Written: 14th May 2024
In the annals of Greek metal bands, Rotting Christ remain one of the most steadfast and successful. Having initially embraced grindcore influences in the late eighties, they then established themselves as an inventive black metal band before subsequently embracing an increasingly rounded sound that has incorporated melodic gothic metal. Despite these changes in style, they have remained a respected and influential band within the metal community. Pro Xristou (in English – Before Christ) is Rotting Christ’s fourteen full-length studio album and builds upon their two most recent releases: Rituals and The Heretics.
The ninety-second title track serves as a prologue and immediately sets the scene that Rotting Christ wish to conjure. The riffs are slow but colossal and bring to mind the steady movement of a large army of followers. Gothically tinged, the spoken word opening lists a number of gods and entities from mythological and religious traditions. Hades / Xibalba / Titan / Prometheus / Zeus / Shiva Mahadeva / Taran / Asmodeus / Hail-Ra / Hail-Baal / Hail-Nyx / Hail-Tyr. Pro Xristou leads the listener into the waiting arms of The Apostate, which opens with a quote attributed to Flavius Claudius Julianus on his deathbed. Νενίκηκάς με Ναζωραίε (You have conquered, O Nazarene). A rapid main riff - which develops an almost hypnotic quality - comes and goes throughout the track interweaving with the chant-like vocals and the now familiar spoken word contributions from Sakis Tolis. Rotting Christ have a total command of how to build epic, melodious and compelling metal - the concluding segment of The Apostate being a wonderful example of this. Lyrically, the track deals with familiar themes as it represents rejection of Christian texts and a yearning for truth and law not dictated by a prevailing Christian ethos.
Like Father, Like Son commences with dominating, impassioned spoken word accompanied by resounding, thunderous drums - courtesy of Themis Tolis - as if one of the titans themselves was walking past. Seamlessly blending the tumult of cascading riffs with emphatic vocals, Rotting Christ pull us closer with every passing syllable. An exceptionally engaging guitar solo adds another layer of fascination as the track reaches its majestic culmination. Pride and honour / Passion, love, and faith / Belief to your own spirit / This is your father’s saying / Spread your wings and fly / Meet the edge of your dream / Stay true and fight / This is your father’s wish. The Sixth Day – which features another exquisite guitar solo - brings a different dimension to the album as it builds prodigious pedestals of dark harmony coupled with a slightly urgent atmosphere and a wondrous amalgamation of everything that represents what Rotting Christ have been about in recent years – a sublime understanding of pace, power and musical arrangement.
La Lettera Del Diavolo – which begins with hellish tortured screams - ramps up the tension and some of the black metal elements during the delivery of the Italian portion of the lyrics. Sono il dio / Sono il salvadore / Sono il pecato / Sono il sangue. Oscillating lyrically between themes of divinity, mortality, sin and salvation and in one of his most dynamic deliveries on the album, Sakis preaches his ominous sermon with a domineering, immense conviction. You sing you pray, I set you free / You nailed me on the cross, I saved your sins / You ask salvation, license to kill / Take me to church, I set you free / I created angels, as gift and shield / Whisper my name, whisper your sin / Oh you mortals, listen my preach / This system failed, down on your knees. One of the best songs on the album, it adds layer upon layer including the use of haunting female vocals from Amdroniki Skoula, choral flourishes and some impressive bass work as it winds its way ever higher towards its monumental apotheosis.
The Farewell – one of two songs on the album that passes the six-minute mark - begins with the sound of a tolling bell, a windswept location and the approach sound of horses. Dynamic, forceful guitar drives the sound forward throughout and the vocals approach the verge of venomous growls, once again bringing variation to the album. Let the Gods... Let the Gods / Let the spirit... Let the spirit / Let the bright holy sun... Holy sun / Rest... Rest in the spirit. It once again brings welcome variation as do the behemothic riffs of Pix Lax Dix.
Pretty World, Pretty Dies quotes T.S. Eliot during its opening: This is the way the world ends / Not with a bang but with a whimper. Illustrating the transient nature of beauty and life, the songs grapples with the pursuit of legacy, the potential hollowness of our triumphs and the ultimate fate of all things. While Pretty World, Pretty Dies is a melancholic reminder of our mortality, and lyrically Rotting Christ weave a sombre atmosphere, there is also a veiled reminder within the music. There is something metronomic about the rhythms of the track, like time passing by and this serves to hone our attention that our lives are fleeting and to seize the opportunities with which we are presented. Imposing penultimate track Yggdrasil makes several references to Norse mythology and underscores the valorisation of courage and generosity. The album ends with a seductively potent celebration of freedom, Saoirse. A fitting final track of defiance, it references the last High King of Ireland to resist the spread of Christianity while honouring ancestral beliefs and the sovereignty of old traditions. Brave like a hero, humble like a dove / Live with your demon, with your own God / Hails to our ancient Kingdom / Die for your freedom. Sweepingly cinematic and ambitious in nature, it brings together everything that makes Pro Xristou such an excellent album.
Rotting Christ have been through several musical periods during their existence. Listeners hoping for a return to the black metal of their earlier days will be disappointed but surely not surprised that they have continued to pursue the direction of their more recent work. The band have long since moved past the point of fully revisiting their roots and for those who enjoy their atmospheric, gothic leanings, then Pro Xristou will delight and enthral. Each track resonates with the band’s signature blend of melodic ferocity and lyrical depth. There is a dusky magnificence and tenebrous elegance to the brutality that is evident throughout Pro Xristou and it encapsulates the very essence of their musical evolution.
Pro Xristou is released on 24th May 2024
Rotting Christ online
Official Website: https://www.rotting-christ.com/en
Twitter (X): https://twitter.com/athanatoieste
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