''Morbid Tales'' is the debut EP by the Swiss extreme metal band, Celtic Frost, released in November 1984. The first European release on

Noise Records Noise Records is a German heavy metal record label founded in 1983 by German music industry personality Karl-Ulrich Walterbach as an expansion of his company Modern Music Records. It was sold to the Sanctuary Records Group in 2001 and ceased an ...

was a

mini-LP A mini-LP or mini-album is a short vinyl record album or LP, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered full-length. It is distinct from an EP due to containing more tracks and a slightly longer running length. A ...

with six tracks, while the American release by

Enigma Enigma may refer to: *Riddle, someone or something that is mysterious or puzzling Biology *ENIGMA, a class of gene in the LIM domain Computing and technology * Enigma (company), a New York-based data-technology startup * Enigma machine, a family ...

Metal Blade Metal Blade Records is an American independent record label founded by Brian Slagel in 1982. The US office for Metal Blade is located in Agoura Hills, California. It also has offices in Germany, Japan, Canada, and the UK. The label is distri ...

added two tracks, bringing it to the length of a regular LP. In 1999 a remastered edition of ''Morbid Tales'' was released on CD by

, which also contained the tracks from their 1985 EP ''

Emperor's Return ''Emperor's Return'' is the second release by the Swiss extreme metal band Celtic Frost. It was released in 1985 as an extended play and was their first record featuring American drummer Reid Cruickshank (a.k.a. " Reed St. Mark"). The band's blea ...

'' as well as a 2017 remastered edition released by the same label on CD and vinyl formats.

Legacy

The

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...

intensity of ''Morbid Tales'' had a major influence on the then-developing death metal and

black metal Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, a shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, raw (lo-fi) recording, unconventional song structures, and an emp ...

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. In 2017, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' ranked ''Morbid Tales'' as 28th on their list of 'The 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time.' In the commentary for Darkthrone's album ''

Panzerfaust The ''Panzerfaust'' (, "armour fist" or "tank fist", plural: ''Panzerfäuste'') was a development family of single-shot man-portable anti-tank systems developed by Nazi Germany during World War II. The weapons were the first single-use light an ...

'',

Fenriz Gylve Fenris Nagell (born Leif Nagell; 28 November 1971), known professionally as Fenriz, is a Norwegian musician, part-time music journalist and online radio host (with the show "Radio Fenriz")

cites this album along with Bathory's ''

Under the Sign of the Black Mark ''Under the Sign of the Black Mark'' is the third studio album by Swedish extreme metal band Bathory. It was recorded in September 1986 and released on 11 May 1987 through New Renaissance Records and Under One Flag. It was a key album in the de ...

'' and Vader's ''

Necrolust ''Necrolust'' is a demo album by the Polish death metal band Vader, released in 1989. The cover of the album was designed by Piotr Wiwczarek. Fenriz of Darkthrone cites this demo along with Celtic Frost's ''Morbid Tales'' and Bathory's ''Unde ...

'' as key riff inspirations. "Danse Macabre" was later sampled in the demo track "Totgetanzt" from their 2002 demo album ''Prototype''.

Track listings

All music by Thomas Gabriel Fischer, all lyrics by Thomas Gabriel Fischer and Martin Ain, except where noted.

European version

US version

1999 CD remastered edition

2017 remastered edition bonus tracks

Personnel

Credits adapted from the original editions. ;Celtic Frost * Tom Warrior – guitars, lead vocals, co-producer * Martin Ain – bass, bass effects, vocals, co-producer *

Reed St. Mark Celtic Frost () was a Swiss extreme metal band from Zürich. They are known for their strong influence on the development of extreme metalBukszpan, Daniel. ''The Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal''. Barnes & Noble Publishing, 2003. p.43 and avant-garde ...

– drums on tracks 10–12 (remastered edition) ;Additional musicians *Stephen Priestly – session drums *Horst Müller – additional vocals (tracks 3, 5 & 7) *Hertha Ohling – additional vocals (track 6) *Oswald Spengler – violin (tracks 7 & 8) ;Production *Horst Müller – producer, engineer, mixing, mastering *Karl Walterbach – executive producer

References

{{Authority control Celtic Frost albums Noise Records EPs 1984 debut EPs Cthulhu Mythos music Enigma Records EPs Metal Blade Records EPs