Search - Celtic Frost :: Cold Lake

Frost's most unusual album

Burritoman "USA" | Pennsylvania | 09/17/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Celtic Frost had established themselves as Europe's preeminent
extreme metal band with such classic releases as "Morbid Tales"
and "Into The Pandemonium", and so their fans were shocked
when the revamped band issued this in 1989.
Why? The music was suddenly light thrash with more than a slight
passing resemblance to forgettable sleaze metal acts. Even worse
were the cover photos of Warrior and crew sporting teased hair
and inane Poison-type garb. "Sellout" was the universal cry from
the metal underground while the pop-metal marketplace was far
from impressed. Celtic Frost never recovered from the fallout,
at least during their existence.
So, all these years later and with the benefit of hindsight, how
does "Cold Lake" sound? Not bad; in fact, pretty damned good.
Take away the ridiculous image makeover, forget Frost's prior
releases (and certainly erase all memories of their savage
beginning as Hellhammer) and what you have is a surprisingly
entertaining and energetic collection. Of the 12 songs,
the best tracks ('Blood On Kisses', '(Once) They Were Eagles',
'Cherry Orchards' and 'Downtown Hanoi') rank as some of the
finest above ground metal of the late '80's. Thats not saying
much, admittedly; there is no way around the fact that
some of the material is just as monumentally irrelevant as
the rest of what constituted such metal of the era. But if
the idea of a Motley Crue-type outfit with fine musicians and
a darker outlook sounds good to you, then this disc should
definitely be in your collection as you'll love it. For Celtic
Frost, they may have drowned in this "Cold Lake", but it's
still a good effort."

One of the most unique albums ever....

Jane SMith | New York | 04/16/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album supposedly ruined CF's reputation and career, and was considered an "embarrassment" by the band itself. Although the album isn't as raw and aggressive as the band's previous albums, it is more unique and "other-worldy". I have never heard songs that sound like these songs, or guitar solos that sound like the ones on Cold Lake! Im very familiar with hair bands--I can differentiate the bands from one another--even the more unknown ones, and let me tell you--this does NOT sound like a hair band! Their photos in the CD jacket are a little weird I must admit, and I can see why that would disappoint fans, but the music is whats important, and it is superior to anything that a hair band could produce. One song's beginning (Downtown Hanoi) can pass as a Motley Crue riff, but once you hear Warrior's voice you know it sure as hell can't be!

My favorite song is "roses without thorns"-the solos and riffs put me in another world-and the feeling is amazing! The other songs disassociate you from this world--and that's something no hair band or no other CF album can do. Cold Lake is truly an amazing album, the music is undescribable in terms of how its put together-probably because its so original. I definetely recommend it. If you are a big CF fan, you might be a little pissed that this is the same band that had all of those raw, intense songs on their other CD's, and I definetly agree Cold Lake doesnt define what the band it truly like, but the music is sensational and that's all that matters. CF was always a band that stood apart from the rest of the metal bands and didn't really fit into a genre, originality is their name, and if that's important to you, this CD wont disappoint you!

You cant find the cd anywhere, I was lucky to buy one from ebay-so you can occasioanly check if they have it there!"

Criminally overlooked, much better than its reputation

Thomas Muckinhaupt | Erie, PA United States | 02/14/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This album was quite a shock for hardcore Celtic Frost fans. It has a little bit of a glam sound, but it's still pretty heavy in spots. "Downtown Hanoi" is one of my favorites, and was redone heavier on "Parched With Thirst",a great compilation album well worth searching out. I remember my favorite, the previous "Into the Pandomonium" getting a 0 rating in Metal Forces, my favorite metal magazine of the era. That album was very unusual, with the cover of "Mexican Radio" and the operatic nature. "Cold Lake" was a drastic departure, and metal fans aren't the most accepting of change in a band.Celtic Frost was a great band who got pigeonholed as Death Metal, but really was so much more. Their music remained interesting throughout their career."Cherry Orchards" has a great riff,just don't judge this by the classics such as "Morbid Tales". Still a worthwhile CD though. Glam thrash would be the best description for this album. Hopefully the new Celtic Frost will be killer!"