Review Summary: Splendidly atmospheric.
I enjoy Black Metal music for the intense atmosphere it can create when its in tip-top shape. Celestia is hardly unfamiliar with the genre, their past work has never let me down and
Frigidiis Apotheosia is no exception to that quality. Its ethereal construction of its style is harmoniously captivating; the guitars don't cease at the boundaries of heavily distorted, pounding rhythms, instead yearning to convey an emotionally adept side of the band that will caress your eardrums with melodious perfection. The album's accessibility is impressively high for its category of music but that isn't to say it strays from the brooding style of BM.
Frigidiis Apotheosia is an underrated masterpiece.
While relatively brief, the album manages to encompass a variety of musical genres. Celestia modifies their typical unwelcoming vibe, and compliment Noktu Geiistmortt's extremely rough vocals with melodically pleasing instrumental work. If you aren't familiar with Noktu's vocal style he distorts his voice to an incredible level with a sinister, serpent-like growl. The album begins stampeding with 'She's Dead', a guitar-driven heavy hitter that serves as an exciting opener; dreary, dense, and ardent. The mood is officially set however
Frigidiis doesn't cease to digress to attach a higher level of emotion to the music. You'll experience imperturbable moments of clarity, as well as loud devilish fervidness.
The album evolves from 'She's Dead' in a harmonizing way. 'A Plaintive Cry Merely Echo' is likely the most accessible song on the whole album. Its also an example of the path Celestia took for this album; there aren't any songs that are forcibly difficult to get into. Even if you will eventually have a negative opinion on the music itself I seriously doubt you'll have trouble pinpointing what you don't like. It is a morbid album, but in a more expressive way than Celestia's work in the past and some other BM bands as well.
The acoustic/clean guitar work on the album is what really hooked me. From 'Admirable Eros Abstraction' to various other tracks the clean harmonies are very apparent and add a formidably hopeful atmosphere to such typically dark music. The guitar work is never exactly complex but the notes are picked so perfectly the flow is literally unstoppable; consistency at its finest. The acoustic playing on 'A Regrettable Misinterpretation of Mournfulness' combined with the water-drop samples in the beginning of the song is the albums finest moment of pure musical bliss, a must-listen. The song progresses into a heavy rocker without sacrificing the monumental beauty of the track.
Overall I think this album, while underrated, doesn't need recognition to serve its purpose as one of the finest pieces of music released this year. From the deafening bass-drumming to placid group choruses,
Frigidiis Apotheosia reinvented my view of Black Metal and melody delivery alike. A perfect wintry atmosphere for such a snowy night.
