still doesn\’t make it any more viable. i think its a form of religion to believe there is no purpose. lets you do whatever you want, yknow?
And the Jewish thing about it is, who said that you have everything in the world and all of your talents to do whatever you want with?
skazm said this on July 2nd, 2006 at 3:53 pm
It is definitely true that when we die, we become maggot food. Does worshiping religion makes any difference to that inevitable fate? Perhaps it can grant religious men like you a sense of security that you may enter heaven (on the assumption that there is afterlife).
Nihilism may be socially undesirable and leads to disastrous consequences, but that has nothing to do with it’s validity. It still remains a very valid and logical philosophy.
Bill said this on January 1st, 2009 at 3:30 pm
of course it’s valid, but then again, if it has the results you admit it has, who needs it?
why be sad? even without thinking of the afterlife, there is a hell of a lot of stuff to be happy about in this world, yknow?
skazm said this on January 5th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
also, I’m female
skazm said this on January 5th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
I don’t really see the big deal here with everything. When I review something I don’t sit here and complain about religious views. I actually review the damn thing! I truely think that Celtic Frost is a wonderful example of a talented band. Who cares if their lyrics had some darker subjects. Who said the world was a happy place? The reality of the matter is that yes we will all rot in the ground so we may as well appriciate ourselves and each other! Nothing wrong with a little self-worshipping it’s just the arrogance factor that may become an issue.
Frosty said this on September 21st, 2011 at 10:35 pm
fair enough, but it is my blog, y’know,
skazm said this on September 21st, 2011 at 10:42 pm