Search - Celtic Frost :: Morbid Tales/Emperor's Return (NCD 003)

Black Metal Classic!

T. Smith | 04/01/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of my favorite black metal albums. If you're a fan of old Venom, this will be right up your alley."

They Screwed Up Circle of the Tyrants

Robert S. Haas | 10/23/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a killer album. The first half, or the "Morbid Tales" portion, sounds great. Great remix. But when you get to the "Emperor's Return" portion, the remix is horrible. Which sucks, because the main reason I bought this album was for the original "Circle of the Tyrants" recording. The guitars are way too low on this portion, and the vocals are almost completely drowned out. The wonderful reverb on the vocals is lost. It sounds as if he's singing under a blanket behind a closed door. I was pissed.

But I will say that I was thrilled with "Dethroned Emperor" and "Into Crypts of Rays," which sound awesome. I love the way he pronounces it "DATHroned EPAHrah!!" If they would have left the other portion alone, this would be a perfect album."

Outstanding

Metalbutt68 | New York, NY | 02/21/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Along with To Mega Therion, this record is an essential Celtic Frost classic. One can easily see how it inspired modern black, death, and doom metal but in many ways Morbid Tales is vastly superior to its progeny. The riffs are amazing, the lyrics are mysterious, dark and poetic, and the music is crushingly heavy without overreliance on speed and technicality. It still sounds unique, extreme and brutal even after so many years.



It is difficult to pick any standout tracks because the material is strong from beginning to end. There are fast and chaotic songs such as "Into The Crypts Of Rays", "Morbid Tales" and "Nocturnal Fear", doomier songs such as "Dethroned Emperor" and "Procreation (Off The Wicked)", and songs that have a great groove such as "Visions Of Mortality" and "Return To The Eve". It is interesting that the original Morbid Tales was the merger of two separate EPs because it really feels like one unified, cohesive album. It is well paced, alternating fast and slow sections very well, and you should take the time to listen to it uninterrupted.



I generally don't pay much attention to bonus tracks, but the extras on this reissue deserve a mention. This version of "Circle Of The Tyrants" is inferior to the later one, but "Visual Aggression" and "Suicidal Winds" are both pretty good songs and illustrate how their sound progressed between Morbid Tales and To Mega Therion.



I originally owned Morbid Tales on vinyl, and I am impressed by how well the remaster makes the vocals, guitar, drums and bass all stand out without putting any of them too high in the mix. I rank Morbid Tales just a shade below To Mega Therion only because I think the latter record defined their quintessential sound. In fact, Morbid Tales really does sound like the natural progression between the punk/black metal/proto-thrash that was Hellhammer and the nuclear apocalypse that was To Mega Therion-era Celtic Frost. It is strongly recommended for anyone who appreciates and wants to own a little bit of metal history.

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