CELTIC FROST Mainman Gloats Over SANCTUARY's Financial Troubles

CELTIC FROST frontman Tom Gabriel Fischer has posted the following message on his official blog:

"Persistent gossip in the industry about the state of affairs within the Sanctuary Music Group empire and the signals emitted by SMG's recent modus operandi have caused an enhanced degree of entertainment here. The joy felt about Sanctuary's alleged current tribulations knows no boundaries. What unreservedly marvelous news."

In a February 2003 posting to the band's official web site, Fischer elaborated on his deep dislike for all things Sanctuary:

"Rod Smallwood [one of Sanctuary's head honchos] has absolutely nothing to do with the new FROST project. He had a number of meetings with me about CF when APOLLYON SUN [Fischer's post-CELTIC FROST project] were still signed to Sanctuary in early 2000, and I know he was eager to get CF. However, after what in our opinion was an unprecedented botching up of any and all AS affairs and after the intense personal betrayal we all felt, there was no way in hell I was ever going to give the new CF album to him.

"I have not commented on Rod's job with IRON MAIDEN in my post, and I know and would never dispute that Rod was a cutting-edge manager when he discovered IRON MAIDEN 649 years ago. Why do you think we signed to Rod and his company in the first place? The signing was preceded by a number of very thorough and extensive meetings within AS.

"Nobody outside AS will ever truly know what took place in the period between 1998 and 2000, and if they did they would never believe it. It's too outrageous and too far-fetched to seem possible. It made us wish we were back on Karl Walterbach's 1980s-era Noise Records, enjoying what out of the blue seemed like the good-hearted charity and kind artistic understanding Noise Records extended to CF in 1987.

"Rod, on the other hand, signed AS explicitly because he wanted a state-of-the-art, cutting edge group for Sanctuary, to modernize and rejuvenate their roster. At least that's what we were told in 1997.

"I have not commented on Rod and IRON MAIDEN in my post, and perhaps any comment on us and Rod should be reserved to those who were there and saw what took place. I for one could write an album full of songs with titles such as the one that generated this discussion, and so could everyone else in AS.

"By the way, the only person from IRON MAIDEN who ever even acknowledged our presence at Sanctuary was Bruce Dickinson.

"I have only the best things to say about Bruce Dickinson. And I understand that some of his own, unreleased, music resembled AS's."