Albums | Rotting Christ - Live in Lycabettus, Athens

In de afgelopen tijd heb ik, in het kader van onze rubriek 'sounds', al meerdere keren live-registraties voorbij laten komen van het album Live in Lycabettus - Athens van Rotting Christ. Een album dat vrijdag eindelijk uitgekomen is en inmiddels in een loop op mijn Spotify draait.

Rotting Christ draait al meer dan 35 jaar mee in de wereld van de black metal en is, als je mijn bescheiden mening vraagt, een van de meest ondergewaardeerde bands in het genre. Ik vind dit een band die je moet luisteren en daarvoor is dit live-album een uitgelezen kans.

Op Live in Lycabettus - Athens vinden we een dwarsdoorsnede van het oeuvre van Rotting Christ, van The Sign of Evil Existence van het eerste album Thy Mighty Contract (1993), via Under the Name of Legion van Genesis (2002) en Apage Satanas van Rituals (2016) tot Like Father, Like Son van Pro Xristou (2024) en heel veel nummer die daar nog tussenin zitten - 25 in het totaal.

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Releasedatum: 4-4-2025

Luister

Lees:

In the dimly lit catacombs of extreme metal, one name stands as a monolith: ROTTING CHRIST. Sakis Tholis and his brother Themis started this band together back in 1987. In the three decades since, these Greek titans have left their blackened imprint all over the metal world. They’ve released 13 studio albums and played more than 1,300 concerts around the globe.  Underneath all this hard work, Rotting Christ have but one vision – an urge to not only push the boundaries of extreme metal, but to keep reinventing themselves along the way.

Rotting Christ’s evolution has unfolded across several distinct chapters. After starting out closer to the barely controlled chaos of grindcore, they went on to establish the iconic sound of Hellenic black metal. Their albums often embrace refined gothic soundscapes, only to plunge back into the depths of blasphemous fervour. Each chapter marked another, further exploration, and an unwavering commitment to push boundaries.

But the real turning point came in 2007, when Rotting Christ signed a pact with Season of Mist. They unleashed a series of albums for the French label that defied any and all expectations. From the piercing Theogonia and the symphonic grandeur of Aelo to the ritualistic intensity of Κατά Τον Δαίμονα Εαυτού, the cinematic experiences created by Rotting Christ became a spectacle of bombastic atmospheres, mesmerizing choirs, and neo-classical arrangements. The unexpected is their modus operandi, with the use of various languages (Latin, Arabic, Greek,  English) as well as the extensive use of famous poetry woven into their music, like Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Raven’ on The Heretics.

In 2019, Rotting Christ’s epic journey continued with The Apocryphal Spell compilation, which offers fans an intimate glimpse into unreleased and rare material. This allowed them to gather strength, preparing for the release of their next, highly anticipated, 14th full-length studio album: Pro Xristou.

Pro Xristou (‘Before Christ’ in Greek), serves as a fervent tribute to the last Pagan kings who resisted the onslaught of Christianity, guarding their ancient values and knowledge. In this thematic odyssey, intricately woven through tracks such as ‘The Apostate’ and ‘Ygdrassil’, Rotting Christ delves into the legacies of historical figures such as Flavius Claudius Julianus and Nordic mythological kings, embodying the might of Pagan wisdom in the face of Christian adversity. The album encapsulates the essence of Rotting Christ’s signature style – melodic, yet harsh at times – reinventing themselves yet again, while remaining rooted in their 35-year legacy.

Lees:

Artefacts is a Belgian bandproject aimed at bringing the highest level of musical experiences to the listener. What can only be described as an epic movie score fused with thundering guitars, blistering drums and haunting screams, the band combines the bombast of a symphonic orchestra with the darkness of black metal, while adding a progressive touch.

The mission from the outset was to give the audience an all-inclusive experience, encompassing music, images and an expansive storyline and thus, ‘The Titan Chronicles’ was born: an entire universe, in which the base story line is set, was conceived.

The album was recorded, mixed and mastered by Bram Dewachter and Tim Van Doorn at Big Dog Recordings. The core of the outfit consists of Siegfried Mercelis (keys and orchestration) and Niklaas Reinhold (vocals), both years of experience playing in Lemuria. The present line up consists of current and former members of Slaughter The Giant, Manic Movement, Lost Department and Valkyre.

The album will be released on Anti-Hero Records, a new Belgian label founded by Tony de Block(Midas Studio, Red Hot, Belgian Vinyl Pressing Plant).

The full line-up of the band is as follows:

Siegfried Mercelis – keys and orchestration, composer, songwriting, lyrics, story

Niklaas Reinhold – harsh vocals and narration, lyrics

Tom Everaert – bass

Tom Leemans – lead and rhythm guitars

Hans Jacobs – rhythm and lead guitars

Joren Baert – drums