Rotting Christ is a Greek black metal band formed in 1987. They are noted for being one of the first black metal bands within this region, as well as a premier act within the European undergroundmetal scene.[1] They are also responsible for creating the signature Greek black metal sound prevalent in the early 1990s.
Rotting Christ was founded in 1987 as a grindcore act. They released a series of demos and splits with local bands during their rehearsal era. During this period, the group gradually altered their sound with influence from proto-black metal bands like Celtic Frost and Venom, and in the process became one of the inaugurators of black metal. Their 1989 demo, Satanas Tedeum, presented a crossover between black metal and grindcore. In 1991, the band released Passage to Arcturo, their career-breaking EP.
One of band's major debuts was on the 1993 "Fuck Christ Tour", which also featured Immortal and Blasphemy. During this concert, some audience members engaged in cutting and self-mutilation that resulted in hospitalization.[2] Before signing to Unisound Records (a now-defunct Athens-based independent record label founded in 1992),[lower-alpha 1]Mayhem's Øystein Aarseth had expressed interest in distributing the band through his Deathlike Silence Productions label,[3] but due to Aarseth's murder the same year, nothing materialized. The band signed to Century Media in 1996 and remained on their roster for 10 years before joining Season of Mist.
Rotting Christ was one of the first bands announced to perform the Barge to Hell festival, which is a metal-themed cruise organized by Ultimate Metal Cruises and took place aboard Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas. Barge to Hell set sail from Port of Miami on December 3, 2012.
As of 2024[update], Rotting Christ has been around for 37 years and is one of the longest running bands within the black metal genre. In celebration of the band's longevity, the 2-DVD + 2-CD compilation Non Serviam: A 20 Year Apocryphal Story, shot in Athens on December 8, 2007, was released worldwide February 23, 2009.
Aealo, the band's tenth studio album, was released on February 15, 2010, in Europe and February 23, 2010, in the United States.
They made their first appearance in South Asia on September 13, 2014, in India (Bangalore Open Air 2014 Edition) and September 14, 2014, in Sri Lanka.
Their twelfth studio album, Rituals, was released on February 12, 2016.[8]
To coincide with their 30th anniversary, the band released a new 7-inch single "The Call" on February 9, 2018; the single's b-side is a live version of "The Sign of Evil Existence", which includes guest vocals by Behemoth's Nergal and Varathron's Stefan Necroabyssious.[9] The band also released an official biography entitled "Non Serviam: The Official Story Of Rotting Christ" in late November 2018, written by Sakis Tolis and British author Dayal Patterson (author of 'Black Metal: Evolution Of The Cult', 'The Cult Never Dies Vol. One' and 'Into The Abyss') and published by British publishing house Cult Never Dies. The book features extensive interviews with Sakis Tolis, Themis Tolis, Jim Mutilator, Morbid, George Emmanuel and members of the bands Watain, Mayhem, Enslaved, Moonspell, Blasphemy, Mystifier, Septicflesh, Behemoth, Macabre Omen, Cradle Of Filth and Immolation [10][11] The book has since been released in Greek, Russian and Czech languages.
Rotting Christ's thirteenth studio album, The Heretics, was released on February 15, 2019.[12][13][14]
In 2020, Rotting Christ announced a collaboration with the video game developer Cold Symmetry on their action role-playing video game, Mortal Shell.[15] The game's launch trailer, released in August 2020, featured the song "χξς (666)" as its soundtrack.[16] In addition, a downloadable content pack, titled "Rotten Autumn", was released for the game in October 2020 and includes, among other content, an alternative soundtrack composed by Rotting Christ.[17]
Rotting Christ's fourteenth studio album, Pro Xristou, was released on May 20, 2024.[18]
Line-up
The permanent line-up consists of brothers Sakis Tolis (vocals and guitar) and Themis Tolis (drums). Third founding member Jim Patsouris played bass until 1996. Andreas Lagios was the bassist since 1997, taking the stead of Patsouris until the end of 2011. Nightfall's Giorgos Bokos joined as a guitarist in 2005, replacing Costas Vasilakopoulos. In February 2012, Bokos announced his departure from the band for personal reasons.[19] In December 2012, the new members of the band were announced: guitarist George Emmanuel and bassist Vagelis Karzis.[20] George Emmanuel and Vagelis Karzis amicably left the band in February and May 2019 respectively to pursue other projects.[21][22]
Three keyboardists had previously been a part of the band; George Tolias, George Zaharopoulos (Magus Wampyr Daoloth of Necromantia) and a session musician known only as Panayiotis (on A Dead Poem).
The band members from the beginning, up to Triarchy of the Lost Lovers album, were using the pseudonyms Necromayhem for Sakis,[23] Necrosauron for Themis[24] and Mutilator for Jim (Dimitris).[25] George Zaharopoulos used the pseudonym Morbid for early EP and split-LP releases up to Passage to Arcturo, and the pseudonym Magus Wampyr Daoloth[26] for Thy Mighty Contract and Non Serviam.[27]
Living in (so called) democratic societies, I think everyone should have the right to call religions as he/she wants. We in fact simply believe they are "rotting"! We are not a "satanic-crusader" type of band but rather one of the many bands that represent the dark side in nowadays Metal music.[28]
They also have had to cancel some shows, most recently in May 2005, when Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine threatened to refuse to play at a Greek concert if Rotting Christ were on the bill.[29][30]
In response to their forced cancellation, Tolis noted:
I didn't expect something like that from Dave Mustaine, because, you know, he's supposed to be metal — you know, 'metal band,' all metal ... I just feel sorry for him and for every new Christian with new ideas, because we think Christianity is the worst thing to happen in human history. This is a well-organized trick in order to control society, so when I see someone that's very much Christian, that's full of the system, I feel very sorry for him because he's not free.[31]
Everybody is free to believe anything he wants to; I just think that Dave misunderstood the whole subject. I have met the guys from Rotting Christ and I don't think that they are Satanists or something. I think that Dave overreacted on this.[33]
When playing in Malta, a country which in its constitution declares itself as Roman Catholic, trouble from the Church and other Catholic groups ensued when an unknown person stuck a Rotting Christ flyer to a church door. The band was allowed to play eventually even though they had to change venue.
In April 2018, Rotting Christ were scheduled to play in Georgia. Upon arriving in Tbilisi, founding members Sakis and Themis Tolis were arrested by Georgian authorities under suspicion of terrorism due to their band name, as reported by an announcement from the band's label, Season of Mist.[34] They had their passports and cell phones confiscated and were detained in prison, without being permitted legal representation or contact with the Greek Embassy for 12 hours. Afterwards, they were informed by their lawyers that the two were included in a "list of unwanted people for reasons of national security" that labeled them as "Satanists" and "suspects of terrorism". The two were eventually released, after arrangements made by the band's other members in collaboration with the local promoter, "who involved legal experts, journalists and activists in Georgia". The band was allowed to perform their scheduled concert and left for their next destination, Armenia, without hassle.
A species of prehistoric brittle star, Brezinacantha tolis, was named after the Tolis brothers.[35][36]
Musical style
Early in their career, they were responsible for creating what is known as the "classic" Greek black metal sound which can be heard in other bands such as Varathron and Thou Art Lord. Despite the name, the band's traditional lyrical themes involving evil and occultism has evolved into a more "mystic" path,[28] and they have modified their musical direction on each album, utilizing elements such as clean melodic baritone vocals, doom, gothic metal and industrial music traits, and male/female Benedictine chants. Recent albums, beginning with Khronos, have shown the band taking a more modern, faster and more aggressive approach to their blackened-gothic style. Their 2007 album, Theogonia, especially, has been described as more "atmospheric" and "epic" by their label.[37]
Athanasios "Sakis" Tolis is a Greek musician best known as the vocalist and rhythm guitarist of Rotting Christ. He is also known as Necromayhem.
Septicflesh are a Greek death metal band from Athens, founded in 1990.
Sanctus Diavolos is the eighth full-length album by Greek extreme metal band Rotting Christ.
Genesis is the seventh full-length album by the Greek extreme metal band Rotting Christ.
Khronos is the sixth full-length album by Greek extreme metal band Rotting Christ.
A Dead Poem is the fourth full-length album by Greek extreme metal band Rotting Christ.
Triarchy of the Lost Lovers is the third full-length album by Greek extreme metal band Rotting Christ. This album was released in April 1996 on Century Media and was the first album to showcase a steady addition of gothic metal influence to their overall sound.
Non Serviam is the second full-length album by Greek extreme metal band Rotting Christ, released in 1994.
Thy Mighty Contract is the debut studio album by Greek extreme metal band Rotting Christ, released in November 1993 on Osmose Productions.
Passage to Arcturo is the first EP by Greek extreme metal band Rotting Christ, released in 1991. It was originally an MLP-pressing only: first edition in gatefold cover; second edition with normal cover. The EP was re-released in February 2011 with "The Old Coffin Spirit (Live)", "The Mystical Meeting (Live)" and "The Forest of N'Gai (Live)" as bonus tracks on MCD.
Mystic Places of Dawn is the first album by Septic Flesh, released in 1994.
Necromantia was a Greek black metal band that was founded in 1989 in Athens. Alongside Rotting Christ and Varathron, they are considered to be pioneers in establishing the Greek black metal scene in the early 1990s. The band is notable for the complete lack of rhythm guitar in their music, which is substituted by an eight-string bass guitar. Another notable feature is the band's frequent use of musical instruments not usually associated with black metal, such as the saxophone and flute.
Thou Art Lord are a Greek, Athens-based black metal band, formed in 1993. Over the years, the line-up has consisted of former or current members of Greek extreme metal bands Rotting Christ, Necromantia and Septic Flesh.
Theogonia is the ninth full-length album by Greek extreme metal band Rotting Christ. It is their first release through Season of Mist, and the first to feature guitarist Giorgos Bokos (Nightfall) in the line-up.
Aealo is the tenth full-length album by Greek extreme metal band Rotting Christ. It was released on 15 February 2010 via Season of Mist.
Κατά τον δαίμονα εαυτού is the eleventh full-length album by Greek extreme metal band Rotting Christ.
Rituals is the twelfth full-length album by Greek extreme metal band Rotting Christ. It was released on 12 February 2016, via Season of Mist. The album debuted at number 14 on the Billboard heatseekers album chart and at number 10 on Ifpi Greek charts.
The Heretics is the thirteenth full-length album by Greek extreme metal band Rotting Christ. It was released on 15 February 2019 via Season of Mist. Loudwire named it one of the 50 best metal albums of 2019.
Highlights from the Revenge of Odysseus is the sixth EP by American heavy metal band Manowar, released digitally on streaming services on June 22, 2022. The EP is based on the Odyssey, Homer's tale of the great hero Odysseus and his long and perilous quest to return to his wife and son, and is a sampler of a bigger work to be released. The tracks premiered worldwide at the "Release Athens" festival in Athens Greece on 22 June 2022. The same one where they also started "The Revenge of Odysseus" anniversary tour.
Pro Xristou is the fourteenth full-length album by Greek extreme metal band Rotting Christ. It was released on 23 May 2024 via Season of Mist..
↑ Patterson, Dayal; Tolis, Sakis (2018). Non Serviam - The Official Story of Rotting Christ (in Greek) (Greeked.). Athens, Greece: Brainfood | Acid Publications. ISBN978-960-436-595-1.
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