Monotheist

Monotheist
Album info
Release	29 May 2006
Recorded	2002-2005
Genre	Doom metal, gothic metal, black metal, death metal, thrash metal
Length	68:16
Label	Century Media
Producer	Celtic Frost and Peter Tägtgren

Monotheist is the sixth and, according to band members, final studio album by the Swiss heavy metal band Celtic Frost. The album was released in May 2006 and was the first new recording released by the band for fourteen years.

Development

Preparation and development work for the project had been ongoing since 2000. The first recording sessions for the album started in late October 2002. The band consisted of founding members Martin Eric Ain (bass/vocals) and Tom Gabriel Fischer (voice/guitars/keyboards), along with guitarist/producer Erol Unala, Fischer's long-time songwriting partner. Unala became an increasingly significant part of Celtic Frost during the songwriting.

Working titles for the album included Probe and Dark Matter Manifest.

Music

Celtic Frost's earlier work melded elements of thrash metal and black metal. However, the sound of Monotheist has been described as heavier and darker, more akin to doom metal and gothic metal.

According to Ain and Fischer, some of the lyrics were influenced by the writings of the English occultist Aleister Crowley. This influence manifests itself in tracks such as "Os Abysmi Vel Daath", which is partially a name of one of Crowley's books.

Release

Monotheist was released on CD, LP and as a digipak with a bonus track called "Temple of Depression". Both the vinyl LP version and the Japanese CD release of Monotheist feature the bonus track "Incantation Against You".

A video was made for the song "A Dying God Coming into Human Flesh".

The album was ranked number 2 on Terrorizer's list of the best albums of the decade.

Track listing

#	Track title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"Progeny"	Fischer	Ain, Fischer, Sesa	5:01
2.	"Ground"	Fischer	Fischer, Unala	3:55
3.	"A Dying God Coming into Human Flesh"	Ain	Ain, Fischer, Unala	5:39
4.	"Drown in Ashes"	Fischer	Fischer	4:23
5.	"Os Abysmi Vel Daath"	Ain, Fischer	Ain, Fischer, Sesa, Unala	6:41
6.	"Temple of Depression" (Limited edition digipack bonus track)	Fischer	Ain, Fischer, Unala	4:59
7.	"Obscured"	Ain, Fischer, Unala	Ain, Fischer, Unala	7:04
8.	"Incantation Against You" (Japanese version and vinyl LP bonus track)	Ain	Ain, Vollenweider	5:06
9.	"Domain of Decay"	Fischer	Ain, Fischer, Unala	4:38
10.	"Ain Elohim"	Ain	Ain, Fischer, Sesa, Unala	7:33
11.	"Triptych: I. Totengott"	Ain	Fischer	4:27
12.	"Triptych: II. Synagoga Satanae"	Ain	Ain, Fischer, Sesa	14:24
13.	"Triptych: III. Winter (Requiem, Chapter Three: Finale)"	(instrumental)	Fischer	4:32

Personnel

• Tom Gabriel "Warrior" Fischer: voice, guitars, arrangements, programming
• Martin Eric Ain: bass, lead and backing vocals (most vocals on "A Dying God Coming into Human Flesh", all vocals on "Triptych I: Totengott", and spoken parts on "Triptych II: Synagoga Satanae"), and executive producer of album
• Erol Unala: guitars, engineer, additional programming on "Temple of Depression"
• Franco Sesa: drums
• Lisa Middelhauve (Xandria): guest vocals on "Drown in Ashes"
• Ravn (1349): backing vocals in final chorus of "Temple of Depression"
• Simone Vollenweider: guest backing vocals on "Temple of Depression", additional vocals on "Obscured", and lead vocals on "Incantation Against You"
• Satyr (Satyricon): brief segment of lead vocals on "Triptych II: Synagoga Satanae"
• Peter Tägtgren: backing vocals on "Triptych II: Synagoga Satanae" and co-producer of album
• Walter J.W. Schmid: engineering, mixing, mastering
• Phillip Schweidler: engineering, mixing

External links

• "The Great Beast Resurrected" – article in PopMatters covering the band’s comeback and an early review of the album