Tragic Serenades

Tragic Serenades is an EP by Swiss extreme metal band Celtic Frost, released in July 1986 through Noise Records. The EP features three reworked tracks from previous releases.

Tragic Serenades
EP by Celtic Frost
Released	July 1986
Recorded	13–15 March 1986
Studio	Musiclab Studio in Berlin (new recordings)
Genre	Thrash metal black metal
Length	11:40
Label	Noise
Producer	Thomas G. Warrior, Martin Eric Ain, Karl Walterbach
Celtic Frost chronology
To Mega Therion (1985) Tragic Serenades (1986) Into the Pandemonium (1987)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal	6/10[2]
Kerrang!	[3]

Overview

According to frontman Thomas Gabriel Fischer, the purpose of this EP was to include Martin Eric Ain's bass lines and improve on Horst Müller's original production of two tracks from To Mega Therion.^[4] The re-recorded version of "Return to the Eve" shows Reed's habit of loudly goofing off during songs, with Reed loosely sharing lead vocals. The original version was featured on the Morbid Tales album.^[5] Celtic Frost included this "party-like studio jam" of the song on Tragic Serenades as their "first public display of light-heartedness".^[6]

The EP was reissued in 2018, with 2,500 copies pressed for Record Store Day 2018.^[7]

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Usurper"	3:26
2.	"Jewel Throne"	4:03

Side two

No.	Title	Length
3.	"Return to the Eve" (Party Mix)	4:10
Total length:		11:40

Personnel

Celtic Frost

• Thomas G. Warrior – vocals, guitar, effects, producer
• Martin Ain – bass, effects, producer
• Reed St. Mark – drums, percussion, effects

Production

• Horst Müller – engineer (original recordings)
• Harris Johns – engineer (new recordings)
• Karl "Jeder Will 1500" Walterbach – executive producer

References

1. "Celtic Frost – Tragic Serenades review". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
2. Popoff, Martin (1 November 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 68. ISBN 978-1-894959-31-5.
3. Russel, Xavier (7 August 1986). "Celtic frost 'Tragic Serenades'". Kerrang!. No. 126. United Magazines ltd. p. 18.
4. Fischer 1999, page 6.
5. Fischer 2000, page 116.
6. Fischer 2000, page 138.
7. "RSD '18 Special Release: Celtic Frost - Tragic Serenades".

References

• Thomas Gabriel, Fischer (1999). To Mega Therion (CD Booklet). Celtic Frost. Berlin, Germany: Noise Records. N 0326-2.
• Fischer, Thomas Gabriel (2000). Are You Morbid?: Into the Pandemonium of Celtic Frost. London, UK: Sanctuary. ISBN 978-1-86074-310-8.