A limited collection of Celtic Frost fine art and jewellery, overseen and approved by Tom G. Warrior, is set to be unleashed via Down With The Most High Productions. The items are now available for pre-order, with non-bespoke items shipping from 10 December, and bespoke items (such as the bronze sculpture) shipping from 10 January 2026. The collection pays homage to the dark spirit of the extreme metal pioneers and their influential debut EP “Morbid Tales”.
The collection features nine items in total, encompassing both bespoke fine art and premium accessories produced in Spain and the EU. The focus is on authentic materials and high-quality production. The centrepiece is an awe-inspiring Bronze Sculpture (made-to-order), representing the ultimate expression of Celtic Frost’s visual aesthetic. Each sculpture is hand-cast, guaranteeing a collector-grade finish that transcends typical merchandise.
The premium accessories include Silver Jewellery (Ring and Pendant) and a heavy Belt Buckle, crafted from precious metal to an exceptional level of detail, and are also produced on demand.
The collection is completed by a T-shirt that combines flat and 3D screen printing, a detailed embroidered Back Patch on synthetic leather, a Banner, a Sticker and a Button Badge.
The collection is the result of years of devoted development, focusing on high manufacturing standards and supreme craftsmanship. It transforms the uncompromising dark aesthetic and immense creative richness of “Morbid Tales”, an EP first released in 1984, and pivotal in the evolution of extreme metal, into durable, investment-grade objects.
Preview events showcasing the craftsmanship are scheduled for London, UK (Helgi’s, 7 December), Madrid, Spain (The Rock Temple, 13 December) and Winds of Agony Festival, Barcelona, Spain (17-18 April 2026), with more to come in 2026.
Daniel Dabadan Gayoso, Founder of Down With The Most High Productions and Curator of the Celtic Frost collection, said: “This project was born out of a decades-long devotion to Celtic Frost and the Morbid Tales album. This is not simply merchandise; every piece, from the silver jewellery to the bronze sculpture, adheres to a fine art production standard. We aimed to create official collectables that reflect the gravity and artistic commitment of the music itself, ensuring this legacy is preserved through objects of genuine quality.”
Down With The Most High Productions (DWTMH) is a Spanish independent label and creative outlet specialising in high-end, niche releases across the black, death and thrash metal spectrum. Known for its strong focus on physical media excellence, and working with underground legends such as Tormentor, Possessed, Blasphemy, Beherit, Necromantia, Mystifier, Absu, Imprecation and Baxaxaxa, DWTMH seeks to elevate extreme metal’s visual and collectable components beyond standard merchandise. This Celtic Frost collection is a definitive example of the label’s commitment to premium, art-focused production and preserving the heritage of seminal metal works.
It almost seems churlish to regard CELTIC FROST as one of the great extreme metal bands, because they were so much more than that. It’s better to hail them as among the finest extreme and experimental bands of the 1980s. Refusing ever to do what was expected or demanded, the band constantly changed musical direction, always brought in surprising influences, and kept people guessing as to where they might venture next. Their catalogue of albums is formidable and unmatched. Each is not only unique, but part of an entire tapestry that only now can be appreciated for being a remarkable part of music history. Despite, or maybe because of, constant turmoil on so many fronts, Celtic Frost achieved an artistic level few others would even have dared to dream of aspiring towards. They climbed high because they were never afraid to fall. Which is why the band are now rightly regarded as icons, and iconoclasts.
‘Danse Macabre’ captures the radical ambition and evolution of Celtic Frost from 1984 through to 1987. In addition to the albums ‘Morbid Tales’, ‘To Mega Therion’ and ‘Into The Pandemonium’, the 7 marble colour vinyl box set also includes the ‘Emperor’s Return’, ‘Tragic Serenades’ and ‘I Won’t Dance’ EPs, along with ‘The Collectors Celtic Frost’ 12”, a 7” of ‘Visual Aggression’ and a cassette of rehearsals recorded at the band’s Grave Hill Bunker. A 12” x 12”, 40 page book, brings together photography – some previously unseen – from the era and brand new interviews with Tom Gabriel Warrior and Reed St Mark. A Heptagram USB drive contains MP3 audio of all the albums, including bonus tracks. A Danse Macabre woven patch, a double sided poster, and a Necromaniac Union fan club enamel badge complete the set. ‘Danse Macabre’ is also available as a 5 CD box set, with 40 page book, badge, poster and patch.
(Back on vinyl for the first time in 37 years. Green & black galaxy)
Tragic Serenades
(12” EP on pink and black swirl vinyl)
I Won’t Dance
(12” EP, back on vinyl for the first time in 35 years. White & black swirl vinyl)
The Collector’s Celtic Frost
(12” single, back on vinyl for the first time in 35 years. Marble vinyl with silk screen print on Side B)
Visual Aggression
(7” single with new artwork and on grey vinyl)
Grave Hill Bunker Rehearsals
(Four track rehearsal demo cassette from 1984)
12” x 12” 40 page book of brand new interviews with founding member Tom G Warrior and drummer Reed St Mark. Contains rare and previously unseen photos from the era.
‘Heptagram’ figurine USB drive containing MP3 audio of all the albums, including bonus tracks.
Two sided, A2 poster.
‘Necromaniac Union’ fan club enamel badge.
‘Danse Macabre’ sew on woven patch.
THE CD BOX SET INCLUDES
Morbid Tales
(Full album, remastered)
To Mega Therion
(Full album plus Tragic Serenades bonus tracks, remastered)
Into The Pandemonium
(Full album plus I Won’t Dance bonus tracks, remastered)
Emperor’s Return
(Full EP plus bonus tracks, remastered)
Grave Hill Bunker Rehearsals
(1984 rehearsal tracks)
40 page book of brand new interviews with founding member Tom G Warrior and drummer Reed St Mark. Contains rare and unseen photos from the era.
Two sided poster.
‘Necromaniac Union’ fan club enamel badge.
‘Danse Macabre’ sew on woven patch.
A very limited edition Glow In The Dark vinyl variant edition of the LP box set will be available via EMP and Nuclear Blast online. This is limited to 1000 units.
In addition to ‘Danse Macabre’, Triptykon have announced for the first time ever they will perform a full tribute set of early Celtic Frost songs from Morbid Tales and To Mega Therion at Hell’s Heroes festival on 25th March 2023. This is being held at White Oak Music Hall in Houston, Texas.
Over the course of little more than three years between 1984 and 1987, CELTIC FROST established themselves as one of the most important bands in extreme and experimental music of that era. ‘Danse Macabre’ brings together the band’s recordings from those years, capturing their boundary-pushing ambition and creative zeal.
On paper, the story of Celtic Frost’s early years is as unlikely as it is extraordinary: a tale of how teenagers from rural Switzerland, at once audaciously ambitious and ferociously uncompromising, took heavy metal into new, exciting and unquestionably extreme territory. That they did so in the face of adversity at almost every turn makes this story even more incredible.
From its very inception mid-way through 1984, following Tom Gabriel Warrior and Martin Eric Ain’s decision to dissolve Hellhammer, Celtic Frost set out to give expression – both musically and aesthetically – to a uniquely extreme artistic vision which the pair delineated in forensic detail in a document which was presented to Noise Records, with whom Hellhammer had released ‘Apocalyptic Raids’, in order to demonstrate to the label that their new band was a viable project.
Convinced, Noise asked Celtic Frost to record a mini-LP, even though that hadn’t formed part of Warrior and Ain’s concept document. Undeterred, and propelled by a burning urgency, Celtic Frost set out to write and record a full length LP in a matter of a few months. ‘Morbid Tales’ was recorded with Horst Müller in Berlin and was unlike anything else. Intensely heavy, nuanced and experimental, the record was a radical musical statement of intent; a stunning synthesis of Warrior and Ain’s disparate influences. From the furious opening riff of ‘Into The Crypts Of Rays’ through to the avant-garde experimentation of ‘Danse Macabre’, ‘Morbid Tales’ heralded the arrival of Celtic Frost as a profoundly unique and uncompromising band.
New Yorker Reed St Mark joined Celtic Frost as a permanent member in February 1985, replacing session drummer Stephen Priestly, and the trio recorded the ‘Emperor’s Return’ EP in April ‘85, at Noise’s request. Featuring the first recording of the essential ‘Circle Of The Tyrants’, the EP is a solid snap shot of the sheer fanaticism that was the lifeblood of Tom and Martin in particular.
‘To Mega Therion’ was Celtic Frost’s next album, recorded in September ‘85. Due to personal difficulties, Martin was not in the band at that point, and so bass duties for the recording were carried out by session player Dominic Steiner. Martin’s absence also meant that Tom was responsible for the music and virtually all of the lyrics. But despite difficult circumstances, the resulting album, however, was a triumph. Replete with iconic cover art by HR Giger, ‘To Mega Therion’ imposes its dark majesty from the off with the orchestral bombast of ‘Innocence And Wrath’, before launching into the savagery of the hook-laden ‘The Usurper’. Daring, dark and superlatively heavy, ‘To Mega Therion’ is a sophisticated expression of Celtic Frost’s inherent drive to eschew genre limitations and, instead, define art on their own terms.
Martin Ain was soon brought back into the fold and a few songs from ‘To Mega Therion’ were re-recorded and remixed with Harris Johns, emerging as the excellent sounding ‘Tragic Serenades’ EP. It, and Celtic Frost’s previous releases, increasingly received critical acclaim, which emboldened the band to take more risks, to push the boundaries of heavy music even further with their next album.
Recorded in Hanover at the start of 1987, ‘Into The Pandemonium’ was not an easy album to make; the band’s experimental ambitions often at odds with their label’s concerns. But, despite these obstacles, the band defended their artistic vision and the result is an astonishing piece of avant-garde art. The album’s experimentation is still striking today, challenging how we perceive heavy music and what it means to take music risks. Only Celtic Frost could create an album which kicks off with a singular cover of a New Wave song (Wall Of Voodoo’s ‘Mexican Radio’) and immediately follow it up with the mournful tragedy of ‘Mesmerized’.
‘Into The Pandemonium’ was the last recording made by this era of Celtic Frost, bringing to an end a period of incredible creative and artistic growth over what was a remarkably brief period of time. That the teenagers who recorded ‘The Third Of The Storm’ and ‘Triumph Of Death’ for the Hellhammer EP would, despite constant turmoil, be recording the jaw-dropping ‘Rex Irae’ just three years later is astonishing.
‘Danse Macabre’ captures the radical ambition and evolution of Celtic Frost from 1984 through to 1987. In addition to the albums ‘Morbid Tales’, ‘To Mega Therion’ and ‘Into The Pandemonium’, the 7 marble colour vinyl box set also includes the ‘Emperor’s Return’, ‘Tragic Serenades’ and ‘I Won’t Dance’ EPs, along with ‘The Collectors Celtic Frost’ compilation, a 7” of ‘Visual Aggression’ and a cassette of rehearsals recorded at the band’s Grave Hill Bunker. A 12” x 12”, 40 page book, brings together photography – some previously unseen – from the era and brand new interviews with Tom Gabriel Warrior and Reed St Mark. A Heptagram USB drive contains MP3 audio of all the albums, including bonus tracks. A Danse Macabre woven patch, a double sided poster, and a Necromaniac Union fan club enamel badge complete the set. ‘Danse Macabre’ is also available as a 5 CD box set, with 40 page book, badge, poster and patch.
(Back on vinyl for the first time in 37 years. Green & black galaxy)
Tragic Serenades
(12” EP on pink and black swirl vinyl)
I Won’t Dance
(12” EP, back on vinyl for the first time in 35 years. White & black swirl vinyl)
The Collector’s Celtic Frost
(12” single, back on vinyl for the first time in 35 years. Marble vinyl with silk screen print on Side B)
Visual Aggression
(7” single with new artwork and on grey vinyl)
Grave Hill Bunker Rehearsals
(Four track rehearsal demo cassette from 1984)
12” x 12” 40 page book of brand new interviews with founding member Tom G Warrior and drummer Reed St Mark. Contains rare and previously unseen photos from the era.
‘Heptagram’ figurine USB drive containing MP3 audio of all the albums, including bonus tracks.
Two sided, A2 poster.
‘Necromaniac Union’ fan club enamel badge.
‘Danse Macabre’ sew on woven patch.
THE CD BOX SET INCLUDES
Morbid Tales
(Full album, remastered)
To Mega Therion
(Full album plus Tragic Serenades bonus tracks, remastered)
Into The Pandemonium
(Full album plus I Won’t Dance bonus tracks, remastered)
Emperor’s Return
(Full EP plus bonus tracks, remastered)
Grave Hill Bunker Rehearsals
(1984 rehearsal tracks)
40 page book of brand new interviews with founding member Tom G Warrior and drummer Reed St Mark. Contains rare and unseen photos from the era.
Two sided poster.
‘Necromaniac Union’ fan club enamel badge.
‘Danse Macabre’ sew on woven patch.
A very limited edition Glow In The Dark vinyl variant edition of the LP box set will be available via EMP and Nuclear Blast online. This is limited to 1000 units.
1349 guitarist Archaon and bassist Seideman have teamed up with members of Chilean thrash outfit NUCLEAR and HELLMAN to perform a cover of CELTIC FROST‘s “Usurper!” The clip is now premiereing via Metal Injection and can be found at THIS LOCATION.
1349 bassist Seideman comments, “This version of the Celtic Frost classic doubles as a tribute to the legends themselves as well as a tribute to friendship and brotherhood. Metal music brings people from all over the world together and this combination of Nuclear and 1349 is no exception.”
Punto of Nuclear adds: “We’re very pleased to pay tribute to one of the most influential acts in extreme metal history. This idea started as a simple chat in backstage when both bands were touring together in Europe. After that everything went black in pandemic and we put the things rolling to record the song and film this video. It was a real honour for us work alongside such talented musicians and cool guys.”
1349 is supporting 2019’s ‘The Infernal Pathway,’ which can be streamed, downloaded, and ordered HERE.
HELLHAMMER existed for a mere two years, from May 1982 to May 1984. During this time, the band wrote material for three demos, one 12″ EP, and the legendary Death Metal compilation album, along with a number of unrecorded songs.
In light of Hellhammer‘s now mythically iconic status in the global metal scene, it is almost inconceivable that most of this music has never been performed life. Hellhammer‘s successor group, Celtic Frost, formed by ex-Hellhammer members Tom Gabriel Warrior and Martin Eric Ain, initially played two of Hellhammer‘s songs but soon abandoned this habit due to the band rapidly developing its own material. Tom Gabriel Warrior‘s Triptykon, founded in 2008, have played one or the other rare Hellhammer song during special occasions. The vast body of Hellhammer‘s work remains unperformed, however.
Until now.
The resurrection of the music of Hellhammer has been an idea Tom Gabriel Warrior and Martin Eric Ain have discussed for many years, sparked not least by their renewed collaboration in the reformed Celtic Frost in the 2000s and by the years of work on Warrior’s second book Only Death Is Real (2009), which details the history of Hellhammer and early Celtic Frost.
Tom Gabriel Warrior:Hellhammer will never return and will never be reformed. It is absolutely impossible to reform a band so closely linked to a very specific and unique period in time. I never considered it, no matter how substantial the offers that were pitched to me over the years. But Hellhammer’s music exists, and it is an extremely important part of my life’s path. And I would like to play it onstage before my demise.
The first step towards the realization of TRIUMPH OF DEATH, named after Hellhammer‘s most infamous song and intended to be a very respectful and authentic tribute to Hellhammer, were taken years ago. Triumph Of Death consists of some of Warrior’s closest friends; individuals who not only love this music but truly understand it. The line-up emulates Hellhammer‘s final incarnation of April/May 1984, when the group had added an additional guitarist.
Triumph Of Death will commence playing Hellhammer‘s music onstage in 2019. It is a an open-ended project, but the band will only play select concerts. Apart from considerations regarding the release of an occasional live EP, Triumph Of Death will not record any new music but is solely dedicated to performing both well-known and obscure Hellhammer songs. The project is based in Zurich, Switzerland.
Triumph Of Death
Tom Gabriel Warrior (Hellhammer, Celtic Frost, Triptykon, Niryth) – voice/guitar
Mia Wallace (Niryth, The True Endless, Kirlian Camera) – bass
Michael Zech (Secrets Of The Moon, Odem Arcarum) – guitar/vocals
Alessandro Comerio (Forgotten Tomb, The True Endless, Hiems) – drums
Tom Gabriel Warrior: In autumn of 1986, when I was 22 years old, I began writing what would become the first part of an intended three-part Requiem (missa pro defunctis; i.e., mass for the dead). The finished piece was released on Celtic Frost‘s Into The Pandemonium album, in June of 1987, bearing the title Rex Irae.
As we were rehearsing and recording the first part of the Requiem, we couldn’t have foreseen that exactly such non-traditional, experimental work would lead to significant differences of opinion between the group and the label who had signed us at the time. We were still an underground band and at a pronounced disadvantage, as our industry power and resources were very limited.
We had initially intended to finish the two missing parts of the Requiem after touring the album, and to release all three sections of the Requiem on a dedicated EP as early as 1988. The aforementioned conflict with the label spiralled out of control, however, leading to the termination of the original group at the end of 1987.
When Martin Eric Ain and me resurrected Celtic Frost in 2001, finishing the Requiem was among the earliest topics discussed. In 2002, at age 38 and sixteen years after I first worked on the initial part, I began writing the third part on the basis of demos I had recorded in 2001. The finished third part was released on Celtic Frost’s Monotheist album in 2006, under the title of Winter.
What was left now was to complete the missing second part of the composition. I had quite a detailed idea in my mind of what it would entail musically, but there was no hurry attached to it; we had reformed Celtic Frost to record far more than just one album. Alas, perhaps predictably Celtic Frost disintegrated again after a few years, and the Requiem was left unfinished once more.
Nonetheless, the intention to finish the full Requiem remained with me. I was going to do it one distant day with Triptykon, the group I formed to continue to pursue the path I began in Hellhammer and Celtic Frost. It was 2018, yet again 16 years after I last worked on the Requiem, when Walter Hoeijmakers, founder of the legendary Roadburn Festival and one of my most beloved friends, contacted me to propose Roadburn as the venue to perform, at long last, the finished Requiem.
Walter and his team very kindly provided for the resources necessary for such a substantial undertaking, and so, at 54 by now, I found myself commencing work on the second and thus final part of the Requiem this year.
The three parts of the Requiem will therefore be performed by Triptykon at Roadburn 2019, with full classical orchestration, congregated specifically for this occasion by Florian Magnus Maier, who is our esteemed classical collaborator and arranger in this project, and whose patience with me appears to be limitless. We feel very proud and deeply honoured to be joined in this endeavour by the renowned Dutch Metropole Orkest.
Moreover, this project has been made possible due to the generous support of the City of Tilburg and Brabant C.
Celtic Frost/Triptykon, Requiem, as performed exclusively at Roadburn 2019:
Here is a list of upcoming live dates for Triptykon:
02.12.2018 Los Angeles (USA) – Decibel Metal & Beer Festival
07.12.2018 Madrid (Spain) – Madrid Is The Dark Festival
15.12.2018 Eindhoven (The Netherlands) – Eindhoven Metal Meeting
12.04.2019 Tilburg (The Netherlands) – Roadburn Festival
21.04.2019 München (Germany) – Dark Easter Metal Meeting
More shows to be announced soon…
Triptykon’s latest album “Melana Chasmata” is still available in various physical formats (CD Mediabook, CD Jewelcase, Gatefold 2LP, ltd. Deluxe CD Box Set) from the following location: http://smarturl.it/triptykonCMD
Check out the video clips created for “Melana Chasmata” here:
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