Morbid Tales

Morbid Tales
Studio album by Celtic Frost
Released	November 1984
Recorded	October 8–15, 1984
Genre	Black metal,[1] thrash metal[2]
Length	24:51 (Europe) 32:09 (USA)
Label	Noise (Europe) Metal Blade (USA)
Celtic Frost chronology
Morbid Tales (1984) Emperor's Return (1985)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]

Morbid Tales is the debut album by the Swiss extreme metal band, Celtic Frost. It was released in November 1984. It was originally released in Europe as a six-track mini-album. However, the first American release by Enigma/Metal Blade added two tracks, making Morbid Tales an LP.

The thrash metal intensity of Morbid Tales had a major influence on the then-developing death metal and black metal genres. It included elements that were adopted by the pioneers of both styles. The band's bleak and dead serious fashion style was also influential, including their corpse paint face makeup.^[1][2]

In the commentary for Darkthrone's album Panzerfaust, Fenriz cites this album along with Bathory's Under the Sign of the Black Mark and Vader's Necrolust as key riff inspirations.^[3]

Track listing

All songs written by Tom Gabriel Fischer and Martin Eric Ain, except where noted.

European version

Side One
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Into the Crypts of Rays"	4:46
2.	"Visions of Mortality" (Fischer)	4:49
3.	"Procreation (Of the Wicked)"	4:02

Side Two
No.	Title	Length
4.	"Return to the Eve"	4:05
5.	"Danse Macabre"	3:51
6.	"Nocturnal Fear"	3:35

USA version

Side One
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Into the Crypts of Rays"	3:39
2.	"Visions of Mortality" (Fischer)	4:49
3.	"Dethroned Emperor" (Fischer) (additional song)	4:37
4.	"Morbid Tales" (additional song)	3:29

Side Two
No.	Title	Length
5.	"Procreation (Of the Wicked)"	4:04
6.	"Return to the Eve"	4:07
7.	"Danse Macabre"	3:52
8.	"Nocturnal Fear"	3:36

Remaster

Morbid Tales/Emperor's Return
Compilation album by Celtic Frost
Released	1999
Recorded	1984–1985
Length	50:02
Label	Noise

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]

Morbid Tales/Emperor's Return is a 1999 remastered edition of the first Celtic Frost album Morbid Tales along with the tracks from their 1985 release Emperor's Return.

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Human (intro)" (Intro to "Into the Crypts of Rays"; originally joined as one track, CD reissue split this into 2 tracks)	0:41
2.	"Into the Crypts of Rays"	3:39
3.	"Visions of Mortality"	4:49
4.	"Dethroned Emperor" (additional song)	4:37
5.	"Morbid Tales" (additional song)	3:29
6.	"Procreation (Of the Wicked)"	4:04
7.	"Return to the Eve"	4:07
8.	"Danse Macabre"	3:51
9.	"Nocturnal Fear"	3:36
10.	"Circle of the Tyrants" (additional song)	4:27
11.	"Visual Aggression" (additional song)	4:10
12.	"Suicidal Winds" (additional song)	4:36

Credits

• Tom Gabriel Fischer – guitars, vocals
• Martin Eric Ain – bass
• Stephen Priestly – session drums

Guest musicians

• Horst Müller – additional vocals (tracks 3, 5 & 7)
• Hertha Ohling – additional vocals (track 6)
• Oswald Spengler – violin (tracks 7 & 8)

References

1. Strachan, Guy (February 2005). "Black Metal Foundations Top 20: Celtic Frost, Morbid Tales, Terrorizer #128, p.42.
2. Rivadavia, Eduardo. "((( Morbid Tales > Overview )))". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 May 2003. With its highly focused thrash metal intensity and peculiar mix of satanic and esoteric lyrics, the album would sow the seeds of Frost's overwhelming influence in years to come. External link in |work= (help)
3. Bennett, J. "DARKTHRONE – PANZERFAUST". Decibel Magazine. Retrieved 8 April 2013. External link in |work= (help)