Then, let us dig into this piece of plastic and dissect it as suited. First of all I must speak out against the use of beeps to prevent illegal copies being made which is extremely annoying and they are very lucky that I review this one at all, I usually don't. "Monotheist" actually promotes a scent of sentimentality in me because they have embraced almost every single element that characterizes Celtic Frost on this album. The slow, grinding riffs of the highly atmospheric song "A Dying God Coming Into Human Flesh" will take the experienced listener back in time to where extreme metal was but a mere baby in the cradle. It is dark and sinister in a way completely different from most other bands. The semi-gothic "Drown In Ashes" features suggestive and dreamy female vocals side by side with Tom's melodic spoken word performance.

Altogether I must say that I was positively surprised by "Monotheist" as I did not expect the band to be able to pull it together after such a long absence from the metal scene but I guess the spirit never dies. However, while they have always looked forward in the past, this time it feels more as if they are looking back instead, not at others but at themselves. The most interesting question now is what their next step will be?

written by Vincent Eldefors

Playing time: 68.20