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ROTTING CHRIST 'Sanctus Diavolos' Century Media (2004)
When was the last time you felt you were hearing something new, yet comfortingly familiar from a Black Metal band? (Before the purists go on a rant, no, this is not true unadulterated Black Metal, but I don’t have the time nor the patience to go into that argument!). To get back to my question – if you haven’t, buy the new Rotting Christ album, ‘Sanctus Diavolos’ and put on the first track ‘Visions of a Blind Order’: this is a perfect, in my opinion, symbiosis of traditional, fast, speed Black Metal and some very interesting effects, which single out Rotting Christ’s new effort and place it at the top of all their albums. It also features - wait for it - a guitar solo, which is omnipresent Gus G’s contribution to the album, and not a bad one it is too.
Overall, ‘Sanctus Diavolos’ is a sort of conclusion to the impressive 15-year career of the Archons of the Greek underground scene, which spans from brutal Black Metal of Satanas Tedeum and Thy Mighty Contract, as well as the ‘beyond the grave’- like sound of Passage to Arcturo, to the softer, more melodic and lyrical styles of ‘A Dead Poem’ and ‘Sleep of the Angels’, and somewhere in the middle of this palette we find the experimental ‘Khronos’ and ‘Genesis’.
Following the release of their album Genesis and their first DVD, the band experienced some line-up changes (namely, losing the experience of Costas, as well as George on keyboards), but despite these set-backs Rotting Christ have decided to push the boundaries which they have been stretching ever since Khronos. Up until then, they had always been an exceptional band, in my opinion, by hooking your attention with simple, yet very memorable riffs, but they didn’t have that something that would single them out in the Black Metal scene.
Khronos managed to make people take notice that these restless Greeks were not content with sounding like a good band, they wanted something more than that. With ‘Sanctus Diavolos’ they have managed to become an exceptional band.
The album kick-starts with the abovementioned fast-paced almost Swedish sounding ‘Visions of a Blind Order’, which is a great introduction and definitely a crowd pleaser-to-be, as is ‘Serve in Heaven’, which has a fantastic rhythm section for that ‘slightly confused’ headbanging. The use of keyboards on ‘Tyrannical’ and ‘Shades of Evil’, introduces elements of the sound that Samael, in my opinion, have taken too far to be taken seriously any more, but these are only tasters and serve to add to the general complexity of the songs.
‘Athanati Este [ÁÈÁÍÁÔÏÉ ÅÓÔÅ]’ is a memorable track, not only for its typical Rotting Christ ‘march-like’ pace and the ‘other’ guitar solo, but also for the decision to use ancient Greek in the lyrics - something that the guys should do more often, in my opinion.
The outstanding use of choral vocals gives this release an epic feel and these classical elements are married effortlessly with the aggressive sound to create, in some places, an evil, ominous feel which would easily be suitably employed as the soundtrack for a demonic Omen sequel.
The last track, ‘Sanctus Diavolos’, the last track of the album is somehow mournful and pitiful, almost as if this is the point at which the band are looking back on their past efforts and bidding farewell to an old friend. I hope this is not the case and that we will see further development at the hands of Sakis and Co, who, I am sure, will proceed in the best interests of both his fans and the band itself.
This is a top-quality release, which is let down by a production which could have been improved somewhat, but it also serves to give the album that obligatory ‘underground feel’. Hail to them and to their new album.
****½
Review by Emily Dgebuadze
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