This slipcased cd comes carefully crafted in an artful package courtesy of Paragon Records and France’s own melancholic misanthrope, Noktu, of Celestia. Celestia released their first official release a decade ago, and have flooded their corner of the market with demos and splits and compilations ever since. This is in fact only their/his second full-length recording, the first being the oft-delayed Apparitia – Sumptuous Spectre, that Full Moon Productions had so much trouble with. I first encountered Celestia with the Dead Insecta Sequestration tape from Drakkar, which they tossed into an order of mine for free. I must confess I made a judgment based on presented image alone. A combination of the bizarre cover and the goofy black boots, short hair and pasty faced skyward glancing faces, along with the praying mantis bit led me to dismiss the band without even listening to the tape. I eventually picked up the Full Moon Release and was surprised to find melancholic black metal of a high caliber with some of the most intense suffering vocals you will ever hear, like gargling broken glass after slitting your throat.

Frigidiis Apotheosia has picked up right were Apparitia left off, with an emphasis on slowing meandering music with subtle twists and turns played at a brisk pace. The drumming is heavy but not thunderous and does not overly obliterate. Once you factor out the vocals the music is more haunting than hideous. The slow sections are punctuated with harsher elements, atmospheric guitar sequences with haunting presence are quickly dispelled with Bathory type riffing. There are very bare boned, stripped down acoustic solos on “A Regrettable Misinterpretation Of Mournfulness” before it turns into a chug a long. Nicely done guitar lines continue throughout, and there are abrupt somber interludes. The guitars are very good at conveying mood and Noktu has enough faith in his musical ability to stop screaming from time to time and let you experience it.

Over the years Celestia has gone from chaotic distorted loosely structured sloppy noise to what is on display on the two full-length albums. He eliminated distracting distortions, tightened up the instrumentation and became minimalist, eliminating unnecessary notes, leaving just what is needed to create the mood he is looking for. While you are out there looking for Frigidiis Apotheosia : Abstinencia Genesiis pick up Evoking Grace and Splendour as well if you can find it, that is where he demonstrates his take on more straightforward blasting black metal, and succeeds at that as well.

[Visit the band's website]

---

Comments