Celtic Frost - Into The Pandemonium (1987)

Only Celtic Frost could come up with an album as unpredictable as this. After the primal 'Morbid Tales' and ominous 'To Mega Therion' the three-piece some how come up with this macabre yet avant-garde masterpiece that blows thrash metal out of the water.
Despite the likes of U.S. monsters Slayer, Metallica, Anthrax and Megadeth releasing classic thrash records, the European competition remained far more enterprising consisting of a number of bands who remained extremely original with their sound. Kreator, Coroner, Voivod and Celtic Frost were certainly at times raw and thrashy and their technical ability second to none, but these bands also had an eye for the unpredictable whether it meant conjuring up screaming punk, tribal seething or in the case of 'Into The Pandemonium', everything from warped rock to dance-grooved oddness.
CF will always go down as one of the most diverse and innovative bands of all time and this record certainly could have alienated many of their fans. Opening track, a cover version, is the freakish 'Mexican Radio', extremely catchy but surely not a Frost track ?! Well, listen to the clubby 'One In Their Pride' and ask yourself again, how can a deathly thrash act release such an absurd outing ? Easy. CF have no limits or boundaries and still manage to fuse their experimental expressions into their dark and sinister style of heavy metal. This of course is actually made simpler by warrior's warped vocal growls which twist and turn in between the riffs.
This is a genuinely odd record, like so many other Celtic Frost records, in fact they get away with murder here, throwing in some incredibly eerie female vocalisations, namely 'I Won't dance', as well as other haunting atmospheres, 'Tristesses De La Lune', making this record an uncomfortable ride for some.
However, anyone expecting the CF ride to be smooth must surely be mistaken because these guys carved themselves a niche and to this day remain symbolic within the genre and true cult innovators who have no peers.
'into The Pandemonium' is a classic record wrapped in a sinister and bleak sleeve. You'd be a fool to miss out on this treasure trove of nightmarish vision.
8.5./10