RottingChristEnthroned

01.02.2003

ROTTING CHRIST + ENTHRONED

at Z 7 - Pratteln (CH) - 18.01.2003

review by dalia "gryphon_spirit" di giacomo, pics © by Stefan Vogelaar

The public use of these photos is strictly prohibited without written permission.

We enter the Z7 around 19:00 h and the venue is nearly empty. I know , it's just the door opening time, other people will join soon, at least i hope. The bands of today highly deserve a good crowd. And indeed: the minutes pass and finally the Black fans begin to be numerous. Sigh of relief...And when Primordial deal with the stage, the room is well animated by around 300-350 persons who will give warmly all their support to the bands. Sorry, but i cannot report the Primordial gig, cause i am engaged in interviewing.

ENTHRONED www.enthroned.de

Gloomy intro, h 21:30, 2 little curtains with crosses turned upside down enlighted by red lights. "Hello Switzerland!" and the Blackened Horde begin the performance with an incredibly good look and fast rythm in front of a very interested and competent crowd. The first headbanging's are not slow to appear while the band, in a professional but also very natural and persuading way, is bombarding the fans with energetic tremolos, implacabile speed enriched also by melodic passages. The tempo changings are well performed and the songs sound particularly good cause the melodic moments are as much intense as unexpected, breaking the vigorous Black structure. Guitarist Nornagest plays terribly good inserting some virtuosism's too, while the vocals of bassist Lord Sabathan will not show weakness. I am attending a Black Metal performance like rarely seen. The music is underlined and in foreground , cause the look is proper, well balanced without exaggerations, harmonizing with the general aim of creating the right atmosphere for the tracks. In one word, i get the impression that these Belgians really believe in what they do. And they are successfully in transmitting their spirit to the audience very soon. The audience gets involved more and more: while the headbangings multiply , 2 metalheads reach the stage, the security goes into action without creating problems and the band keeps on imperturbable and severe , showing no signs of being annoyed. And while i'm noticing that on average the tracks proposed are not that short, the song Spawn from the Abyss, beginning with a mid-paced tempo and distorted sounds, and developing then a brutal speed, is gathering a lot of consents.

"you're f***ing great!" says the Black Horde to the audience "Yeahhhhh.uhhhh" is the answer in the room, and The ultimate Horde fights is shot in our ears. But the most mystic moment is when Nornagest with deep voice and even deeper conviction says: "Let's evoke the Lord together Heil ": oh finally someone that lets understand that attending such gigs is not only listening to good music like this evening but also something more, like a kind of ceremony.

"En - throned --En-throned-- En-throned--" is the well deserved acclamation for a great performance full of riffs, of exact and energetic drums, with a guitar-duo which has offered everything, melodic lead guitar breaks included, without speaking about the always valid screaming vocals. A resolute touch of old-school Black crowns it all. Hail Blackened Horde!

setlist:

Boundless Demonication

Infernal Flesh Massacre

Tales from a blackened Horde

Genocide

Spawn from the Abyss

By dark glorious Thoughts

The ultimate Horde fights

Under the Holocaust

Radiance of Mordacity

Satanik

EvilCurch/Graced by evil Blood

Under the Guillotine

ROTTING CHRIST

www.rotting-christ.com

The Blackened Horde has finished the performance at 22:26 h, and the turn over is reather fast. with much competence like always the stage is prepared for Rotting Christ that take the stage at 22:40. If you have seen my playlist 2002 you can imagine how remarkable my interest for this Greek band can be. I heard a lot about Rotting Christ, and obviously i listened to some of their tracks from album like Khronos and Sleep of the Angels realizing that they were composing a music that match so much my personal taste, but it's with Genesis that Rotting Christ have livened up all my possible amazement and admiration . Genesis is a album i suggest to every metalhead, in particular if dark oriented. You don't have to think that Rotting Christ sound like a canonic Black Metal band: their music is fascinating, mysterious, a little bit mystic, with many melodic passages extremely dark and heavy, but it's not classical Black Metal, and better so, cause, without being commercial can reach a wider target. And i don't want to speak about the excellent choirs that give you simply a gooseflesh. My gosh, Genesis is like a dress made for me. Therefore this concert is very important for me tonight: let's see! The heavy mystic and atmospheric intro, full of evil whispers, is the introduction that leads us into the gig opener: In Domine Sathana. The first impact is very austere: like black apparitions, Sakis and his band mates look very hieratic. They transmit a "feeling" of black, not as music but literally as colour, much more intense than the Blackened Horde itself. Sakis seems very cautious but sings quite naturally. It follows You are I , from album Khronos, and slowly the band begins to be assured by the audience and punctually the classical "Thank you very much " resounds. To my joy now is the turn of the wonderful Quintessence, begun under green lights and red spots that rend the darkness. The lead guitar is accompanying nearly all songs underlining every passage and melody. Very far from repeated solos, this guitar builds a constant embroidery around all songs proposed, and it seems to me, that live this technique stands out much more than on the cd. The more Rotting Christ play , the more they become confident and Sakis more charismatic, like an engine that needs a first moment of running-in. I realize Rotting Christ belong to that kind of bands that try to transmit their message with the music more than through a lively show. Nevertheless this severity, reduced by the headbanging and a certain involving aggressiveness, suits very much to the band, being moreover very effective and absolutely agreeable. Particularly imperturbable is the keyboard player. Among the new tracks also Lex Talionis and Under the Name of Legion are proposed. All songs which i incredibly like. The rythm is generally pushing, the plucked bass supports the structure and drums are sometimes thunderous. The brilliant choirs are proposed as backing effect. The crowd is very satisfied, headbangings and applauses are not missed. And the final acclamation "Rotting-Christ - Rotting-Christ -Rotting-Christ" is a must as well as the encore. Excellent: a great gig , a class of its own (er...dejà vu? was it the slogan for a car, well, whatever, RC are class).

setlist:

Intro/Satana

In Domine Sathana

Quintessence

Thou Art Blind

Shadows follow

Lex Talionis

King of a stellar War

Sign of Evil Existence

Archon

Non Serviam

After Dark i feel