Special reissue of the cult classic debut EP from Celestia.
Released by Drakkar Productions in 1999 One studio bonus track from the original recording session. First time on wax.
I’ve been intrigued by Celestia since the release of their first MCD, ‘A cave full of bats’, some years ago. Since then it became quite apparent to me that this was not just another Black Metal band.
‘Apparitia – Sumptuous Spectre’ (the title reflects entirely the band) is their first full length after several EP’s, demos and the MCD and each of those previous releases that went through my hands was superb on all levels. Going from song writing, over artwork to contents, so the least I could say is that my hopes were pretty high for this one.
The first thing to remark if you look at this release is, again, the flawless and splendid layout. The album looks as if it was released decades ago, somewhere in the early thirties, carrying perfectly shot black and white pictures of band members and spectre like figures dwelling through forests, creating an eerie and strange atmosphere; the album almost has an aura. It remembers me a bit of pictures I’ve seen on the first albums of Mutiilation. They’ve also used again their old band logo which, according to me, fits their music better as well as the whole concept of the album.
Musically spoken, the album bursts with their own-styled ‘dark ethereal Black Metal’. The fast and soul devouring riffing is alternated with some very melancholic parts and blood freezing yet scarcely used keyboard lines or weird samples. Describing the music of Celestia is very hard since it comes to much more then just to list some technical features. Celestia stands for a complicated mix of raw and cold, old-school Black Metal with deathlike atmospheres, they are melancholic, decadent, mysterious and nostalgic and above all: profound and unique! To those who know their earlier material one could say that ‘Apparitia’ is comparable to their older releases but in a more advanced way considering song structures and recording.
It’s quite ridiculous that this band is sometimes mocked by some Black Metal kids purely because of their non-standard outfit and very different sound (for example during the latest Drakkar Hellfest). It’s probably just too hard for them to move beyond Black Metal stereo types and see how deep this band actually goes. Besides that, the band has amongst its founding members K. Noktu, commander of the French label Drakkar Productions, infamous for releasing albums of elite acts such as Mutiilation, Watain, Torgeist, Tjsuder, Impiety, Vermeth, … Not a bad taste I would say. Knowing this and their works, certain critics on the band, often coming from people who haven’t proved a single thing, become even hilarious.
Sample:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6lAxeRN5pk&t=7s
