Album Review: Rotting Christ – Pro Xristou (ΠΡΟ ΧΡΙΣΤΟU) (Season of Mist)

Monolith of extreme metal, Rotting Christ return with their 14th studio album, Pro Xristou, set for release via Season of Mist on the 24th of May.

Three decades have passed since Sakis Tholis and his brother Themis formed Rotting Christ together back in 1987. Over those decades,  the Greek titans have left their blackened imprint all over the metal world. They’ve released 13 studio albums and played more than 1,300 concerts around the globe.  Underneath all this hard work, Rotting Christ have but one vision – an urge to not only push the boundaries of extreme metal, but to keep reinventing themselves along the way.

Rotting Christ’s evolution has unfolded across several distinct chapters. After starting out closer to the barely controlled chaos of grindcore, they went on to establish the iconic sound of Hellenic black metal. Their albums often embraces refined gothic soundscapes, only to plunge back into the depths of blasphemous fervour. Each chapter marked another, further exploration, and an unwavering commitment to bush boundaries.

A turning point came in 2007, when Rotting Christ signed a pact with Season of Mist. They unleashed a series of albums for the French label that defied any and all expectations. From the piercing Theogonia and the symphonic grandeur of Aelo to the ritualistic intensity of Κατά Τον Δαίμονα Εαυτού, the cinematic experiences created by Rotting Christ became a spectacle of bombastic atmospheres, mesmerizing choirs, and neo-classical arrangements. The unexpected is their modus operandi, with the use of various languages (Latin, Arabic, Greek,  English) as well as the extensive use of famous poetry woven into their music, like Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Raven’ on The Heretics.

In 2019, Rotting Christ’s epic journey continued with The Apocryphal Spell compilation, which offers fans a glimpse into unreleased and rare material. This allowed them to gather strength, preparing for this, their next, highly anticipated, 14th full-length studio album: Pro Xristou.

Pro Xristou (‘Before Christ’ in Greek), serves as a fervent tribute to the last Pagan kings who resisted the onslaught of Christianity, guarding their ancient values and knowledge. In this thematic odyssey, Rotting Christ delves into the legacies of historical figures such as Flavius Claudius Julianus and Nordic mythological kings, embodying the might of Pagan wisdom in the face of Christian adversity. The album encapsulates the essence of Rotting Christ’s signature style – melodic, yet harsh at times – reinventing themselves yet again, while remaining faithful towards their 35-year legacy.

Rotting Christ is Sakis Tolis on guitars and vocals, Kostas Foukarakis on guitars, Kostas Cheliotis on bass and Themis Tolis on drums. On Pro Xristoy, Rotting Christ partnered with a number of guest artists including Amdroniki Skoula who provided vocals on La Letra Del Diavolo, Nikos Kerkiras on keyboard and a choir made up of Christina Alexiou, Maria Tsironi, Alexandros Loyziotis and Vasilis Karatzas. The narration was provided by Andrew Liles on The Apostate, Pretty World, Pretty Dies and Kim Diaz Holm on Ygdrassil.

Pro Xristou was recorded at Deva Sounds Studios in Greece, was produced by Sakis and was mixed and mastered at Fascination Street Studios in Sweden. The excellent artwork comes courtesy of Thomas Cole.

Pro Xristou comes with 10 tracks on it and around 46 minutes of metal, though there are also two bonus tracks, likely ot feature on extended verisons and physical copies of the album. You can tell quite a bit about Rotting Christ in 2024 by listening to the first single, Like Father, Like Son. It is a song that captures all that I have to come to love about this band and all they have evolved to in 2024. Deep and emotional, oozing atmosphere and spirit where the heaviness comes more in the weight of the emotion rained down upon you than simple blast beats and shouting. The full sound, the booming drums and echoing guitars whether in riffs or meandering melody – it washes over you and soaks you to your bones. That feeling is what Rotting Christ deliver across the entirety of Pro Xristou.

That atmospheric wonder is delivered in different ways, as different tales get told. Like Father, Like Son telling an emotional story of a Nordic warrior preparing his son for the world requires a deeper and richer tone. Tracks like the album opening intro and title track, Pro Xristou sets the scene with more of that slower, full sound with choir chanting, bells and big guitars. A song that is to the point, and that point is to catch your imagination and engage you. The Apostate leans on that same rich tone with plenty of backing choir like vocals and a whispering, menace to Sakis’ vocals.

The lead guitar tracks the choirs to create an all encompassing sound that grows and grows, though there is time for a chunky middle section of blasting drums and meatier, simpler riffing. Spoken word, like a warning, gets delivered with poignant lines like “wild animals are as dangerous to people as Christians are to one another”. That’s a lyric to get you thinking.

While the atmospheric edge never fades, there are plenty of songs, and moments in songs, that also lean on faster tempos and what is seen as more traditionally heavy. Tracks like La Lettera Del Diavolo hits hard with aggressive vocals, chunky riffs and fiery drums. Atmosphere, darkness and feeling is a trademark of Rotting Christ so even in heavier tracks, that is never lost. There is a ton of backing, choirs, orchestral touches and massive melody, but just extra emphasis on the drums and riffs to apply a more vicious edge. Pretty World, Pretty Dies is a dark and menacing track too, still delivering melody and feeling but hitting hard with it’s dark tone and forceful vocals.

Penultimate track, Yggdrasil is another beastly track that just drips darkness. The drums are getting a workout in a big start with quick picked riffs, blazing beats and vicious barked vocals. A chorus keeps the speed up but drops a ton of backing and choirs over it to give it a mystical edge whilst not losing the force it returns to with the verses.

Noone is coming to a Rotting Christ release expecting non-stop blast beats and death metal though and that is not what Pro Xristou is about. Heaviness here mainly comes in feeling and weight of music, not speed. The Farewell is another powerful song, oozing class and laying down a “try not to headbang” challenge in it’s punchy intro. It comes packing vocals that hit hard and riffs, drums and bass that reverberate through you while maintaining that atmospheric, mid tempo style that just packs a punch. Pix Lax Dax has a gorgeous, Eastern melody that leads the track in, again adding mystical atmosphere, but just wait for the song to kick in. Speed picking, quick drums, slow melody, choirs – it’s another absolute masterclass delivered on Pro Xristou.

Saoirse is the closing track on Pro Xristou. I could say that Rotting Christ have saved the best for last but such is the quality on Pro Xristou, it is difficult to single out a track like that. Saoirse is quality though. Starting with a battle scene, spoken word then growing drums, this is an epic. Choirs take the lead, backed only be the booming drums, then guitars start layering in. The way it evolves, is mesmerising and it all comes together in jawdropping fashion. The vocals boom and echo, the drums keep up a nice pace and the lead guitar plays out a stunning melody through the verses. Choruses drop and bring back the choirs and if the hairs on the back of your neck and arms aren’t standing to attention by now, you are probably broken and should get checked out.

It closes out an album that delivers in so many ways. Pro Xristou, in some ways, is just typical of Rotting Christ but, when that typical is essentially a masterclass in song writing, atmosphere/world building and quality music, you must be a pretty special band. For me, Rotting Christ are almost a genre of their own now. I don’t think anyone else out here does what they do, and certainly nowhere near this standard. This album oozes class, it makes you feel like you have been transported back in time. You live and breath every second of the stories being told and they always get delivered in a style that is so unique to this band.

Rotting Christ don’t conform to norms. It’s one of the many things I love about them, and again it is displayed here on Pro Xristou. I love that they never write material to tick genre boxes or meet metal expectation. They write the music, the pace, the tempo that each tale requires. In that, the music for each song becomes a soundtrack of the story being told. It’s such an awe inspiring approach that really works and Pro Xristou is another fine example of a band at the top of their game where you are never anything other than fully engaged across every second of this album of the year contender.

Don’t miss out – preorder Rotting Christ’s Pro Xristou here, or presave it, here.

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