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Rotting Christ

Kata Ton Demona Ton Eaftou

Written by: MN on 20/03/2013 01:55:18

Rarely do you witness a band as consistent as Rotting Christ. The Greek metallers imprint another milestone in their voyage with their newest release, "Kata Ton Demona Eaftou. It is apparent that Rotting Christ do not whither with age, rather their music remains refreshing, professional and sledgehammer heavy. "Kata Ton Demona Eaftou" is a prime representation of exactly what Rotting Christ are aiming to do; create a unique atmosphere where you find yourself startled, frightened, yet enlightened; to send you spiralling into the world of mythology and into the occult.

For those unaware of who Rotting Christ are, let's start by clearing up some inevitable assumptions: Rotting Christ are not Satanists, their members have not been incarcerated for committing arson, nor do they perform with corpse make-up, and lastly: no murders or suicides have occurred within the Rotting Christ circle of friends. If the last reference confuses you, look up the band history of both Mayhem and Burzum to gain an idea of the more controversial faces of Black Metal. Despite the clean criminal report, Rotting Christ have been frowned upon by both larger institutions and distinct personalities. Catholic groups in Malta protested an upcoming Rotting Christ gig since a fan felt it necessary to stick a concert flyer to the door of an important church. Rotting Christ did eventually perform, but having to change venues. Dave Mustaine, the torchbearer of Megadeth (and a newborn christian) has also refused to perform shows with Rotting Christ.

Rotting Christ are based in Athens, Greece and have 25 years under their belt. The mastermind behind the project is the seasoned musician Sakis Tolis, joining him on the drums is his younger brother Themis Tolis. Their music has evolved immensely since their emergence in the late 1980's, it is now best described as atmospheric metal.

Their 11th release, like many before, is jam-packed with mythological references that one would need an encyclopedia to understand the majority of the stories. Language variety is also abundant, the 56 min record is packed with languages ranging from Ancient Mayan, Greek, Latin, Romanian, Assyrian and Ancient Incan. These mythology nerds tell stories of folklore, but they do it with some of the most haunting and 'rotten' vocals, and drumming as tight as the wires of a suspension bridge.

Album-opener “In Yumem / Xibalba” opens with a whisper, followed by reversed Mayan chanting, on top of heavy doom-like guitar riffs. After a lengthy prelude, the supersonic guitar picking sets in, and the black metal mania begins. The second track ”P' Unchaw Kachun / Tuta Kachun” presents war-like drumming, Incan poetry and benedictine chanting. Think of the masquerade/orgy scene in Eyes Wide Shut just combined with black metal, it's kind of creepy but contains instrumentation with an amazing drive. The Latin entry of this album comes in the form of ”Grandis Spiritus Diavolos”, which presents one of the most catchy riffs on the record, rest assured, it will keep your head banging.

"Kata Ton Demona Eaftou" is one of the many songs that presents Themis Tolis insane drumming. The track also contains some Greek folkloric elements in the form of woodwind and bagpipe instruments. One of the most surprising tracks on the album is "Cine Iubeşte Si Lasă" which is sung in Romanian, starting of sounding like the intro to a chaotic balkan song, the emotional female vocals are eventually combined seamlessly with deep growls and distorted guitars. Other songs deal with themes of voodoo, seduction and also a curious interpretation of the story of Gilgamesh. The album is sealed off with a thunderous finale, the track "Χ Ξ Σ – 666" gradually rises to some of the most cataclysmic metal music I have heard in a long time.

Rotting Christ prove yet again their position as kings of the Balkan peninsula. Norwegian black metallers nod their head in admiration of these seasoned crooners, yet their popularity will probably never reach it's deserved status, which is obviously due to the controversy of their name, yet I urge sceptics and the curious to give them a listen, you may find yourself blown away.

Download: Grandis Spiritus Diavolos, Kata Ton Demona Eaftou
For The Fans Of: Septic Flesh, Behemoth, Naglfar
Listen: facebook.com

Release Date 01.03.13
Season Of Mist