Celtic Frost

Celtic Frost is one of the few '80s thrash giants that haven't been co-opted by the forces of hipster irony. In 1988, the Swiss hellions released an excellent yet inexplicable hair-metal album titled Cold Lake. Kurt Cobain loved the disc, but you'd do better to check out 1984's Morbid Talesas a point of entry to the death/doom/black-metal pioneers' dissimilar releases. After disbanding in 1992, Frost reunited last year to record the solid new Monotheist, a burpy mid-tempo sludgefest with a second half that incorporates a string section and Interpolian goth. It's not exactly a return to form, but that's only because frontman Tom G. "Warrior" Fischer and his players didn't have a real form to return to. After thrashy early efforts, Frost led the charge into symphonic metal beginning with 1985's To Mega Therion. S.O.D. famously lampoons the group in "Celtic Frosted Flakes," which isn't quite as funny as the video for Cold Lake's "Cherry Orchards," a grainy clip that captures the crew dancing in teased hair and ripped jeans.