In the life of every MetalList, there are events that leave a lasting mark on your musical memory. Events you find yourself revisiting even years later. ROTTING CHRIST are a unique band who left exactly that kind of mark on me. Back in November 2003 they blew me away — and, frankly, every single person in the audience. Now two years had passed, and every time I thought back to that concert I hoped to see them again on a Ukrainian stage. From the start of autumn, my hopes were gradually reinforced by rumours and news, until eventually they hardened into absolute certainty. ROTTING CHRIST in Kyiv! No words can fully express what I felt, but I can say this: no band has ever managed to stagger me that completely twice in a row.
The event took place at the DK "Rostok" cultural centre, which hadn't seen a concert in around ten years. Accordingly, the vast majority of those who came had never been there before. I can say with confidence that the long break had done nothing to diminish DK "Rostok" — it struck me as one of the finest concert venues I'd been to. Of course, the overall impression was considerably marred by the organisation, but since no one's likely to be surprised by that, I'll get to it shortly.
Having hopped off the minibus and been pleasantly surprised by the absence of any visible crowd (I could see two clusters of about 20 people total, no more), I headed straight for the main entrance, where I was stopped by two mysterious individuals who turned out to be security guards. "Mysterious," you ask? The thing is, what stood before me were two specimens of Kyiv's flora — "flowers of Troyeshchyna." The intelligence written across their faces led me to expect just about anything but this as a security arrangement. As I discovered much later, there was still more to be surprised about. They informed me that the entrance was around the corner of the building. Having located the exact entrance point and with half an hour to spare, I went off to attend to the needs of my physical and spiritual self after a long working week.
In excellent spirits, just before 18:00 I approached the entrance, where I was greeted by music drifting pleasantly out of the venue's interior — and the information that nobody was being let in. To my question, "Well then, what exactly is playing in there?!", I received a muddled response mixing street slang with incoherent phrases, from which I extracted the phrase "sound check." Taking them at their word (unwisely!), I waited patiently for another 15 minutes or so.
Finally they started letting people in. The entrance, true to the finest traditions, was narrower than many people's shoulders and led into a corridor staffed by 5 people who were in turn selling tickets, searching bags, stamping hands, and so on. By my estimate, no more than 400–500 people turned up for the concert, so there was no crushing crowd. Overall, better than at the previous ROTTING CHRIST show (those who were there know what I mean — I don't want to write about it again, the memories are painful in both the literal and figurative sense).
The setlist was as follows:
STORMHOLD (melodic death, Belarus) AWOKEN (death black, Ukraine) HOLY BLOOD (folk metal, Ukraine) TE DEUM (melodic death doom, Ukraine) IRATUS DOMINUS (chaos death black, Belarus) ROTTING CHRIST (dark, Greece)
I'm inside! And before me is the Belarusian melodic death band STORMHOLD. I catch the last three songs, and here's what I can tell you — this is simply a stunning band. Technical, expertly performed, not the slightest hint of rawness, excellent vocals, a masterfully executed SLAYER cover — that's STORMHOLD. These five musicians from Belarus deserved a position ahead of IRATUS DOMINUS, and not one slot lower.
A brief digression (or, the promised explanation). After my little delays I made it into the hall at 18:15, to find 30–40 people inside (10 of them at the front), and to catch the last three songs of STORMHOLD's set. Now let's engage some rational logic. I'll permit myself to assume — and state with certainty — that STORMHOLD played more than three songs. From this follows the bold assumption that they started playing before 18:00. Which, with 100% certainty, means that the response involving the phrase "sound check" was, to put it mildly, not entirely accurate. From logic to reflection and rhetorical questions. There are really only three questions. Question 1: "Why were people not being let in if a band was already playing?" Question 2 (following directly from the first): "How many people were in the hall when STORMHOLD began their set?" Question 3: "What did the musicians in that band think when they saw 30 people in the hall?" Welcome to Ukraine, we're happy to have you here. A band that outclassed everyone on the bill except the headliners and their fellow countrymen. During those two songs I heard, they ignited something so fierce that even I had the urge to go rip it up at the front. Every single person at the barrier was going crazy for them — and that's no exaggeration. I say this so confidently only because after them came AWOKEN, during whose set 90% of the hall resembled a waxworks museum (but Dargaard will kindly tell you about that). In the end I couldn't even photograph them properly — only about five photos, photo report coming soon. Warm greetings to the organisers. I'll add on my own behalf that I'll be going to look for this exceptional band's record in the coming days, and I'd recommend you do the same. Sue me for unlicensed advertising. My rating for STORMHOLD: 8.5/10. The sound was so good and the vocals so clear that the rating fully reflects reality.
Next, the band AWOKEN took the stage — and I'm happy to hand over to Dargaard.
D: The Illichivsk collective AWOKEN came out but didn't launch straight into playing — they held a fairly substantial pause while adjusting instruments and sound. And even that careful preparation didn't help them. Compared to the Belarusians from STORMHOLD, AWOKEN looked, to put it mildly, grey and dull. Some people afterwards suggested the sound was poor, but personally I heard everything perfectly well — by the mixing desk the audibility was very good. The issue was something else entirely — I simply found the band's material utterly unappealing: dry and monotonous. Despite the band being greeted with shouts and cheers, by the end of their last songs the hall was as quiet as a cemetery — you could hold a conversation in a normal speaking voice. So one can conclude that their set disappointed more than just me. Their set was overlong, and many people simply grew weary of the monotony AWOKEN served up. It's a real shame STORMHOLD didn't play after them. There are plenty of bands in Ukraine, in Kyiv too, who can produce something better in this style.
A: I'll add for my part that I gave them 5/10, and that there seems to have been a significant misunderstanding in how the lineup was arranged. They have a long way to go to reach STORMHOLD's level. And I'll confirm: the sound really was good.
D: Next onto the stage came the members of the Christian folk metal project HOLY BLOOD. As I now understand it, they're not fanatical Christians if they're playing on the same stage as hardened Satanists — especially with a name like ROTTING CHRIST. It seems to me that if a band adheres to some religious ideology, that ought to be reflected not only in the lyrics but in their actions too. I understand, of course, that the music matters more — but then why announce to everyone that "we're Christians"? It's somewhat illogical. Have the forces of darkness and light decided to make peace?.. In short, this band's set felt out of place. Given all this, it's not easy to assess only the musical side of the band objectively. After listening to a few songs of genuinely good folk metal, I decided to head outside, get a beer, and have a smoke. (Side note: drinking alcohol and smoking in the hall was prohibited, though some people ignored this — but I decided not to break the rules, and to get some fresh air.) Outside, I witnessed an unpleasant incident — skinheads fighting with metalheads. As I was told afterwards, this was not the only incident, and that evening someone did get hurt by the shaved-headed individuals calling themselves skins… These characters are very tough, apparently, when they jump ten-on-one, or shove girls from behind while hiding behind the fashionable word "mosh" — in general, very "cultured" specimens. The concert-goers were not pleased, and I hope the organisers take note.
A: Immediately after HOLY BLOOD's set, MC Krokodil introduced the audience to an all-round talent and quite modest musician from HOLY BLOOD. I must have been drinking too much, because I still can't remember his name. During the songs he managed to play on several folk instruments simultaneously, and quite well at that. Rating for HOLY BLOOD: 6.5/10.
D: Next, as announced, came the well-known Kyiv collective TE DEUM. They played well, cohesively, precisely — but it just didn't grab me. I'd been to six of this band's shows, and while the sound had sometimes been considerably worse, this particular evening just didn't do it for me. The musicians looked somehow odd and a bit pretentious — in that respect they were outdone only by IRATUS DOMINUS. They played "Unesi menya v dal," "Gorod v Ogne," "Klon," "Butylka No. 5," "Bezdna," and a couple of tracks at the start that I couldn't identify, as I didn't hear them announced (or maybe they weren't announced at all), and they're not on any of the albums yet — though the album was supposed to have come out last year… but that's another story.
A: There were also two amusing stories connected to TE DEUM. In the first, we shared a good laugh with MC Krokodil (or in my case, at MC Krokodil's expense), who was visited on stage by the spirit of Petrosyan — for some reason he was completely and genuinely laughing at Cannibal about the length of his hair. The second amusing story I'll call "The Bottle: Returns." Nobody's surprised anymore that every TE DEUM set is accompanied by numerous (and in 90% of cases entirely fruitless) requests from fans to play the unforgettable "Butylka" ("The Bottle"). This time was no different. I was absolutely certain of this, since Cannibal had flatly refused to play that composition. Even the entreaties of every other band member couldn't sway him. Kurt announced to the hall that they wouldn't be playing that song, but instead would treat everyone to the equally beloved "Tleyushchy Mir" ("The Smouldering World"). The intro started, familiar riffs rang out — but I sensed something was off. The sound cut out, and I quote Kurt: "Oof, we messed up, it happens. Alright, let us play you something else now…" I couldn't understand the real reason for this mishap and sincerely hope it was purely technical. TE DEUM: 7/10. PS: What did you make of Kurt's tracksuit?
Next to take the stage were more guests from Belarus. The band IRATUS DOMINUS describes their genre as chaos death black metal. Honestly, I didn't fully understand what "chaos" means in their case, or how chaos can coexist with death metal — a genre defined, by its very nature, by rhythmic precision. But don't take that to mean I didn't like this band! On the contrary — I noticed very little that was actually chaotic in their music, and the band is, in my view, very, very good. What impressed me most was the size of IRATUS DOMINUS: three members. For a three-piece, they play at an extraordinary level — excellent sound, masterful riffs, in short: quality death black metal. Their signature, seemingly deliberate, chaotic passages are mostly well-placed and lend a particular weight and colour to their compositions. This band undeniably knows how to deliver live. Both guitarists in corpse paint, the frontman in combat trousers and wielding a guitar whose headstock was adorned with a figure resembling the horns of some infernal creature. The frontman communicated with the audience exclusively through growling, and before each song he announced its title in a suitably heightened register. He "allowed himself to dedicate" the first song to Friedrich Nietzsche; from there came remarks along the lines of "IRATUS DOMINUS or FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE." Judging by the crowd's response, the band nearly tore the place apart. Partly because many people were already champing at the bit for ROTTING CHRIST, and partly from a certain audience fatigue combined with unfamiliarity with the material. I'm embarrassed to admit I was hearing them for the first time myself.
IRATUS DOMINUS get 9/10 from me. (Given that somewhere around the TE DEUM set the sound deteriorated a little and the vocals became hard to hear — the guitars were barely better — the Belarusian guests still played a deserved second place for the whole evening.) Though honestly, they earned that rating — which would mean ROTTING CHRIST need to score 12 on a 10-point scale.
And then the time came for ROTTING CHRIST! We were all eagerly watching every move on the stage. During that brief interval I ran into Lestat, another member of our portal. The three of us — Lestat, Dargaard, and I — were, as they say, headbanging like brothers.
ROTTING CHRIST, and Dargaard:
D: Finally ROTTING CHRIST themselves took the stage! The hall welcomed the Greeks with chants of "ROTTING CHRIST — ROTTING CHRIST!" For about ten minutes the guitarist and drummer sorted out their setup and dealt with technical issues: the sound engineer couldn't seem to mute the pre-recorded choir and keyboard tracks coming through the monitors. Sakis was the last to appear on stage — the hall erupted — and then it all began. Everything started with the truly epic "Thy Wings, Thy Horns, Thy Sin" from their latest release. Pure ecstasy! An apocalyptic choir, shifting rhythms, beautiful guitar melodies — what a magnificent opening from the Greek masters! After the third song, Sakis welcomed Kyiv after a two-year wait, and also said "spasibo, Kyiv" — the crowd was delighted. Then came another unpleasant moment — mid-song, some skinheads launched a mass shoving-match against the metalheads and against each other in the moshing crowd, flailing their limbs around — which, for the record, is not called a pit. This brings to mind a story from some show where people who were moshing kept shoving a metalhead who was simply standing there peacefully; eventually he'd had enough, got furious, and started throwing punches and kicks at the bodies flying past. Before long everyone calmed down — fortunately the guy was sizeable. The point being: don't drag people into this who don't want to be involved. Sakis noticed too, and he was not happy about it. But thankfully it didn't last long.
After that, one by one, a barrage of classic tracks rained down from Genesis and Sanctus Diavolos: "Athanati Este," "Serve In Heaven," "Sanctus Diavolos," "Under The Name Of Legion," "In Domine Sathana," "Visions Of A Blind Order." The sound had improved compared to the start of the set, which was welcome news, and the crowd went absolutely wild. At the previous concert, performing "Under The Name Of Legion," Sakis had ripped off his shirt and doused himself with blood — a spectacular moment; apparently not wanting to repeat himself, he introduced a slightly different change into the performance this time, renaming it "Under The Name Of Fuckin' Legion." As for the band's stage performance: 5/5.
Sakis's grimaces and the masterful frontman presence he commands kept the crowd ignited every second, not allowing a single moment's distraction from the stage. He was constantly engaging with the audience. A real gift to the fans came in the form of tracks from the "classic" cult albums: "After Dark I Feel," "King Of A Stellar War," and especially "Non Serviam!" After that track the Greeks began packing up and making for the wings — but the crowd had no intention of letting the musicians go that easily. The whole hall called for an encore. The guys didn't keep the fired-up crowd waiting long, and coming back, immediately unleashed the blistering "You Are I" from Khronos. Arms, someone's hair, blazing spotlights — everything merged into one. A powerful charge of energy and emotion surged through me, and I let go completely.
The guys also greatly pleased Arseon by playing "Sorrowful Farewell" from his favourite album A Dead Poem.
A: Indeed, I was close to disappointment — after they started gathering their things I'd given up hope of hearing even one of my most beloved songs. But they came back and played "Sorrowful Farewell" — it just destroyed me. And last time they played my all-time favourite, "Der Perfekte Traum," during which I was in complete ecstasy. ROTTING CHRIST rule!
D: The evening ended with handshakes and autograph signing — I left very happy, having obtained an autograph from the new guitarist (I already had the rest of the band's autographs from last time). The show was a resounding success, and both the musicians and the ROTTING CHRIST fans went home satisfied. Tired, but happy, we headed for the metro, sipping beers and sharing impressions — of which everyone had more than enough.
All that remains is to say that Jolly Roger threw us a brilliant party, even if it wasn't without its organisational hiccups and shortcomings. Here's to more great concerts to come.
A: A few final words. The organisers did well overall — everything was excellent, except that the security guards and the skinheads turned out to be mysteriously acquainted, which is utterly unacceptable, given that it was this very security team that allowed people chanting "Sieg Heil" into the venue. Some people can only be set right by the grave; for now, they simply need to be banned from events like this and that's that. The concert was simply superb — Jolly Roger, enormous thanks, keep it up!
D:
ROTTING CHRIST + Venue + Sound system + Lighting + Security – Number of support bands – (three warm-up bands would have been more than enough)
I'd like to wish the organisers all the best going forward — everything except the security was at a high level.