Rotting Christ 35 Years Of Evil Existence CD Review

Few bands ever truly stand the test of time and keep the original members intact, but there are some that do. Today, we’re going to talk about one of them – Rotting Christ! R.C. has had the same lineup since 1987 and I’m sure that has a lot to do with the fact that 2 of them are brothers – how could you not want to play in a band with your brother?! Having played music with my own brother for years, I know this is a feeling that can’t be replicated by anyone else and I miss it dearly. R.C. have been a mainstay in the Black Metal scene for the bulk of their career and there aren’t too many fans of the genre that don’t have an album or two by the band in their collection – it’s completely unavoidable if you’re into the genre. At this point in their career R.C. is a well-oiled machine and is run like a business, you can’t have this kind of longevity and consistently release great music and not run it like a business.
 
Next week (April 4^th) the band will release a double live album entitled “35 Years of Evil Existence” via Season of Mist. The band celebrated their 35^th anniversary with a show in their hometown of Athens, Greece at the Lycabettus Hill Theater. And this album is the result of that night. The album clocks in at almost 2 hours long, so there’s something from just about every part of the band’s discography. Of course, there will be some fans that’ll feel jilted, but over here, I’m feeling nothing but gratitude and happiness. I’ve never had the chance to see the band live outside of youtube, so I’ve heard some live songs here and there, but the sound wasn’t to my liking, but I just thought that was due to the genre and the recording. I can say without fear that R.C. put on one helluva show – this is one of the best live recordings I’ve ever heard from a Black Metal band! The clarity is ridiculous, it feels like I’m on stage with the band while they’re jamming, I can hear all the instruments clearly as well as the vocals. It has that real live feel to it that few bands fail to capture. Live recordings in this genre are hit and miss and when they are hits, it’s still not something that I’ll look back on often due to the studio version being better. Here I can say without hesitation that I’ll listen to this one again and again even though the set-list does get long. It just sounds great, and you can hear the joy coming through in the band’s performance. I’d love to have witnessed this set live! Maybe that’ll be next – a DVD/Blu-Ray set of the show. I’d be down for that!
 
I haven’t followed R.C. for the entirety of their career, but I did find them in the late 90’s when Century Media Records was pushing them hard. Way back when I was afforded the chance to review “Sleep of the Angels” and I’ve been a fan since. R.C. have toned their approach/sound a bit through the years but they never truly left their roots – it’s still Black Metal and it still lights that unholy fire inside of me and I just want to destroy everything in sight. If you fancy yourself a fan of Rotting Christ, this is an album that you absolutely can’t miss! At least grab it up, have a few drinks, smoke a few, turn it up and celebrate the band’s existence. And if you ain’t feeling what I’m feeling, just pull it down on the band’s anniversary every year.

The band will also be starting up a month-long tour with Behemoth and Satyricon on April 4^th called The Unholy Trinity 2025. If you’re across the pond, that’s not something you’ll want to miss!
 
Stand outs – a shit ton, but these hit me like a ton of bricks. “Sorrowful Farewell”, “The Raven”, “After Dark I Feel”, “Aealo”, “Fire God and Fear”, “Nemecic” and “Under the Name of Legion”.

~Black Angel