Morbid Tales / Emperor's Return [Original recording remastered]

Celtic Frost | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 7, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Noise
• ASIN: B00000897X
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #39,892 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #7 in Music > World Music > Europe > Continental Europe > Switzerland

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely influential extreme metal classic, June 28, 2006

By 

Big J Moreno "Mills" (Naples, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Morbid Tales / Emperor's Return (Audio CD)

In 1984 while much of the world was headbanging to the likes of Ride the Lightning, Powerslave, and even stuff like Quiet Riot there were a smaller group of people getting into the much more evil Celtic Frost. This along with the CF precursor band Hellhammer, Mercyful Fate, and Bathory were laying down the foundation for black metal and the other extreme metal styles that were still coming into being. In 1984 all three of these bands made influential and groundbreaking releases. What really sets this one in particular apart was CF's ultimate guitar tone from Hell, their doomy/sludgy/thrashy riffs were unlike any other. Tom G Warrior's (isn't such a cool stage name?) voice was also quite unique, his deeper more guttural voice coupled with his heavy accent adds an evil touch to the songs that no one else really had at the time. Quorthon and King Diamond had much higher pitched vocals yet still unrelentingly evil as well.

As for the actual songs, they're filled with occult themes and those proto-doom/thrash/black metal riffs. If speed's what you're looking for check out the opener "Into the Crypts of Rays", the title track, and Nocturnal Fear leave you headbanging into rigor mortis. If you're looking for doom and gloom we have that too! Listen to Visions of Mortality and Procreation of the Wicked. There's even more midpaced songs like Return of the Eve and Dethroned Emperor to satisfy all your cravings. WAIT A SEC! This album also contains perhaps the creepiest soundscape ever in Danse Macabre, I'm not even going to bother describing it you just have to hear it to believe it, words couldn't do justice. Yes it's true these three guys might not be the most talented "technically proficient" (that phrase is overused) guys in the biz but they still managed to churn out a f*cking classic. This is just another reason technicality is sometimes overrated if you ask me. I know this is a big hit with the older group of metal fans and with damn good reason too, and with people like me spreading the good word it should be liked and appreciated by my generation as well.

If you like this and are interested in more of the roots of extreme metal pick up basically all the stuff that's listed in the "customers who bought this cd also bought..." section up above. I leave you asking this very important question-

ARE YOU MORBID???

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ahhhhhh..........The Old School........., November 3, 2005

By 

James M. Mulkern "Morbid Death" (Dobbs Ferry, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Morbid Tales / Emperor's Return (Audio CD)

I remember when I was a kid and I traveled by bus with the flu just to pick this up. Theres so much extreme/black/death, etc. metal around today, which is great, but theres some things that just bring back memories. This is where it all started. Same with Possessed, Bathory, etc. None of this stuff was really around then and to hear something so different than the run-of-the mill metal was incredible. This is what "old school" death metal is all about. Today's extreme metal is "corpse paint", "blast beats", etc, and I love it, but please check out some of this old school black/death metal....It's just as sick. "Morbid Tales" is a true classic.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is where it all started..., November 26, 2006

By 

Michael Tobey "Caeros" (Branford, CT United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Morbid Tales / Emperor's Return (Audio CD)

Everyone from Napalm Death to Darkthrone to Goatwhore nabbed riffs from this masterpiece, and as a result we're all better off. Despite Tom G's bizzare (if charming and aggressive) vocals, this album remains as timeless and punishing as the day it was first pressed to vinyl as a 6-song MLP. The more time I spend talking about this album, the less time is spent listening to it, so I'm going to end this now and turn on Morbid Tales!