Metal Reviews
Metal Reviews
ROTTING CHRIST |
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Hailing from Greece of all
places, this is one band to watch in the coming months. Arriving back
at a time when black metal was produced from more of a universal setting
as opposed to the recent flood from the Scandinavian shores, this
is a band that had a lot to do with its original conception and are
showing no signs of quit as they continue to grow. Rotting Christ’s
follow up to ‘97’s brilliant “A Dead Poem” finds them journeying
down their own dark path, careful enough to raise their songwriting
to a new level of maturity without earning for themselves the “sellout”
label. Call it maturity; call it progression… you really can’t win
with either one. |
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Khronos Rotting Christ |
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On their latest offering, the UN-Godly Greek's plunge themselves back into that familiar darkness they slipped slightly away from on their last couple of releases. Following up on '98s "Sleep of the Angels," "Khronos" is a return to their earlier moments when black metal existed in its crude form, having less to do with elements of Goth and grace and more with demon-driving aggression and orchestral torture. Liken this to what Moonspell sought for and accomplished, for the most part, with their last record where the experimental flavor preceding it festered in the background in favor of the traditionally cold elements that first scarred their likeness across the pale foreheads of nightside predators hungry for a taste of death. A masterpiece of dominance and sin, "Khronos" is a culmination of the totality they've developed during the decade long career-an unsettling and soulless possession from their past that's saturated slightly with a continued use of haunting chants and melancholic melodrama… where unrestrained bloodlust creeps alone in the darkness and surfaces to strike at only the right moments beyond the pale…
This CD is released by Century
Media Records. Review by Vinnie Apicella [va85@columbia.edu] |
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"Genesis: The Birth Of Aural Evil" Rotting Christ |
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True to form and significance of the title, Rotting Christ's created the most groundbreaking record of their careers, and without even a trace element of permissive female lust or cinematic fx. Followers of Amorphis, Tiamat, or even Sentenced please take heed, aural evil need not lose its essence by way of progressive intent... there can be a beauty in darkness without narrowing the vision of a future past. Rotting Christ's music has evolved throughout the years, without question, at times wallowing a step or two deeper into the Gothic realm where many are wont to explore, yet they've retained the core of what's kept them one step above others of the extreme music realm they began with nearly a decade ago… or over a decade ago as the case may be. RC's roots can be traced all the way back to the late eighties! Everything about this record is explosive-the themes, subject matter, guitar parts, and production-welcome back to Stage One, yes, you can go home again! And their return home results in their most adventuresome creation that's structurally diverse, yet sufficiently modern, and an overall embodiment of a lifetime's experience. While the guitars remain firmly entrenched in your face, layer upon layer of multi-tracking radiates the surrounding musical depth amplified by percussive ambience, mournful chanting and magnified chorus. Led by the all seeing team of Kostas and Sakis, on guitars and vox, they've forged and fought through years of stylistic upheaval within the Black Metal realm that where others are left holding their balls wondering, RC's channeled aggression remains bold yet flighty as ever, extreme in its elegance, and unrepentant. "Genesis" is a look back inasmuch as a step forward, seeing RC return to their original logo for starters, while recapturing the intensity that marked their humble origins with a simply unsurpassed production job by the team of Andy Classen and Sakis. Yet the sound is fresh and exciting, akin to hearing a new band for the first time-something that their last "Khronos," respectable though it was, did not possess. "Genesis" is memorable
and yields an immediacy in impact, whether from the circuitous guitar
presence of "Daemons" or "Lex Talionis," the quickening
double-bass onslaught of "Release Me" or "The Cell
Of The Aethyrs," or the epic grandeur of "Under The Name
Of Legion," no stone was left unturned for this long awaited
inspired classic in the making. The resulting impact of "Genesis"
will be felt the world over by dark Metal fans of all persuasions.
This CD is released
by Century Media Records. Review by Vinnie Apicella [va85@columbia.edu] P.O. Box 20252
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