|
Rotting Christ
|
Line Up:
Sakis: Guitars & Vocals
Kostas: Guitars
Andreas: Bass
George: Keyboards
Themis: Drums
Greece. The birthplace of democracy. Undeniably the cradle of civilization. Several of history's greatest artists, writers, architects and philosophers were Greek natives. Modern-day Greek artisans Sakis Tolis and his brother Themis wanted to create some dark art of their own.
Influenced by early black metal forerunners such as Venom, Bathory and Celtic Frost, Rotting Christ began to take shape, a band with a passion for metal music as hot as the Mediterranean summer. Since the band's fiery inception, the style and intentions of their songs have shifted into a more melodic and sorrowful direction, and Rotting Christ have written themselves into a brand of metal that is recognizable, heavily alluring and widely encompassing.
The band's sixth and most recent album, Sleep of The Angels, continues with the mood and premise of its 1997 predecessor, A Dead Poem, and captures the dark imagery and emotions that were centrifugal to the making of this record. While gothic elements continue to find their way into today's metal and rock scenes, it is easy to hear why Rotting Christ are complete innovators in the field, and why Sleep Of The Angels is one of the more memorable albums of 1999.
During 1987 in the venerable metropolis of Athens, the band was born. By the time their debut EP, Passage To Arcturo, was released in 1991, Rotting Christ were established as one of the forerunners of the second generation of black metal.
After signing with France's Osmose records and adding a keyboardist, they released the diabolical Thy Mighty Contract in 1993.
|
|
Following the release of another full-length, Non Serviam, in early 1995, and unhappy with their label, Rotting Christ decided it was time to move on and take the band to a higher level. Realizing that their music needed to grow and should not be restricted to the confines of black metal, Sakis reached deep into his dark soul and composed a more atmospheric masterpiece, Triarchy Of The Lost Lovers.
Securing a contract with Century Media Records, Triarchy... was released in 1996 with an opened-armed response from the media and public. Combining creatively epic riffs with melancholic melodies, the band broke free of the black metal tag without completely losing its influence, and the term "dark metal" was given to the sound of Rotting Christ (and since has been given to countless acts attempting the same style).
Capitalizing on the success and the new fan base from the Triarchy... release, the band entered Germany's famous Woodhouse Studios, and after enlisting the help of Samael drummer/keyboardist and chief songwriter Xy as producer, the bombastic yet ethereal A Dead Poem was created. Also lending a helping hand with keyboards, Xy's expertise behind the board helped main songwriter Sakis fully realize his visions of musical grandeur. A Dead Poem is hauntingly brilliant, highlighted by the sorrowful and melodic guitar passages and emotional vocal delivery of Sakis.
1998 found Sakis and Themis adding a second guitarist, Kostas, as well as appointing Andreas on bass and George on keyboards, and Rotting Christ entered Woodhouse Studios once again in September of last year with Xy returning to the production helm. Again over-achieving in their creative realms, the band deliver another stunning piece of epic, enchanting darkness. From the quick and darting "The Word Made End", to the biting melody of "After Dark I Feel" and the inviting, Moonspell-like "Der Perfekte Traum", Rotting Christ's new release will find a quick home with metal and/or gothic rock fans everywhere, and the band have set one of the finest examples of what it means to mature as a musical unit.
Sleep Of The Angels is set to be released in the US on the 9th of March with a bonus track "Moonlight" not available elsewhere, and a European tour with Deicide has ensued since the album's overseas release.
Once again the shadow of Rotting Christ is passing over the land, and once again fans will be pulled into the majestically bleak world of their melancholic and thought-provoking metal.
|
|
Khronos = "time". If you define time as the irreversible, unrepeatable and manifest succession of events in nature and history, then you are definitely right. Thankfully creativity, and therefore music, does not follow this rigid pattern of science, but instead its very own rules where anything goes. After exploring the depths of a magnified gothic sound on their previous album, Sleep Of The Angels, Greek dark metal gods ROTTING CHRIST felt it was once again time to thrash out some horrifying extreme tunes on their new Satanic masterpiece, Khronos... an album of which dares to return to the heaviness of Thy Mighty Contract without neglecting the musical development that singer/guitarist/songwriter Sakis and his bandmates experienced during the past 7 years since the release of their classic invocation of unholy demons. Travelling around the world for Sleep Of The Angels acquired the band fresh influences. On their odyssey through the old and new world they not only played with the likes of Deicide and Cradle Of Filth, but also had to fight some evil spells such as slipping through death's fingers during a dangerous earthquake in Mexico postopone touring in North America after some holy men went berzerk about the band's name and cancelling half of their 2nd South American tour after their tour manager disappeared with advances and left the band in the middle of nowhere with nothing but their instruments. Strengthened by these events, ROTTING CHRIST felt the time for some changes were in order so they decided to develop a new sound and use the cold asylum of Sweden's Abyss Studios (rather than Woodhouse) relying on Sakis himself for Khronos' gloomy productiion (with Peter Tägtgren mixing). Buried under the relentless ice and snow of a Nordic winter, the dark fire and passion burned even brighter to form a vision of eternal hellfire. Khronos = the sign that the new age of dark philosophy has begun.
- March 28, 2001
Blackwinged
|
|
| | |
