Morbid Tales
| Morbid Tales | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Celtic Frost | ||||
| Released | November 1984 | |||
| Recorded | October 8–15, 1984 | |||
| Genre | Black metal,[1] thrash metal[2] | |||
| Length |
24:51 (Europe) 32:09 (USA) | |||
| Label |
Noise (Europe) Metal Blade (USA) | |||
| Celtic Frost chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
Morbid Tales is the debut album by the Swiss extreme metal band, Celtic Frost. It was released in November 1984. It was originally released in Europe as a six-track mini-album. However, the first American release by Enigma/Metal Blade added two tracks, making Morbid Tales an LP.
Track listing
All songs written by Tom Gabriel Fischer and Martin Eric Ain, except where noted.
European version
| Side One | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Into the Crypts of Rays" (Fischer) | 4:46 |
| 2. | "Visions of Mortality" | 4:49 |
| 3. | "Procreation (Of the Wicked)" | 4:02 |
| Side Two | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 4. | "Return to the Eve" | 4:05 |
| 5. | "Danse Macabre" | 3:51 |
| 6. | "Nocturnal Fear" | 3:35 |
USA version
| Side One | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Into the Crypts of Rays" (Fischer) | 3:39 |
| 2. | "Visions of Mortality" | 4:49 |
| 3. | "Dethroned Emperor" (Fischer) (additional song) | 4:37 |
| 4. | "Morbid Tales" (additional song) | 3:29 |
| Side Two | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 5. | "Procreation (Of the Wicked)" | 4:04 |
| 6. | "Return to the Eve" | 4:07 |
| 7. | "Danse Macabre" | 3:52 |
| 8. | "Nocturnal Fear" | 3:36 |
Legacy
The thrash metal intensity of Morbid Tales had a major influence on the then-developing death metal and black metal genres. It included elements that were adopted by the pioneers of both styles. The band's bleak and dead serious fashion style was also influential, including their corpse paint face makeup.[1][2]
In the commentary for Darkthrone's album Panzerfaust, Fenriz cites this album along with Bathory's Under the Sign of the Black Mark and Vader's Necrolust as key riff inspirations.[3]
"Danse Macabre" was later sampled in the demo track "Totgetanzt" from their 2002 demo album "Prototype.[4]
Remaster
| Morbid Tales/Emperor's Return | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Compilation album by Celtic Frost | |
| Released | 1999 |
| Recorded | 1984–1985 |
| Length | 50:02 |
| Label | Noise |
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [2] |
Morbid Tales/Emperor's Return is a 1999 remastered edition of the first Celtic Frost album Morbid Tales along with the tracks from their 1985 release Emperor's Return.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Human (intro)" (Intro to "Into the Crypts of Rays"; originally joined as one track, CD reissue split this into 2 tracks) | 0:41 |
| 2. | "Into the Crypts of Rays" | 3:39 |
| 3. | "Visions of Mortality" | 4:49 |
| 4. | "Dethroned Emperor" (additional song) | 4:37 |
| 5. | "Morbid Tales" (additional song) | 3:29 |
| 6. | "Procreation (Of the Wicked)" | 4:04 |
| 7. | "Return to the Eve" | 4:07 |
| 8. | "Danse Macabre" | 3:51 |
| 9. | "Nocturnal Fear" | 3:36 |
| 10. | "Circle of the Tyrants" (additional song) | 4:27 |
| 11. | "Visual Aggression" (additional song) | 4:10 |
| 12. | "Suicidal Winds" (additional song) | 4:36 |
Credits
- Tom Gabriel Fischer – guitars, vocals
- Martin Eric Ain – bass
- Stephen Priestly – session drums
Guest musicians
- Horst Müller – additional vocals (tracks 3, 5 & 7)
- Hertha Ohling – additional vocals (track 6)
- Oswald Spengler – violin (tracks 7 & 8)
References
- 1 2 Strachan, Guy (February 2005). "Black Metal Foundations Top 20: Celtic Frost, Morbid Tales, Terrorizer #128, p.42.
- 1 2 3 4 Rivadavia, Eduardo. "((( Morbid Tales > Overview )))". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 May 2003.
With its highly focused thrash metal intensity and peculiar mix of satanic and esoteric lyrics, the album would sow the seeds of Frost's overwhelming influence in years to come.
External link in|work=(help) - ↑ Bennett, J. "DARKTHRONE – PANZERFAUST". Decibel Magazine. Retrieved 8 April 2013. External link in
|work=(help) - ↑ "Celtic Frost - Prototype - Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives". www.metal-archives.com. Retrieved 2016-06-22.