Opinião do Cila: não tem nada de glam metal, isso é heavy metal.
Come on, guys, the lake isn’t that cold! – 80%
Slater922, March 20th, 2021
Written based on this version: 1988, CD, Noise Records
Iknow the Celtic Frost community is going to hate me for this, but let me explain. Celtic Frost was a very important band during the first wave black metal scene in the 80s, with projects like “Morbid Tales” and “To Mega Therion” pioneering the distorted sound and dark imagery black metal is known for today. So fans were shocked when in 1988, the band members decided to get rid of the black metal sound altogether in exchange for a heavy/glam metal style for their third album “Cold Lake”. The criticism was brutal, and it caused the band to disown the album from its future catalogue. Even Thomas Gabriel hated it, as he called it “an utter piece of shit and possibly the worst album ever created in heavy music.”
But now that the controversy has died down, the album has gained a cult following in recent years. I personally didn’t like the album when I first listened to it, but the more I listened to it, the more I started to appreciate the positives in the album. Now I still don’t consider this as great as “To Mega Therion”, and it is still their weakest album in their discography, but when you put all the sell-out controversy aside and focus strictly on the music, you’ll find a lot to like on this album.
One notable thing about “Cold Lake” is the instruments. Now as I said earlier, this is a heavy/glam metal album, so the instruments are significantly toned down and the production is more cleaner and polished. But as far as glam metal albums go, the instrumentation is great. The guitars still maintain a dark sound, but balances it well with the more bouncy riffs. The drums also beat with more vibrance than other glam metal albums, so they beat in more coherent patterns. The bass is also more audible than many other albums at the time and follows the guitars very well. My favorite instruments comes from the tracks “Seduce Me Tonight”, “Cherry Orchard”, and “Downtown Hanoi” since the guitar riffs on those tracks are diverse and bring in more of an edge on the track, giving the atmosphere a more sinister tone. While some tracks like “Little Velvet” have bland and generic instruments, the instrumentations on this album are good overall.
As for the vocals, they are decent aswell. Thomas Gabriel’s vocals on the previous two albums were great, but he tones them down a bit on this album. His voice has less screaming, but offers more melodic singing and chants than in previous works. One of his best vocal moments is in the track “Dance Sleazy”. On that track, Thomas’s singing flows with the groovy instruments well and it gives him a more playful personality. His voice also has more might on that track than in other songs, so they bring in a more powerful sound in them. Of course, being a glam metal album means that he has to have one poor vocal performance, and “Juices Like Wine” has Thomas whine the chorus, which sounds awful. Nevertheless, Gabriel’s vocals still hold up well, even though there are a few slip ups in his voice.
But one problem with “Cold Lake” is the lyrics. Glam metal isn’t known for having the best lyrics, but even then, they’re below average on this album. Take the lyrics to “(Once) They Were Eagles” for example, where this verse quotes:
Pure reflections memories in a haze
Tied to the ground, Forced to bow,
You may see dancing faces
This verse talks about someone being tied and forced to worship eagles. This verse doesn’t make any sense, seeing as the person will eventually untie themselves and run away from the eagles. Not only are the lyrics poor, but their execution is sometimes poor. In “Cherry Orchards”, the lyrics deal with themes of love, but the track’s more powerful instruments and angry vocals make the lyrics feel out of place. The lyrics are the worst part on this album, and they sometimes stop the songs from reaching their full potential.
Overall, this album is a lot better than a lot of people make it out to be. While the lyrics are the biggest problem, the vocal delivery is decent and the instruments hold up well. I can understand people having strong negative feelings towards the album, but if you let go of its troubled past and focus strictly on its musical merits, you may be surprised. As far as glam metal albums go, this is one lake you definitely should swim in.
rafazardly 