It's been five years since we've heard from the French black metal band Celestia, fronted by Sir Noktu Geiistortt. They have been around for more than a decade and released several demos, mcds and promos, but only one prior full-length CD back in 2002.
Frigidiis Apotheosia is melancholy and atmospheric black metal. The songs are sometimes dense and abrasive, other times laid back and introspective. The cutting guitars and harsh vocals are nicely tempered by the keyboards and even several acoustic sections.
Underground black metal can get very low-fi and repetitive, but Celestia does a good job adding some diversity. The production is also pretty decent. The songwriting, interesting lyrical concepts and raw vocals from Noktu make Frigidiis Apotheosia a compelling black metal CD.
(released January 30, 2008 on Paragon Records)
