I am a long time Celtic Frost fan and have followed the band’s musical progress through thick and thin. Some have said that Cold Lake (1988) was an abomination, but I beg to differ. It was Tom’s penchant for improvement that brought about the stylistic change for that release, and Thomas Gabriel Warrior was never one to rest on his laurels. I admire his willingness to change up the format of his band on every single release.
When he reunited with Martin Ain in 2006, the band was reinvigorated with a darker and doomier sound on Monotheist. It blew my ears off and all my hopes were raised by the prospect of further Frost records. Unfortunately that was not the case, after Tom and Martin had a bitter split, forcing Warrior to disband the band permanently and start a new outfit called Triptykon.
I would say the initial Triptykon release proved without a shadow of a doubt the true moribund spirit of Thomas Gabriel Warrior. The album was filled with such colossal despair and over-wrought compositions so potent that it would leave you depressed for days after each listen. Now how’s that for leaving a mark on his fans eh? Well this is only the tip of the iceberg, now that he’s returned with the band’s sophomore release.
The album is entitled Melena Chasmata which translates into – black, deep depressions/valleys – so you know you are in for a cathartic journey with this new beast. The opening number “Tree of Suffocating Souls” begins with Tom’s trademark “Oooh” and then blasts away like a man agonizing over demonic possession. The vocals are a treat here, often going from shouts to shrilling tones and back again to calming talkative-like singing. The riffs are razor sharp and this is a song that later period Frost fans will dig. The next few songs – “Boleskine House”, “Altar of Deciet” and “Breathing” all exhibit a pattern of multi-layered vocals, heavy riffs and some very epic drumming from Norman Lonhard.
The one thing you will notice about half-way through is how effortlessly the songs blend together, despite the length of most. The agonizing tones start to become almost hypnotic and the snake-like riffs seep into the heart of the later tracks. My favorite song “In the Sleep of Death” is a real gut-wrenching number, once Tom applies his tortured sounding vocals into the mix. The number following this is “Black Snow” and it pulls no punches when clocking in at an astounding twelve minutes. The composition encompasses everything we have been discussing in this review into one song that I thoroughly enjoyed, despite the length.
I think it is safe to say that Thomas Warrior is at the height of his creative prowess with this release. In fact this may be his crowning moment when all is said and done. Melena Chasmata is more focused than its predecessor, exhibiting no filler and improving upon the template of gothic/doom/death and black metal. Long-time Frost fans should pay attention to this one because I feel Tom has arrived at a career defining moment.
Kenneth Gallant, Editor HMS
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