Genre: Gothic/Black Metal
Label: Season of Mist
Date of Release: March 5, 2013
EPIC OCCULT METAL
With a moniker as charming as Rotting Christ, you can expect to hear some sinister tunes. In fact, they are an essential name in the wake of the gothic metal genre. Their legacy began all the way back in 1988 from Athens, Greece, and since then, they have unleashed a horde of studio albums over the years. However, 2013 would mark the release of their eleventh full-length record entitled "Kata Ton Daimona Eaytoy." It reeks of pure evil, and it shows no signs of this legendary duo slowing down.
As always, Rotting Christ continues their thunderous onslaught with their dark and demonic fusion of gothic and black metal. Overall, the formula is carried out excellently, starting with the musicianship. Firstly, the vocals are wondrously ranged, stretching from deathly whispers to monstrous growls and screams. They also include some unsettling female chants and singing that add to the album's dark atmosphere, especially in "Cine Iubeste Si Lasa," supposedly a traditional Romanian song.* In addition, the guitar work sounds great, in both how the riffs and melodies are performed and the way they are mixed. On top of that, the drums are also very good, sounding raw and resonant while maintaining focus and solidity and delivering whirlwind-like speeds.
Alongside the stellar instrumentation is the sound production, which also fares well. The thick atmosphere it delivers truly serves as one of the record's greatest highlights, because it piles onto the cold and echoing tone of the music itself. In addition to that, it simultaneously allows the instruments to sound, creating a nice balance between solidity and resonance. All in all, both the musicianship and the production play their parts in the album's enjoyability.
Accompanying the stellar instrumentation and mixing is the well-executed music itself. Starting off, the tracks are, for the most part, distinct from each other. There are a few exceptions where the tracks sound a little too similar, an example being between "In Yumen - Xibalba" and the title track, but considering how great the music holds up, that can be overlooked. And even so, almost each track has something different and interesting to give to its audience. In context of that, not only does the musicianship itself keep listeners invested, but the cultural instrumentation, mostly including wind instruments, also helps in the music's sense of diversity. On top of that, little tidbits such as the ritualistic female singing and the delightfully devilish laughs, particularly in "Cine Iubeste Si Lasa," really help in creating a more wicked atmosphere. The music as a whole is grand in how powerfully demonic it is, and its formula beyond succeeds.
After over two decades, Rotting Christ has proven to be remaining on its throne as one of the world's greatest gothic-black metal acts, and "Kata Ton Daimona Eaytoy" is the evidence. From the musicianship down to the songs themselves, this album succeeds in its dark delivery. Although this record is slightly inferior to the duo's older records like "Theogonia" and "Aealo," it is nonetheless a must-have for their longtime fans, as well as gothic and black metal fans in general. This is evil metal at some of its finest.
Score: 9/10 (Excellent)
*http://www.metal-archives.com/albums/Rotting_Christ/%CE%9A%CE%B1%CF%84%CE%AC_%CF%84%CE%BF%CE%BD_%CE%B4%CE%B1%CE%AF%CE%BC%CE%BF%CE%BD%CE%B1_%CE%B5%CE%B1%CF%85%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%8D/360530
With a moniker as charming as Rotting Christ, you can expect to hear some sinister tunes. In fact, they are an essential name in the wake of the gothic metal genre. Their legacy began all the way back in 1988 from Athens, Greece, and since then, they have unleashed a horde of studio albums over the years. However, 2013 would mark the release of their eleventh full-length record entitled "Kata Ton Daimona Eaytoy." It reeks of pure evil, and it shows no signs of this legendary duo slowing down.
As always, Rotting Christ continues their thunderous onslaught with their dark and demonic fusion of gothic and black metal. Overall, the formula is carried out excellently, starting with the musicianship. Firstly, the vocals are wondrously ranged, stretching from deathly whispers to monstrous growls and screams. They also include some unsettling female chants and singing that add to the album's dark atmosphere, especially in "Cine Iubeste Si Lasa," supposedly a traditional Romanian song.* In addition, the guitar work sounds great, in both how the riffs and melodies are performed and the way they are mixed. On top of that, the drums are also very good, sounding raw and resonant while maintaining focus and solidity and delivering whirlwind-like speeds.
Alongside the stellar instrumentation is the sound production, which also fares well. The thick atmosphere it delivers truly serves as one of the record's greatest highlights, because it piles onto the cold and echoing tone of the music itself. In addition to that, it simultaneously allows the instruments to sound, creating a nice balance between solidity and resonance. All in all, both the musicianship and the production play their parts in the album's enjoyability.
Accompanying the stellar instrumentation and mixing is the well-executed music itself. Starting off, the tracks are, for the most part, distinct from each other. There are a few exceptions where the tracks sound a little too similar, an example being between "In Yumen - Xibalba" and the title track, but considering how great the music holds up, that can be overlooked. And even so, almost each track has something different and interesting to give to its audience. In context of that, not only does the musicianship itself keep listeners invested, but the cultural instrumentation, mostly including wind instruments, also helps in the music's sense of diversity. On top of that, little tidbits such as the ritualistic female singing and the delightfully devilish laughs, particularly in "Cine Iubeste Si Lasa," really help in creating a more wicked atmosphere. The music as a whole is grand in how powerfully demonic it is, and its formula beyond succeeds.
After over two decades, Rotting Christ has proven to be remaining on its throne as one of the world's greatest gothic-black metal acts, and "Kata Ton Daimona Eaytoy" is the evidence. From the musicianship down to the songs themselves, this album succeeds in its dark delivery. Although this record is slightly inferior to the duo's older records like "Theogonia" and "Aealo," it is nonetheless a must-have for their longtime fans, as well as gothic and black metal fans in general. This is evil metal at some of its finest.
Score: 9/10 (Excellent)
*http://www.metal-archives.com/albums/Rotting_Christ/%CE%9A%CE%B1%CF%84%CE%AC_%CF%84%CE%BF%CE%BD_%CE%B4%CE%B1%CE%AF%CE%BC%CE%BF%CE%BD%CE%B1_%CE%B5%CE%B1%CF%85%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%8D/360530
