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In the minds of many, Celtic Frost's Death Metal opuses To Mega Therion and Into the Pandemonium are two of the greatest Metal albums of all time. They're certainly impressive work for a three piece, even if they sound a touch overdramatic today. The weird operatic falsettos, cavernous percussion and sci-fi prog-isms of these records haven't aged gracefully, but in terms of influence they easily rank with the Possessed's Seven Churches and Slayer's Reign in Blood. Much to the horror of fans, the band strayed into the flowery fields of Pop Metal during the late '80s. Cold Lake has the feel of a simple makeover that went terribly wrong, inadvertently gelding the band. The mom-approved Metal of "Cherry Orchards" was only a long, curly hair better than the Wonder Bread rock of Whitesnake. Fortunately, subsequent efforts saw the band reasserting their claim to the blackened Death Metal throne, giving the story a happy ending after all. A mismatched platypus of a record, Parched With Thirst Am I and Dying: 1984-1992 captures the band in all its topsy-turvy glory. |