Rotting Christ

Rotting Christ
Background information
Origin	Athens, Greece
Genres	Melodic black metal[1] Gothic metal[2]
Years active	1987–present
Labels	Osmose Productions (1991−1993) Unisound (1994-1996) Century Media Records (1996−2006) Season of Mist (2006−Present)
Associated acts	Moonspell Necromantia Nightfall Samael Septic Flesh Thou Art Lord Varathron
Website	rotting-christ.com
Members
Sakis Tolis Giorgos Bokos Andreas Lagios Themis Tolis
Past members
Costas Vasilakopoulos Georgios Tolias Magus Wampyr Daoloth Jim "Mutilator" Patsouris Panayiotis

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 underground metal scene.^[3]

History

Line-up

The permanent line-up consists of brothers Sakis Tolis (vocals and guitar) and Themis Tolis (drums). Andreas Lagios has been the bassist since 1997, taking the stead of Jim Patsouris. Nightfall's Giorgos Bokos joined as a guitarist in 2005, replacing Costas Vasilakopoulos.

Three keyboardists had previously been a part of the band; George Tolias, George Zaharopoulos and a session known only as Panayiotis (on A Dead Poem).

The band from the beggining, up to Triarchy of the Lost Lovers album was using the pseudonyms Necromayhem for Sakis^[4], Necrosauron for Themis^[5] and Mutilator for Jim (Dimitris)^[6].

Biography

During their rehearsal era in the late 1980s, the band began as grindcore and released various demos and splits with other bands from the Athens area. The group would later alter their sound with influence from proto-black metal bands like Celtic Frost and Venom, and in the process became one of the genre's instigators. Their 5 song demo, Satanas Tedeum, would show a grindcore/black metal crossover, followed by their career-breaking EP, Passage to Arcturo, in 1991.

One of band's first major appearances was on the 1993 "Fuck Christ Tour" consisting of Immortal and Blasphemy. During this concert, some audience members had engaged in cutting and self mutilation that resulted in hospitalization.^[7] Before signing to Unisound, Mayhem's Øystein Aarseth had expressed interest in distributing the band through his "Deathlike Silence Productions" label,^[8] but due to Aarseth's murder the same year, nothing materialized. The band would sign to Century Media in 1996 and remain on their roster for 10 years before joining Season of Mist.

Rotting Christ have played in many countries outside their native Greece, including both Americas, Greater Europe, Russia, the United Kingdom, Malta and the Middle East. Several heavy metal festivals around the world have hosted the band, including the 2003 Wacken Open Air in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Past tourmates have included My Dying Bride, Tristania, Tiamat, Vintersorg, Finntroll, Agathodaimon, Old Man's Child, Malevolent Creation, Anorexia Nervosa, Vader, Krisiun, Deicide, Behemoth, Melechesh and Nile, among many others.^[9][10][11]

Publicity

Over the years, the group has faced controversy due to their name and gained international media attention in November 1999 during the 2000 United States Presidential Primaries for Republican Nomination, when candidate/Christian conservative Gary Bauer accused the band of being "anti-Catholic", among other things. In response to Bauer's criticism, Sakis wrote:

Themis Tolis (left, background) and George Bokos (right) at a concert in Poland, 2006

They also have had to cancel some shows, most recently in May 2005, when Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine refused to play at a Greek concert if Rotting Christ were on the bill.^[13][14]

In response to their forced cancellation, Sakis noted:

Anthrax co-founder Dan Lilker defended Rotting Christ and criticized Dave Mustaine's actions,^[16] as did Nevermore's Warrel Dane, whose bands appeared on Mustaine's Gigantour in 2005. Dane added:

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.

Despite the name, the band's traditional lyrical themes involving evil and occultism has evolved into a more "mystic" path,^[12] 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.^[18]

The group's choice of producers, engineers and mixers has also been varied; Swedish extreme metal figures Dan Swanö (Unisound), Peter Tägtgren (Abyss Studios) and Fredrik Nordström (Studio Fredman), German producers Andy Classen (Asphyx, Belphegor) Siggi Bemm (Therion, Theatre of Tragedy) and Waldemar Sorychta (Lacuna Coil, The Gathering) as well as Xytras (Samael percussionist/keyboardist) have all contributed to production on the band's albums.

As of 2007^[update], Rotting Christ have been around 20 years, 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 latest album, was released on February 15, 2010 for Europe and February 23, 2010 for the USA.

Band members

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Rotting Christ

Current members

• Sakis Tolis - guitar/vocals (1987–present)
• Giorgos Bokos - guitar (2005–present)
• Andreas Lagios - bass (1997–present)
• Themis Tolis - drums (1987–present)

Past members

• Costas Vasilakopoulos - guitar (1996–2004)
• Georgios Tolias - keyboard (1997–2003)
• George "Magus Wampyr Daoloth" Zaharopoulos - keyboard/backing vocals (1992–1994)
• Jim "Mutilator" Patsouris - bass (1989–1996)
• Panayiotis - session keyboard (1997)

Discography

Full length

• Thy Mighty Contract
  November 11, 1993
  Osmose Productions
  (re-released on Century Media, January 20, 1998)
• Non Serviam
  October 10, 1994
  Unisound
  (re-released on The End Records, January 24, 2006)
• Triarchy of the Lost Lovers
  August 20, 1996
  Century Media
• A Dead Poem
  October 7, 1997
  Century Media
• Sleep of the Angels
  March 9, 1999
  Century Media
• Khronos
  August 29, 2000
  Century Media
• Genesis
  October 29, 2002
  Century Media
• Sanctus Diavolos
  September 20, 2004
  Century Media
• Theogonia
  February 6, 2007
  Season of Mist
• Aealo
  February 15, 2010
  Season of Mist

Demos, singles, and DVDs

• Decline's Return (1988) (demo)
• Leprosy of Death (1988) (unofficial demo)
• The Other Side of Life (1989) (EP split with Sound Pollution)
• Satanas Tedeum (1989) (demo)
• Passage to Arcturo (1991) (EP)
• Split with Monumentum (1991) (split)
• Dawn of the Iconoclast (1991) (EP)
• Ades Wind (1992) (demo)
• Apokathelosis (1993) (EP)
• The Mystical Meeting (1997) (single/live/cover compilation)
• Der Perfekte Traum (1999) (single/Live)
• In Domine Sathana (2003) (live DVD)
• Non Serviam: A 20 Year Apocryphal Story (2009) (live DVD/CD)
• A Soundtrack to Mikael Häll's Doctoral Dissertation (2012, Malört förlag) (7" single, split with Negative Plane)

Best of compilation

• Thanatiphoro Anthologio (2007) (compilation)

References

External links

• Official website
• Rotting Christ on Myspace
• Rotting Christ discography at MusicBrainz