„Προ Χριστού
Hades / Xibalba / Titan / Prometheus / Zeus / Shiva Mahadeva / Taran / Asmodeus
Hail-Ra / Hail-Baal / Hail-Nyx / Hail-Tyr“

Is there anyone around who doesn’t know who Rotting Christ are? I highly doubt it. Moreover, the cult Greek band visits Bulgaria very often and is among the most popular names in our country. Every fan of extreme music has attended their concerts at least once, or is about to, if it comes to the younger fans.
But not only their connection with the Bulgarian public and the long years of creativity and experience complement their fascinating reputation – Rotting Christ,  for me personally,  are a symbol of beautiful metamorphosis and the ritualistic Hellenic soundscapes that make your skin crawl. It is no coincidence that part of my choreography is based on two of their songs – their music carries the charge of past eras and roots an enormous power in itself  and pure authenticity, acts like a breath of wind coming from antiquity.

„ΠΡΟ ΧΡΙΣΤΟU“ (translated as „Before Christ“), is the name of the band’s fourteenth full-length album  –  the monolithic work that marks the 35th anniversary of Rotting Christ. The title will be released on the 24th of May this year through the label Season of Mist (I like the synchronicity of the release date!).
The album contains ten main tracks and two bonus pieces in a separate 7″, with a total running time of about 46 minutes (55,  if you count the two extra tracks from the box set).

The cover features one of the paintings from the cycle „The Course of Empire“ by the American artist Thomas Cole, entitled „Destruction“. According to 19th century sources, the artist had this to say about the painting, which you may find interesting: “The painting represents the Vicious State or the State of Destruction. Centuries may have passed since the scene of glory—though the decline of nations is usually more rapid than their rise. Luxury is weakened and devalued. A fierce enemy has entered the city. A violent storm is raging. The walls and colonnades have been demolished. Temples and palaces are burning. One arch of the bridge over which the triumphal procession passed in the preceding scene is destroyed, and the broken columns and remains of war-machines, as well as the temporary bridge which has been carried over, show that it was the scene of a bitter dispute. A barbaric and destructive enemy conquers and plunders the city. The description of this picture is perhaps superfluous; carnage and destruction are its elements.’ With that said, the choice of this painting for the cover of „ΠΡΟ ΧΡΙΣΤΟU“ is no coincidence.

The album itself was created in homage to the last pagan rulers and the way of the ancients, containing inspirational verses from Sakis Tolis, sometimes including biblical passages or beautiful references to significant works. One of them is the popular song „The song of Amergin“, which is an incantation of the Milesian druid Amergin Glúingel, which he whispered when stepping into Ireland with his right foot, the text itself being recorded in the Book of Invasions. A snippet of it can be heard in the final track of the album, „Saoirse“. In general, Rotting Christ does not limit their craft in terms of territory and explore  the history of the majestic pagan leaders of various foreign territories, demonstrating through their lyrics and musical mastery their might and destructive power.

The album begins  with the short and ritualistic sounding intro „Pro Xristou (Προ Χριστού)“ entering the atmosphere of the album with the traditional howlings  of Sakis Tolis and a captivating smooth ponderous beat, while in the background we can hear choral chants like the ones from „देवदेवं (Devadevam)“ (the ‘Rituals’ album, 2016) and even Mongolian throat singing woven in between the vocals. The listener is lured into the door of Rotting Christ’s new work, fully ready to be subdued with the album’s next track – „The Apostate“, dedicated to Julian the Apostate (Flavius Claudius Julian) and offering an aural symphony of violence formed by harsh melodic riffs , ritualistic chants and choruses, spoken messages – quite typical of the band’s earlier albums like „Teogonia“, for example.

In the next eight tracks of the album, the band seems to go musically through the best elements from the favorite songs in their discography, including the haunting well-known ritualistic passages and high-pitched screams that heat the atmosphere to the limit. The feeling in the different parts of the album is quite diverse, with Rotting Christ creating an artful balance between aggression, sublimity and homage to greatness. And although they stick to their roots and delve even deeper into them, there are also pleasant surprises like the one in the song „La Lettera Del Diavolo“, where we can also hear the exceptional artistic vocals of the mezzo-soprano Amdroniki Skoula (Chaostar).

Each of the tracks contains something unique and noteworthy, with perhaps ‘The Farewell’ and the more majestic aggression found in the track, along with the interesting bass, sticking particularly vividly in the mind – it’s one of the songs that will be spinning in my playlists without a doubt. Another seriously distinctive magical vibe I also felt from „Pix Lax Dax“ which opens with beautiful and ethereal guitar riffs, along with rhythmic drums sounding along with Sakis Tolis’ whispers like a real battle hymn, gradually growing into a majestic symphony of chorus sounds , further accentuated by the priestly chant:„ΣΩΣΕ ΜΕ ΙΕΡΕΙΑ / ΣΩΣΕ ΜΕ / ΣΩΣΕ ΜΕ ΙΕΡΕΙΑ / ΣΩΣΕ ΜΕ“.

„Our voice is quiet, but not our strength
Never divided, in league with death“

Rotting Christ fully immerse themselves in forgotten timelines and with „ΠΡΟ ΧΡΙΣΤΟU“ they pay tribute to the greatness of the  pagan rulers from the past and their now defunct massive empires that have been suppressed by Christianity. Themselves standing as giants in the Greek and global extreme metal scene, with this album they once again show a high class when it comes to the mastery of composing music and handling different vocal and guitar techniques in order to achieve a thoughtful and captivating musical experience.
By sonic wandering among ancient Greek, Scandinavian and other cultures in their glorious eras before the arrival of the Christian religion, Rotting Christ show that their sword of  inspiration is definetely not  rusty and can be revived at any time, even in  some unsuspected directions.

I am the Wind that blows across the Sea
I am the Wave of the Ocean
I am a Ray of the Sun
I am the Spear-in the Battle
(„The song of Amergin“)

You can hear some of the tracks below:

Album: „ΠΡΟ ΧΡΙΣΤΟU“
Band: Rotting Christ
Release Date: May 24th, 2024
Label: Season of Mist
Pre-order: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/RottingChristProXristou