Tophet (album)

Infobox Album
Name = Tophet
Type = studio
Artist = Frost Like Ashes


Released = 2005
Genre = Unblack metal Death metal
Length = 48:38
Label = Psycho Acoustix Records Open Grave Records
Reviews = The Metal Observer: rating-10|9.5 [http://www.metal-observer.com/articles.php?lid=1&sid=1&id=14770 link]
Last album = "Pure as the Blood Covered Snow"
(2004)
This album = "Tophet" (2005)
Next album = "Born to Pieces"
(2008)

"Tophet" is Frost Like Ashes' first full length album, released in 2005.

Recording history

"Tophet" was recorded at Nosral Studios and was produced and mixed by Frost Like Ashes. The album was originally supposed to be released by Psycho Acoustic Records which had signed the band. However, after the album was sent to be manufactured, the owner of the label died. Psycho Acoustix was closed, and the band members purchased the copies and sent them to distributors in 2005. In 2006 a distribution deal was signed with Open Grave Records which made the album available for a larger audience.

The cover art depicts a Norwegian stave church which is associated with the early 1990s church burnings related to the early black metal scene. In some interviews the band has said that the cover is a stance against these acts. The album title "Tophet" is Hebrew language and is a location near Jerusalem where according to the Bible, the Canaanites sacrificed children to the god Moloch by burning them alive. Tophet became a synonym for hell.

Musically, the album showcase a hybrid on death and black metal with keyboards and sometimes show clear thrash metal elements. The style is comparable to that of Possession with more black metal elements and without glam metal vocals. "Nightfall's Cold Kiss" and "A Cruel Verse" are re-recorded versions of songs that were previously released on the band's EP and on a compilation album. The vocals shift between several extreme metal styles from high pitched shrieking to deep death growl to whispered speaking voice. The lyrical approach is known to be harsh and extreme. [Morrow, Matt [http://thewhippingpost.tripod.com/frostlikeashestophet.htm Frost Like Ashes - Tophet] , The Whipping Post, retrieved on 2007-11-19]

Tophet has received positive reviews and has helped Frost Like Ashes gain more popularity and notoriety. The Metal Observer, for example, gave the album 9.5 out of 10, commenting that the band is "technically proficient at their instruments." [Jonathan. [http://www.metal-observer.com/articles.php?lid=1&sid=1&id=14770 Frost Like Ashes - Tophet] . The Metal Observer August 18, 2008.]

Track listing

#"A Terrible Visitation" - 6:46
#"Desecrator" - 3:44
#"Of Spirit And Power" - 6:36
#"Nightfall's Cold Kiss" - 5:30
#"A Cruel Verse" - 4:54
#"Crucifixion" - 2:47
#"Execution by Fire" - 4:41
#"Shattered Gods" - 6:07
#"Lord of Darkness" - 7:33

Line-up

* Azahel – Vocals
* Sebat – Guitar
* Ruach – Bass
* Adonijah – Drums
* Qoheleth – Keyboard

References

External links

* [http://www.metal-archives.com/release.php?id=77919 Album] at Metal-Archives