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Well, isn't this an interesting little album. It's simple, heavy, raw, primitive, dark, gloomy, but at the same time, beautiful, unique, emotional, powerful and atmospheric, thanks to experimentations with classical instruments and opera singers. These adjectives aren't seen together very often, and that right there shows how special this album is. "Into The Pandemonium" is the quintessential Celtic Frost album in terms of mood, but also because this is where all of the band's experimenting came together, where on previous albums, they were shown only in small doses, usually for atmospheric effect.
The band shows off their gloomy classical side with "Tristesses de la Lune", "Rex Irae (Requiem)" (both include a female singer, with the former being sung completely by a female, and in French) and "Oriental Masquerade", which is just a short, but interesting little number. The band still keeps their primitive, heavy as hell metal songs that are comparible to getting a sledgehammer to the head, but some of them have been added a little something to make it more than just a simple musical sledgehammer to the head. "Caress Into Oblivion" has a chanting monk, praying arab, whatever he is, at the beginning and tribal instruments in the background for some of the song. "Mesmerized" and especially "Sorrows Of The Moon" (which is a total metal version of "Tristesses de la Lune", this time with Tom G. Warrior on vocals) play with atmosphere to nice effect, while "I Won't Dance(The Elder's Orient)" includes R&B background singers to the mix.
This album also includes a very heavy version of new wavers Wall Of Voodoo's "Mexican Radio"! But not to worry people, the no-frills, simple but sweet headbangers are here as well and very well-represented by "Inner Sanctum" and "Babylon Fell". Hell, the band even experimented with electronic influences and sampling, with "One In Their Pride (Porthole Mix)" and "One In Their Pride (Extended Mix)". Which brings me to a big downfall to this album. Sometimes, it seems the band tries a bit TOO HARD to be avant-garde, and some of those experiments end up being just filler. Tom Gabriel Warrior's vocals can also be considered both a good thing and bad thing. Not only does he experiment with Frost's sound, but he also toys with his vocals, alternating from his signature shout/growl to a very depressing, weepy, melancholy type of moan, that at times works, but at other times, just doesn't. Sometimes you'd be tempted to scream at him, "GROWL, Damn it!!!" And the other downside is the lack of much thrash here. On the previous albums before this, there was a very primitive thrash side to them, but here, the experimentations and doomy, moody metal rocks take over. But, it does add a sort of elegance, sophistication that only showed up once in a blue moon in the other albums. So, after paving the way for black metal with their previous albums (especially the second album, the amazing, "To Mega Therion"), "Into The Pandemonium" puts extra focus on their signature dark atmosphere with an album full of weird, gutsy, experiments that have varying results, but they do it without alienating their fans for the most part, which is what they would do, however, with their next album, 'Cold Lake', with it's more traditional metal (it's not GLAM, damn it!!!) sound and pictures of the band all glammed up. This is a very unique and groundbreaking album that is worth looking into.
| Tracklist |
| 1. Mexican Radio |
| 2. Mesmerized |
| 3. Inner Sanctum |
| 4. Tristesses De La Lune |
| 5. Babylon Fell |
| 6. Caress Into Oblivion |
| 7. One In Their Pride (porthole Mix) |
| 8. I Won't Dance |
| 9. Sorrows Of The Moon |
| 10. Rex Irae (Requiem) |
| 11. Oriental Masquerade |
| 12. One In Their Pride (extended Mix) |
: 48.05
| Buy other Celtic Frost albums |
