When Celtic Frost finally disbanded for the (then) final time in 1992, they encapsulated their troubled history with a bold collection of B-sides, rarities,
remixed album tracks, demos, and other odds and ends that spanned across the band's classic early albums and through to their infamous Cold Lake and
the follow-up Vanity/Nemesis. Parched With Thirst Am I And Dying is a crucial compilation for diehard CeltiC Frost fans for a number of
reasons: first off, it's got an assload of jams you are not going to find anywhere else; second, this collection is a superb cross-section of the band's
catalog and song reworkings that perfectly demonstrates the unbridled weirdness, experimental spirit, and sheer heaviness of Celtic Frost. Ultimately for me,
it's the presence of several songs off of Frost's reviled Cold Lake that make this disc fucking indispensible to me: a heavier re-recording of
"Juice Like Wine" and "Downtown Hanoi", and the radio edit for "Cherry Orchards". Now, I'm going to share an unpopular view here and say that I actually like
Cold Lake. Like, really, really like Cold Lake. The songs are fucking catchy, and the album has this terminally weird glam-thrash
vibe that I think rules. I'm pretty certain that my stating that is going to earn me a lethal kick in the bag at some point down the road, but I had to get
that off my chest. I'm convinced that years from now, metal historians are going to look back on Cold Lake and finally give that album the credit
it's due.
Anyways, Parched with Thirst Am I and Dying....this comp is crucial, with mostly-informative liner notes giving the source for most of the tracks,
and this is a wealth of deep cuts from the Frost, with some stunning moments of deaththrash weirdness that blow my mind. Alot of the stuff is from the
sessions for To Mega Therion and Into the Pandemonium, but then you have the cover of Dean Martin's "In The Chapel In The Moonlight", the
infectious, brilliant thrash metal/death pop of the Sisters Of Mercy-ish "I Won't Dance", the haunting orchestral dream of "Tristesses De La Lune", and their
cover of "Mexican Radio". Highly recommended.