Rotting Christ
Formed: 1987
From:
Athens,
Greece
Last Known Status: Active
Rotting Christ Interviews and Features
Below are our features and interviews with Rotting Christ.
Interview
Rotting Christ Frontman Unleashes "The Heretics"
Greece has given the world so much over the years. From philosophy to science, maths to the arts, so much of what we enjoy today can be traced to the beautiful country in the Mediterranean. Greece hasn't shied away from metal music either and black metal historians will be happy to remind you that before the infamous scene in Norway, Greece had their own black metal hive. From that era, which produced some excellent groups, comes one of the country's best known metal bands; Rotting Christ.
Thirty years and thirteen albums into their career and the band are arguably better than ever. Their new album, "The Heretics," earned a perfect review on this very site and they still pack out venues wherever they go. Right now, the Hellenic heavyweights are on tour with Portuguese legends Moonspell and at their recent show in London (see review here,) I had the pleasure of sitting down with frontman Sakis Tolis to discuss the new record, their biography, "Non Serviam," how the state of Greece affects song writing and much more. You can watch it in full below.
Diamond Oz: One thing I was quite surprised at tonight was that your show only featured two songs from "The Heretics." It's quite shocking because it's a fantastic album.
Sakis Tolis: We have almost two hundred songs available. So when it comes to making a setlist it's a nightmare. So we prefer to have only two new songs because... There is no because actually! At least this way people get to hear a little bit of everything, but it's very difficult for a band which has been around for so many years to prepare a setlist that can satisfy everyone.
Oz: As I said, it's an amazing album. It's very cinematic. Obviously the last three Rotting Christ albums have followed a concept, with "Rituals" focusing on just that and "Katá ton Daímona Eautoú" revolved around the underworlds from different mythologies. Is this a niche that's set in stone now?
Sakis: I have no idea. I'm the only composer in the band and it's a bit like a nightmare because I don't know what to do. I have too many ideas in my mind. Even if I sleep I think a lot. I don't know what direction the band will continue in, let's see. So far, we are in the middle of a really long tour, so I'm not in the mood to write something or make decisions. At the moment, we're doing our best every night to satisfy the people who pay for a ticket every night and who support Rotting Christ but when I get back home, I will do my best.More...
Interview
Rotting Christ Discusses Rituals, Europe And Sport
Formed in the Greek capital city of Athens in 1987, Rotting Christ remains one of Europe's longest running and most respected extreme metal bands. Emerging initially as a grindcore band, they soon became one of the first names in black metal, with their demos spreading across Europe and influencing the infamous Norwegian black metal scene as well as other groups on both sides of the continent. They have since gone on to release twelve studio albums and one EP, in addition to a live album and comprehensive DVD and are still one of the most unique sounding bands in extreme metal music.
At their recent show in London, I had the pleasure of sitting down with frontman and founder Sakis Tolis to discuss their latest album, "Rituals," as well as the legacy of the band, his side group Thou Art Lord, the current political and economic climate and our mutual love of association football. You can listen to the conversation below. More...
Interview
Kaltenbach Open Air Celebrating 10th Anniversary
The Austrian underground metal festival "Kaltenbach Open Air" (K:O:A) is celebrating it's 10th anniversary. Reason enough for Wolfgang Bartl (Rottinghill-webzine) to have a chat with K:O:A organiser Thomas Spiwak below.
Wolfgang: Hello Thomas, and thank you for taking the time for this interview! How are you?
Thomas: Hello Wolfgang, thanks for asking. So far so good and after the somewhat strenuous booking phase, it has become a little quieter again in the meantime . Preparations are rolling according to plan and we are confident that we will be able to deliver a great festival once again this year.
Wolfgang: What is currently going on in Kaltenbach?
Thomas: Currently, we mainly focus on promoting the festival but also the first hot phase of selling pre-sale tickets is gearing up already. Interviews are to be given, accreditation requests to be worked through, and also the first merchandise booths are getting booked. Concerning our infrastructure the first contracts are signed and our festival site is taking shape already virtually.
Wolfgang: Last year you appeared to be somewhat uncertain concerning the revival of the festival, whether and how well it will be received by the fans. In retrospect, how did it all work out in the end? More...
Interview
Rotting Christ Offers Breakdown Of New Album
Continuing to evolve in new musical directions, the ever-present Greek act Rotting Christ is now only a handful of days away from the release of new album "Kata Ton Daimona Eaytoy" (reviewed here).
Metalunderground.com will be hosting a full stream of the new album this coming Monday, March 4th, on the eve of its official U.S. release (Update: the stream is now available by clicking here).
In conjunction with the impending full album stream, vocalist Sakis Tolis connected with us to offer a track-by-track breakdown of the entire disc. Check out what Sakis had to say about each song below, along with his thoughts on the band's long running career and the album's artwork. More...
