Ahead of the release of an era-spanning box set for extreme metal ground-breakers Celtic Frost, famed frontman Tom G. Warrior sat down with Metal Injection for a deep dive into the history of the Swiss cohort of rebel artists. One reflection in the lengthy chat was that of the anniversary of Celtic Frost's final ever live performance on October 13, 2007 in Mexico City.
"It's something that makes me feel very sad because not only was Celtic Frost, at least for us in the band, a very special group to be in, but also in spite of some of the difficulties we had on a personal level, it was an immense honor and an immense pleasure to be part of Celtic Frost. And we had so many amazing encounters also with the audience. It makes me sad to know that I can never do this again," Warrior shared during our extensive interview, explaining that Triptykon's upcoming tribute performances to Celtic Frost serve as the next best thing to the real thing.
"And of course, playing Celtic Frost tributes as Triptykon is basically the next best thing. But it will never replace me being on stage, looking over, looking at Martin or me looking back looking at Reed St. Mark. And I mean, these processes show us how powerful time is.
"I remember the last Celtic Frost show very distinctly. I remember walking off stage and none of us knew that it would be the last concert and now it's already 15 years ago. It's crazy. Triptykon has been together longer now than Celtic Frost ever were. So all of these things just make you realize that time is just a gargantuan, unstoppable force. And none of us are excluded from it, no matter what you're doing."
Warrior would quit Celtic Frost on April 9, 2008 with the following statement "Celtic Frost singer and guitarist Tom Gabriel Fischer has left Celtic Frost due to the irresolvable, severe erosion of the personal basis so urgently required to collaborate within a band so unique, volatile, and ambitious." And sadly, founding Celtic Frost Martin Ain would pass away in October of 2017, with Warrior lamenting the process of crafting a Celtic Frost box-set without his friend and bandmate.
"It's bittersweet, of course, especially since Martin and I were so closely united in Celtic Frost. But you know, this is not an unusual sensation for me. Celtic Frost is my life, and I mean every day of my life I'm in some way confronted with what we did in Celtic Frost. Martin is always a part of this. For better or worse, we are united forever in this. And when I rehearse things with Triptykon and when I do an interview, Martin is always in some way present because Celtic Frost was really our joint creation. So to me it is bittersweet, very much so actually."
*Stay tuned for more on our one-on-one interview with Tom G. Warrior!
