# Monotheist (album)

Monotheist is the sixth and final studio album by the Swiss extreme metal band Celtic Frost. Released in May 2006, it marked the band's first new recording in 16 years. Upon its release, the album received universal acclaim from music critics.

## Development

Preparation and development for the project began in 2000. The first recording sessions for the album commenced in late October 2002. The band comprised founding members Martin Eric Ain (bass/vocals) and Tom Gabriel Fischer (vocals/guitars/keyboards), alongside guitarist and producer Erol Unala, who was Fischer's long-time songwriting partner. Unala became an increasingly significant contributor to Celtic Frost during the songwriting process. Working titles for the album included Probe and Dark Matter Manifest.
"Obscured" is derived from the demo track "November," which appeared on the 2002 demo album "Prototype."
"Drown in Ashes" features lyrics from the demo track "The Dying I."

## Music

Celtic Frost's earlier work blended elements of thrash metal and black metal. The sound of Monotheist has been characterized as challenging to define, as the songs range from doom metal to "blackened thrash" to gothic metal to symphonic metal. The result is a diverse yet profoundly dark heavy metal experience. Don Kaye of Blabbermouth described it as "a monstrously heavy and oppressive slab of metal," venturing "into even heavier, blacker territory" than previous albums. Adrien Begrand of PopMatters remarked that the album approaches a masterpiece of "brutally heavy" metal, "completely devoid of light." Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic highlighted more nuanced elements, such as the "instantaneously infectious melody" of "A Dying God Coming into Human Flesh" and the "haunting female voices" that duet with bandleader Tom Warrior on "Drown in Ashes."
According to Fischer, some of the lyrics were influenced by the writings of English occultist Aleister Crowley. This influence is evident in tracks such as "Os Abysmi Vel Daath," which is part of the title of one of Crowley's books.

## Release

Monotheist was released on both CD and LP formats. A limited edition digipak included the bonus track "Temple of Depression." Both the vinyl LP version and the Japanese CD release of Monotheist featured the bonus track "Incantation Against You."
A music video was created for the song "A Dying God Coming into Human Flesh."

## Reception

Professional ratings :
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Aux Portes du Metal | 64% |
| Blabbermouth | 8/10 |
| Chronicles of Chaos | 8/10 |
| El Portal del Metal | |
| Metal Crypt | |
| Metal.de (GER) | 9/10 |
| Metal Music Archives | |
| Metal Reviews | 66% |
| Metal Storm | 90% |
| Metal1 (GER) | 10/10 |
| Metalfan (NL) | 80% |
| Media Assault | |
| Ox Fanzine (GER) | 10/10 |
| PowerMetal.de (GER) | 8.6/10 |
| Scene Point Blank | 9/10 |
| Sonic Seducer (GER) | 7/10 |
| Stormbringer (AT) | 8/10 |
| The Music (AU) | 4/5 |
The album received overwhelmingly positive reviews and is widely regarded as a triumphant comeback for the band. Blabbermouth awarded the record an 8/10, stating,
   "The question regarding every comeback by a long-dormant group is always whether they can recapture the sound, vibe, and chemistry that made them successful the first time around. The answer here is yes: Fischer and Ain (along with new drummer Franco Sesa) have labored long and hard to create an album that ranks with their best work in terms of sheer heaviness and atmosphere, while employing some dramatic new musical ventures that honor the experimental side of the band. If the group's songs are less concise and perhaps not as catchy as earlier work, they're still propelled by sheer musical muscle and an epic, ambitious scope."
The album was ranked number 2 on Terrorizer's list of the best albums of the decade.

## Credits

* Thomas Gabriel Fischer – vocals, guitars, arrangements, programming
* Martin Eric Ain – bass, vocals (most vocals on "A Dying God Coming into Human Flesh", all vocals on "Triptych I: Totengott", and spoken parts on "Triptych II: Synagoga Satanae"), executive producer of the album
* Erol Uenala – guitars, engineer, additional programming on "Temple of Depression"
* Franco Sesa – drums

### Session musicians

* Lisa Middelhauve (Xandria): guest vocals on "Drown in Ashes"
* Ravn (1349): backing vocals in the final chorus of "Temple of Depression"
* Simone Vollenweider – guest backing vocals on "Temple of Depression", additional vocals on "Obscured", and lead vocals on "Incantation Against You"
* Sigurd Wongraven (Satyricon): brief segment of lead vocals on "Triptych II: Synagoga Satanae"
* Peter Tägtgren – backing vocals on "Triptych II: Synagoga Satanae" and co-producer of the album
* Walter J.W. Schmid – engineering, mixing, mastering
* Phillip Schweidler – engineering, mixing

## Charts

| Chart (2006) | Peak position |
| French Albums (SNEP) | 194 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) | 67 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) | 41 |