Rotting Christ

Thay are notit for bein ane o the first black metal baunds athin this region, as well as a premier act athin the European unnergrund metal scene.

Rotting Christ
The baund performin in Holland, 2010
Background information
Oreigin	Athens, Greece
Genres	Melodic black metal Gothic metal
Years active	1987–present
Labels	Osmose Productions (1991−1993) Unisound (1994-1996) Century Media Records (1996−2006) Season of Mist (2006−Present)
Associate acts	Moonspell Necromantia Nightfall Samael Septic Flesh Thou Art Lord Nightstalker
Wabsteid	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

Line-up

The permanent line-up consists o brithers Sakis Tolis (vocals an guitar) an Themis Tolis (drums). Andreas Lagios haes been the bassist syne 1997, takkin the steid o Jim Patsouris. Nightfall's Giorgos Bokos jyned as a guitarist in 2005, replacin Costas Vasilakopoulos.

Three keybuirdists haed previously been a pairt o the baund; George Tolias, George Zaharopoulos an a session man kent anerlie as Panayiotis (on A Dead Poem).

The baund frae the beginnin, up tae thair Triarchy of the Lost Lovers album, wis uisin the pseudonyms Necromayhem for Sakis, Necrosauron for Themis an Mutilator for Jim (Dimitris).

Biography

Durin thair rehearsal era in the late 1980s, the baund began as grindcore an released various demos an splits wi ither baunds frae the Athens aurie. The group wad later alter thair soond wi influence frae proto-black metal baunds lik Celtic Frost an Venom, an in the process became ane o the genre's instigators. Thair 5 sang demo, Satanas Tedeum, wad shaw a grindcore/black metal crossower, follaeed bi thair career-breakin EP, Passage to Arcturo, in 1991.

Ane o the baund's first major appearances wis on the 1993 "Fuck Christ Tour" consistin o Immortal an Blasphemy. Durin this concert, some audience members haed engagit in cuttin an sel-mutilation that resultit in hospitalisation. Afore signin tae Unisound, Mayhem's Øystein Aarseth haed expressed interest in distributin the baund throu his "Deathlike Silence Productions" label, but due tae Aarseth's murther the same year, nothin materialisit. The baund wad sign tae Century Media Records in 1996 an remain on thair roster for 10 years afore jynin Season of Mist.

Rotting Christ hae played in mony kintras ootside thair hame Greece, includin baith Americaes, Greater Europe, Roushie, the Unitit Kinrick, Maltae an the Middle East. Several hivy metal festivals aroond the warld hae hostit the baund, includin the 2003 Wacken Open Air in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Past tourmates hae includit My Dying Bride, Tristania, Tiamat, Vintersorg, Finntroll, Agathodaimon, Old Man's Child, Malevolent Creation, Anorexia Nervosa, Vader, Krisiun, Deicide, Behemoth, Melechesh an Nile, amang mony ithers.

Rotting Christ hae been aroond 20+ years, ane o the langest runnin baunds athin the black metal genre. In celebration o the baund's longevity, the 2 DVD + 2 CD compilation, "Non Serviam: A 20 Year Apocryphal Story," shot in Athens on 8 December 2007, wis released warldwide 23 Februar 2009.

Ower the years, the group haes facit controversy due tae thair name an gained internaitional media attention in November 1999 durin the 2000 Unitit States Presidential Primaries for Republican Nomination, whan candidate/Christian conservative Gary Bauer accused the baund o bein "anti-Catholic", amang ither things. In response tae Bauer's criticism, Sakis wrote:

Thay hae haed tae cancel some shaws an aw, maist recently in Mey 2005, whan Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine refused tae play at a Greek concert if Rotting Christ war on the bill.

In response tae thair forcit cancellation, Sakis notit:

Anthrax co-foonder Dan Lilker defendit Rotting Christ an criticisit Dave Mustaine's actions, as did Nevermore's Warrel Dane, whose baunds appeared on Mustaine's Gigantour in 2005. Dane eikit:

Whan playin in Maltae, a kintra that in its constitution declares itsel as Roman Catholic, trouble frae the Kirk an ither Catholic groups ensued whan an unkent body stuck a Rotting Christ flyer tae a kirk door. The baund wis alloued tae play eventually even tho thay haed tae chynge venue.

Despite the name, the baund's traditional leerical themes involvin evil an occultism haes evolvit intae a mair "mystic" path, an thay hae modifee'd thair muisical direction on each album, utilizin elements sic as clean melodic baritone vocals, doom, gothic metal an industrial muisic traits, an male/female Benedictine chants. Recent albums, beginnin wi Khronos, hae shawn the baund takkin a mair modren, faster an mair aggressive approach tae thair blackened-gothic style. Thair 2007 album, Theogonia, especially, haes been describit as mair "atmospheric" an "epic" bi thair label.

The group's choice o producers, ingineers an mixers haes been variet an aw; Swadish extreme metal figurs Dan Swanö (Unisound), Peter Tägtgren (Abyss Studios) an Fredrik Nordström (Studio Fredman), German producers Andy Classen (Asphyx, Belphegor) Siggi Bemm (Therion, Theatre of Tragedy) an Waldemar Sorychta (Lacuna Coil, The Gathering) as well as Xytras (Samael percussionist/keybuirdist) hae aw contributit tae production on the baund's albums.

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 - keybuird (1997–2003)
• George "Magus Wampyr Daoloth" Zaharopoulos - keybuird/backin vocals (1992–1994)
• Jim "Mutilator" Patsouris - bass (1989–1996)
• Panayiotis - session keyboard (1997)

Full length

• Thy Mighty Contract
  11 November 1993
  Osmose Productions
  (re-released on Century Media Records, 20 Januar 1998)
• Non Serviam
  10 October 1994
  Unisound
  (re-released on The End Records, 24 Januar 2006)
• Triarchy of the Lost Lovers
  20 August 1996
  Century Media Records
• A Dead Poem
  7 October 1997
  Century Media Records
• Sleep of the Angels
  9 Mairch 1999
  Century Media Records
• Khronos
  29 August 2000
  Century Media Records
• Genesis
  29 October 2002
  Century Media Records
• Sanctus Diavolos
  20 September 2004
  Century Media Records
• Theogonia
  6 Februar 2007
  Season of Mist
• Aealo
  15 Februar 2010
  Season of Mist
• Κατά τον δαίμονα εαυτού (2013)
• Rituals (2016)
• The Heretics (2019)

Demos, singles, an DVDs

• Decline's Return (1988) (demo)
• Leprosy of Death (1988) (unoffeecial demo)
• The Other Side of Life (1989) (EP split wi 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 wi Negative Plane)
• Promo 1995 (2013, EP)
• Lucifer over Athens (2015, live album)

Best o compilation

• The Mystical Meeting (1995)
• Thanatiphoro Anthologio (2007) (compilation)
• Semigods of the Serpent Cult (2009)
• 25 Years: The Path of Evil Existence (2014)
• Their Greatest Spells (2018)