Customer Reviews

Morbid Tales / Emperor's Return

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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???

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.

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!

More than "To Mega Therion", which suffers somewhat from a bad sound, "Morbid Tales" is the ultimate Celtic Frost masterpiece. The original mini album (released about 1985) featured only 6 songs. On this CD, these have been mixed with songs from the "Emperor's Return" EP. A pity, because the "Morbid Tales" songs (Into the Crypts of Rays, Visions of Mortality, Procreation (of the Wicked), Return to the Eve, Danse Macabre and Nocturnal Fear) formed a real unity that couldn't really be improved.

Together with Motorhead's "Overkill" and Destruction's "Infernal Overkill", this "Morbid Tales" definitely has a place in my metal top 3 of all times. There is no album that mixes the brutality of metal with the avant-garde feel of industrial music so well and so uncompromisingly as this one. All tracks are great (apart from the sound collage Danse Macabre perhaps), most are fantastic, and Procreation (of the wicked) is probably CF's best song ever.

Other legendary black metal bands like Venom, Bathory and Mercyful Fate surely produced some fabulous stuff, but things never got any darker, dirtier or more grinding than on "Morbid Tales".

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.

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

Do you ou really need a review of this?
Shame on anyone who doesn't have this already!

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.

This is the first cd i bought of celtic frost and i freaking love it. the only thing i wish i could change would be why didn't i get this cd sooner. JUST DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND GET IT NOW IF YOU DONT ALREADY HAVE IT.

After reading the guide to Death Metal on this site I was saddened that Morbid Tales wasn't listed. This very album was the start of my Death trip when I was but small lad. I began listening to Black Sabbath at the age of 6 thanks to my older brother and just when I thought nothing could be heavier, Morbid Tales was released. Mucho thanks to Tom and Co. for pointing me in the right direction. This is not music for fans of Limp B. or any crap like that, although having a listen to Celtic Frost might be good for ya so you can see what heavy music is supposed to sound like!!!!!!!! For anyone wanting to get into Death Metal this is a perfect starting point.