| Monotheist | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Celtic Frost |
| Cover: | CelticFrost Monotheist.jpg |
| Released: | 29 May 2006 |
| Recorded: | 2002–2005 |
| Length: | 68:16 |
| Label: | Century Media |
| Prev Title: | Parched with Thirst Am I and Dying |
| Prev Year: | 1992 |
Monotheist is the sixth and final studio album by the Swiss extreme metal band Celtic Frost. Released in May 2006, it marked the band's first new recording in 16 years. Upon its release, the album received universal acclaim from music critics.
Preparation and development for the project began in 2000. The first recording sessions for the album commenced in late October 2002. The band comprised founding members Martin Eric Ain (bass/vocals) and Tom Gabriel Fischer (vocals/guitars/keyboards), alongside guitarist and producer Erol Unala, who was Fischer's long-time songwriting partner. Unala became an increasingly significant contributor to Celtic Frost during the songwriting process.[1] Working titles for the album included Probe and Dark Matter Manifest.[2] [3]
"Obscured" is derived from the demo track "November," which appeared on the 2002 demo album "Prototype."
"Drown in Ashes" features lyrics from the demo track "The Dying I."
Celtic Frost's earlier work blended elements of thrash metal and black metal. The sound of Monotheist has been characterized as challenging to define, as the songs range from doom metal to "blackened thrash" to gothic metal to symphonic metal. The result is a diverse yet profoundly dark heavy metal experience. Don Kaye of Blabbermouth described it as "a monstrously heavy and oppressive slab of metal," venturing "into even heavier, blacker territory" than previous albums. Adrien Begrand of PopMatters remarked that the album approaches a masterpiece of "brutally heavy" metal, "completely devoid of light." Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic highlighted more nuanced elements, such as the "instantaneously infectious melody" of "A Dying God Coming into Human Flesh" and the "haunting female voices" that duet with bandleader Tom Warrior on "Drown in Ashes."
According to Fischer,[4]
Monotheist was released on both CD and LP formats. A limited edition digipak included the bonus track "Temple of Depression." Both the vinyl LP version and the Japanese CD release of Monotheist featured the bonus track "Incantation Against You."
A music video was created for the song "A Dying God Coming into Human Flesh."
The album received overwhelmingly positive reviews and is widely regarded as a triumphant comeback for the band. Blabbermouth awarded the record an 8/10, stating,
The album was ranked number 2 on Terrorizers list of the best albums of the decade.[7]