NEWS: Time To Kill Records announce “Mesmerized – A Tribute to Celtic Frost”!

Having released a very well received tribute to Discharge in March this year, Italian label Time To Kill Records have announced that 26th January 2024 will see “Mesmerized – A Tribute to Celtic Frost” unveiled by the label. Once again curated by Schizo founding member Alberto Penzin, the record unites six bands who look back at a huge influence upon them and pay tribute in the best possible way. To quote Penzin: “Celtic Frost was simply the epitome of everything the metal genre had set to demolish. Only Death is real.”

Here’s a full breakdown on who is taking part…

Camera Obscura Two: [CO2] is a new extreme musical project conceived by Alberto Penzin [ex-Schizo] on 09/09/07 and ultimately brought to life on 10/10/10. A one-way pathway to spiritual elevation filtered through a lifetime worth of obsession with metallic transgression. They take on “I Won’t Dance (The Elders’ Orient)” from 1987’s “Into The Pandemonium“.

Bunker 66: An Evil Metal power trio formed in 2007 under the sign of the black mark, they have been bringing a hybrid of Black Metal and Thrash to the King’s table with no less than seven split EPs and four albums with themes of Nuclear War and Anti-Religion. They take on “Juices Like Wine” from 1988’s “Cold Lake“.

Doomraiser: Formed in 2004, the Rome-based band have evolved into an instantly recognisable figurehead for those pushing doom metal into crushing new directions. Through the years the band have shared the stage with acts such as Electric Wizard, Reverend Bizarre, The Gates of Slumber and Orange Goblin and have been experimenting and contaminating their music with raw heavy metal, psychedelia and other influences. They take on “Procreation of the Wicked” from 1984’s “Morbid Tales“, which was of course famously covered by Sepultura.

Necrodeath: The moment you hear it, you know it’s Necrodeath. Formed back in 1984, the Italian act is one of the real iconic black-thrash metal bands. With an ongoing career of almost 40 years, the band has helped to shape the Italian metal scene and the international underground as it is today. They take on “Necromantical Screams” from 1985’s “To Mega Therion”.

Kryptonomicon: A plague on this Earth since 2019, composing fierce old school metal of death deeply influenced by Celtic Frost and Hellhammer. 2022’s “Infernalia” marked the bands sophomore album in style… with a cover of “Let’s Dance” by David Bowie. They take on “Morbid Tales” from 1984’s “Morbid Tales“.

Barbarian: Bringing a regressive approach to Metal by means of Metal retro-gardism they interrogate the present: do we really need so many sheep and shepherds today? Heavy Metal is the whip and you bleed. They take on “A Kiss or a Whisper” from 1990’s “Vanity/Nemesis“.