Lost/Forgotten Album #271

[Jon]

So..............

"Darktoberfest", huh?

Well, I just had to find something that would darken Darktoberfest and then run it over with a Yugo, reverse, run it over again, pick it up, drop it into a NutriBullet, light it on fire, run over it with a lawnmower, microwave it for 90 minutes, puree, slice, dice and shred and then, for the final agony, sit it in front of the tv and force it to watch reality shows. 

You know, something nice for the kiddies to listen to while begging for candy. Turn of all the lights (except for the porch light, have to make sure they know you're home) and when the doorbell rings, slowly open the door with this album playing quite loudly in the background. You'll be the toast and envy of the neighborhood.

For those curious, this year's Halloween pick is the 1985 release from Celtic Frost, "To Mega Therion". I guess I could have planned this better and featured this as an anniversary album. Oh, well.

The biography on allmusic.com is quite long and detailed and I don't think anyone is interested in reading that, so we'll cheat and only include the allmusic.com album review. This also helps me out since I have better things to do. 

The bombastic "Innocence and Wrath" starts To Mega Therion off on just the appropriate note -- Wagnerian horn lines, booming drums, and a slow crunch toward apocalypse. Nobody can say Tom Warrior and his merry men don't know how to make the end of the world sound appropriately dramatic. With that setting the tone, it's into the maddeningly wild and woolly Celtic Frost universe full bore, Warrior roaring out his vocals with glee and a wicked smile while never resorting to self-parodic castrato wails. "The Usurper" alone is worth the price of admission, an awesome display of Warrior's knack around brute power and unexpectedly memorable riffs. It isn't so much headbanging as body-slamming that Celtic Frost are after here. While there's not a lot of variety throughout Therion -- everything is mostly as already indicated, big, loud, and invoking death and storm clouds conjured up by pagan gods -- what does crop up outside the formula makes a good experience even better. Mostly that's got to do with the subtle touches the band buries in the mix -- wailing noises, chanting choirs, and more than once an actual sense of space and echo, like the group is really thundering down from the Alps. The contrast of a brief operatic aria and groaning demon voice behind Warrior on "Circle of the Tyrants," right before leading into a mind-blowingly powerful full-on band assault, is one such prime moment. Other prime cuts in general include the perfectly titled "Dawn of Megiddo" -- can't get any better than that, really! -- the shadowy instrumental mood-out "Tears in a Prophet's Dream," and "Eternal Summer," which makes such a prospect seem like the last thing on earth one would want. Ending on another prime note, the hyperdramatic "Necromantical Screams," To Mega Therion is and remains death metal at its finest.

Interesting note: This album, even though it's 30 years old, is currently ranked #57 on Amazon's Heavy Metal > Death Metal chart. Is it a Halloween thing?

To Mega Therion

1. Innocence And Wrath
2. Usurper
3. Jewel Throne
4. Dawn Of Meggido
5. Eternal Summer
6. Circle Of The Tyrants
7. Beyond The North Winds
8. Fainted Eyes
9. Tears In A Prophet's Dream
10. Necromantical Screams
11. Return To The Eve

Availability: New for around $10.

 

[RJhog (Admin)]

Man, that was absolutely the worst excuse for  musical artistry that I have ever heard.  There is really no positive spin I can put on this.  The vocals and vocal style are horrible.  I just don't see how anyone could like this.  The music isn't much better.  Every song sounds the same.  I really do try to find something positive in everything that is posted on this site. But this time you have stumped me bro.

I will say that I can see your suggestion of having it playing loud when you open the door for trick-or-treaters would work pretty well.  Side story:  In the past, since I've known my wife, we have gone over to her parents house for Halloween night.  Her dad dresses in coveralls and a mask and cranks his chainsaw (with the chain removed) as he runs out of his front door.  Kids love it.  They remember it from year to year.  Anyway, down the street a ways, there's a dude that opens his garage and blasts metal music.  So you walk by and that's all you can here.  And he sits there and hands out candy.  So my point is that this album would probably work well in that situation.  And it made me think that I need to borrow her dad's idea for my own neighborhood during our block party.  I won't do it this year because I have to work in the morning and I'm on call.  But next year I might just give it a try (of course, I'll have to see if this album is still active or find it on Spotify cause I damn sure ain't buying it).

[Scott]

[Jon]

[Scott]

[Jon]

[Scott]

So I'm listening to this in the spirit of the post, and that's to be a scary dark album, you know, like the ones I should've posted!

Success!  Its darker and scarier... In searching for words to describe this success, I've come up with the following...

• Cookie Monster
• Frenetic
• Anxious
• Doom
• Devil
• Arma-NOT-geddon-it!

Its always nice to think of Meggido, especially biblically.  Brings such joy to the mood.  Even though I cant understand a word its , uhh..., singing, I still know the dread of the topic.  WERE ALL GONNA DIE PAINFULLY UNLESS WE DIE BEFORE THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON, and how great would that be!?  But then there's the hope to be found in Eternal Summer, which may be the hopeful ballad it was intended to be once given a chance. Or maybe its the notion of burning eternally.  Either way! Its awesome when considering the theme.  And so it goes until we get to the tear jerking Tears In A Prophets Dream.  A reflective instrumental designed to make us think about what were doing and how it impacts those who have our best interests at heart! 

Then there's the musical aspect of this, and in looking for redeeming qualities and melodic goodness, I found NONE!  Not a note!  But then again, you knew that before posting it ...  Will I buy this?  Lets just say, maybe I will if I wanna scare the snot out of the little children trick or treating in my neighborhood.  But then again isn't that the point?