Just about everywhere you look, especially here in the United States, religion is everywhere. Especially Christianity. Currently, we sit at a time when, depending on how the 2024 election pans out, we could have more law based on Christianity than ever before, and that already has seeped deep into our government. It’s everywhere, and even if you have a different faith or none at all, it’s an ever-present factor.
Legendary Greek black metal force Rotting Christ covered these issues for decades, and their latest record “Προ Χριστού (Pro Xristou)” delves back into the past to remember the last bastion of societies and leaders before Christianity took over the world. The title means “before Christ” in Greek, and the band—vocalist/guitarist Sakis Tolis, guitarist Kostas Foukarakis, bassist Kostas Cheliotis, drummer Themis Tolis—layers these songs with their gothic, fantastical black metal that sounds like a soundtrack to the final years before these clutches got more powerful. The record pays homage to historical figures such as Flavius Claudius Julianus and Nordic mythological kings, as well as the Pagan forces ready to do battle, and it’s riveting from the first moment to the last. The band is joined by a host of special guests including vocalist Amdroniki Skoula (of Chaostar); keyboard player Nikos Kerkiras; choir members Christina Alexiou, Maria Tsironi (of Neperia), Alexandros Loyziotis, and Vasilis Karatzas; and narrators Andrew Liles and Kim Diaz Holm to flesh out these metallic, stirring documents of hell.
“Pro Xristou (Προ Χριστού)” is a doomy, clobbering opener, a scene setter with rich atmosphere, heading into “The Apostate” that drubs, with narration that accompanies a lot of the tracks and some cleaner singing. “Eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth,” Tolis howls, “hate for hate and ruth for ruth,” as elegant playing stretches, refusing to buckle to an oncoming storm, smoking to a devastating end. “Like Father, Like Son” has guitars soaring and gritty howls, blistering through an airy gust as the leads take off. “Ride like the wind, die like a hero, fight respect and go, from zero to a hero,” Solis wails as the fight reached a fiery pitch, landing blows right to the end. “The Sixth Day” opens as humankind is created, the leads lathering as the vocals punish with vigor, melodies and group singing uniting and adding muscle to the mix. The playing gains warmth and momentum, blistering howls powering to the end. “La Lettera Del Diavolo” ignites with drums encircling, shouts bruising, ripping into wildness and chaos. “Listen my creature, listen my Son, the death is certain, in this dying world I am creation, you named me God,” Solis stabs, wiry black metal mixing with choral wonder and fiery mysticism as it fades out.
“The Farewell” dawns with synth zapping, horses galloping wildly, spindly playing igniting fires that consume your nerves. The playing gets stickier and increases the humidity, going into murkier corners, the howls smashing and the horses returning to choke you in dust. “Pix Lax Dax” starts with acoustics before the sun-scorched forces take hold, pounding away as the howls leave flesh hanging from bone. A heavy, entrancing choral section creates a dense fog, Skoula’s singing adding a different texture to the chaos, barked howls following that up to reintroduce the violence and end in a strange mist. “Pretty World, Pretty Dies” opens with forces clashing, swords to shields, clanging as blood flows. Layered leads and forceful vocals make their way into the front line, group calls and luring chants uniting. “Mankind, mankind, burn bright In the greatness of the light, pretty mortals, pretty die,” Solis wails, the darkening guitars charring vision, a gothy storm front hanging overhead and choking away the light as the battle rages on. “Yggdrasil” arrives amid doom horns, guitars ramping up, a spirited front taking the fight by the horns. The crunch increases as group calls punch over the chorus, a simple one-word refrain, and the playing glazes as everything burns to the end. Closer “Saoirse” begins as war continues to spread, the playing building slowly, barked howls missing with rich, glorious playing that makes your blood flow. “Hail freedom, hail Freedom, our Freedom, our wisdom,” is chanted back, the daring guitars spiraling, clashing to a devastating finish.
The scourge of Christianity continues to wreak havoc to this day, and the more it digs into our politics and our society, the more control must be wrested back. Rotting Christ harken back to a time before the stranglehold had been applied, and the music on “Pro Xristoy” is both a reminder and a call to arms to battle back and prevent one religion from ruling the world. This is a nicely cinematic, gravely dusty history lesson and display of gothic black metal that sticks in your brain and reminds you to keep knives sharpened.
For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/rottingchristofficial/
To buy the album (North America), go here: https://shopusa.season-of-mist.com/
Or here (International): https://shopusa.season-of-mist.com/
For more on the label, go here: https://www.season-of-mist.com/