Into the Pandemonium Celtic Frost

After Celtic Frost's classic first two studio full-lengths, the band changed their direction from the Black Metal / Thrash Metal genres into Gothic Metal and Avant-garde Metal, this turned into a huge success to some but for others it changed dramatically. With the band adding in some great and amazing tracks and some disappointing songs, these included the great cover of Wall of Voodoo's "Mexican Radio", "Inner Sanctum", "Babylon Fell", "Caress into Oblivion", and the other classic "Mesmerized", but songs such as "Tristesses de la Lune", and "I Won't Dance" lack the album's consistence.

Overall, a great effort filled with some amazing tracks and an excellent production! Into the Pandemonium is CF at their finest quality!

Recommended tracks:
"Mexican Radio", "Mesmerized", "Inner Sanctum", "One in Their Pride"

Favorite Tracks: 2. Mesmerized 4. Tristtesses de la Lune 8. I Won't Dance(The Elder's Orient) 9. Sorrows of the Moon 10. Rex Irae (Requiem)

After the pionnerism showed in the two first albums(blackened thrash), Celtic Frost had decided to explore different ways of sound, with minimal resembles of the past albums. This album are, surelly, one of the less consistents of the band, but the mad musical trip are garanted, for sure.
Listen with discretion, and you may find some interesting gems and rewards.

The term “pandemonium” means, literally, “wild and noisy disorder or confusion”. Probably, this is the rightest term to describe Celtic Frost’s third album, even its loudness comes out more regarding consistence than volume. Once recognized as a pseudo-epic Black/Death Metal band who sounded wild, carefree and hard to follow, suddenly they came to an halt and went up sounding the complete opposite. Lack of interest in the band’s continuation had been spread, as Thomas Gabriel Fischer apparently was being confused by other contemporary musical trends and scenes and transformed his band into his own dictatorial musical project, on which he could say what he wanted to say without the fear of being contradicted.

The disgrace that is Into the Pandemonium sees Fischer trying to show the listener what he learned from Post-Punk and the “Intellctual Rock” of Wire, Bauhaus and Gang of Four to one side and to deliver some To Mega Therion outtakes and lesser material in general (“Inner Sanctum”, “Mesmerized”, “Caress into Oblivion (Jade Serpent II)”) stretched and made inoffensive to the point it comes out as third-hand Metallica worship. It’s very hard to find an album that falters on both sides like this. Worse, most of the remaining tracks show a severe dose of poker-faced “experimentalism”, as Fischer decides to delve into instrumental filler (“Oriental Masquerade”), questionable covers (“In the Chapel, in the Moonlight” and “Mexican Radio”) and (eeeeek!) drum-machine-led Dub floor-filler (“One in Their Pride”), pseudo-Symphonic theatrical momentary interludes (“Sorrows of the Moon”/”Tristesse de la Lune”) and Phantom of the Opera-like pseudo-Gothic duets (“Rex Irae (Requiem))”, not to count the senseless addition of fake strings in some of the rockers. The reason of all of this is still unknown.

We’ve always known that Fischer has always had perverse tastes in everything, but this is just too much: this album is all glam and presentation and no substance. To be honest, “I Won’t Dance (The Elder’s Orient)” is an exhilarating fake Funk Metal workout with female Soul choirs in the chorus (“The Inevitable Factor” is a mere inferior replica made in two versions). But one track alone isn’t definitely the reason of buying this whole pointless album: rather, it adds up even more to the reason to throw this album into the dustbin. Despicable like very few albums in the world.

Highlights: “Inner Sanctum”, "Babylon Fell (Jade Serpent)", “I Won’t Dance (The Elder’s Orient)” .