Vanity/Nemesis (Vanity/Nemesis - Celtic Frost)

Member Name: Frankingsteins

Product:	Vanity/Nemesis - Celtic Frost
Date:	15/05/08 (31 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Return to form.

Disadvantages: Little stands out.

Following the disappointment of 'Cold Lake,' Celtic Frost return to form to some extent, though the band's perseverance in reinventing their sound once again results in an album that's highly distinctive in the discography, if less sensational than their earlier efforts. Thrash metal is still at the root, but absent is the evil atmosphere that pervaded 'Morbid Tales,' more in line with the gritty experimentalism of 'Into the Pandemonium' while thankfully side-stepping the glam of 'Cold Lake' altogether.

As with many bands at the turn of the nineties, the music here is a little more laid-back and often more comparable to hard rock than metal, similar to Metallica's self-titled black album released the following year, but the thrash end of things is still maintained by some frenetically screaming solos and the occasional outburst track such as 'A Kiss or a Whisper.' There are still some experimental touches left over from 'Into the Pandemonium' only a little less enthralling, with acoustic flourishes in 'Wings of Solitude' and the overlong 'Nemesis,' and a female singer in the former.

This album won't be of any interest to those approaching Celtic Frost on the strength of their legacy to extreme metal, as this is all fairly accessible stuff, and predictably suffers for it in terms of creativity and general enjoyment. Even the covers of Bryan Ferry and David Bowie lack the fun and enthusiasm of their earlier cover of 'Mexican Radio,' the Bowie song in particular being unrecognisable apart from the lyrics, and in no way comparable to the original whether you enjoyed it or not.

1. The Heart Beneath
2. Wine in My Hand (Third from the Sun)
3. Wings of Solitude
4. The Name of My Bride
5. This Island Earth (Bryan Ferry cover)
6. The Restless Seas
7. Phallic Tantrum
8. A Kiss or a Whisper
9. Vanity
10. Nemesis
11. Heroes (David Bowie cover)

Summary: Celtic Frost's fourth album (1990).