ROTTING CHRIST, are reissuing their album Khronos. First released in 2000, the sixth album from the Greek legends stands as the final pillar of the band’s Gothic period, which started in the mid-1990s, before they turned toward the mythology and cultural roots that characterize their later albums.
Recorded in the dead of a Nordic winter at Sweden’s Abyss Studios, Khronos carries a sense of cold. Keyboards pull back beneath the guitars rather than ride above them. The album’s overall atmosphere leans toward shadow rather than sheen. Songs like “Thou Art Blind” and “Aeternatus” hit with a ferocity closer to Rotting Christ’s uncompromising 1993 debut Thy Mighty Contract than to the polished gothic sound of the recently reissued Sleep of the Angels. “My Sacred Path,” “Art of Sin,” and the title track hold onto the melodic intelligence of the band’s late-90s records, threading dark wave undercurrents through slower, more insinuating structures. The eleven-minute closer “Glory of Sadness” eventually yields to an industrial-inflected hidden passage—a signal, in its own oblique way, that a door is closing.
Among the most debated moments on Khronos is Rotting Christ’s cover of Current 93’s “Lucifer Over London”. The band’s restrained and deliberate reading of David Tibet’s Neofolk original drew divided responses on release and has continued to do so since.
This week, Rotting Christ are touring North America for the first time since the release of their latest album Billboard-charting album Pro Xristou. On this tour, the Greek legends will join Behemoth, Deicide and Immolation as they perform “Like Father, Like Son” and other new favorites for the first time across the United States on their way to a very special old-school set at Maryland Death Fest.
Today, Rotting Christ are announcing eight more shows to their upcoming tour of North America. The band will support Deicide in Louisiana, Texas, Nevada, upstate New York and Ohio. They will also headline in Missouri and Kentucky with support from Immolation.
“We are looking forward to seeing our North American brothers and sisters during this upcoming tour”, Rotting Christ frontman Sakis Tolis says. “Non serviam!”
The Godless IV 2026 North American Tour w/ Behemoth, Deicide, Rotting Christ + Immolation
April 9 – Baton Rouge, LA @ Chelsea’s Live* April 10 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall* April 11 – San Antonio, TX @ Vibes Event Center* April 13 – Las Vegas, NV @ Fremont Country Club* April 14 – San Diego, CA @ The Observatory Northpark April 15 – San Francisco, CA @ The Regency Ballroom April 17 – Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory April 18 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater April 19 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox SODO April 21 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Union April 22 – Denver, CO @ The Fillmore April 23 – Kansas City, MO @ Warehouse on Broadway** April 24 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave April 25 – Chicago, IL @ The Vic April 26 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant April 27 – Louisville, KY @ Goodwood Whiskey Row* April 28 – Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa April 30 – Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore* May 1 – Worcester, MA @ The Palladium** May 2 – New York City, NY @ Palladium Times Square May 3 – Albany, NY @ Empire Live* May 4 – Buffalo, NY @ Riverworks May 5 – Pittsburgh, PA @ The Roxian May 7 – Daytona Beach, FL @ Welcome to Rockville** May 9 – Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore May 11 – Toronto, ON @ History May 12 – Montreal, QC @ Olympia May 14 – Columbus, OH @ Sonic Temple Afterparty* May 15 – Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl May 16 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade May 18 – Dallas, TX @ The Factory May 20 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren May 21 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Palladium
Rotting Christ Special 1989-1995 set at 2026Maryland Deathfest Friday, May 22 – Market Place/Power Plant Live [Tickets]
The newly announced reissues of Rotting Christ’s 1999 LP Sleep of the Angels and 1998 EP Der Perfekte Traum are now available for pre-order through Season of Mist.
Pro Xristou, as well as the band’s latest live album 35 Years of Evil Existence: Live in Lycabettus and newly re-recorded version of Aealo are also now availabe through the label.
Artwork by Thomas Cole – Digital Processing by Adrien Bousson
Tracklist
1. Pro Xristou (Προ Χριστού) (1:29) 2. The Apostate (5:01) 3. Like Father, Like Son (4:35) 4. The Sixth Day (3:56) 5. La Lettera Del Diavolo (4:01) 6. The Farewell (6:15) 7. Pix Lax Dax (4:33) 8. Pretty World, Pretty Dies (4:51) 9. Yggdrasil (5:04) 10. Saoirse (6:17) 11. Primal Resurrection (Bonus Track) (5:32) 12. All For One (Bonus Track) (3:37) Total runtime: 55:17
In the dimly lit catacombs of extreme metal, one name stands as a monolith: ROTTING CHRIST. Sakis Tholis and his brother Themis started this band together back in 1987. In the three decades since, these 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 embrace refined gothic soundscapes, only to plunge back into the depths of blasphemous fervour. Each chapter marked another, further exploration, and an unwavering commitment to push boundaries.
But the real 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 offered fans an intimate glimpse into unreleased and rare material. This allowed them to gather strength, preparing for the release of 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, intricately woven through tracks such as ‘The Apostate’ and ‘Ygdrassil’, 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 rooted in their 35-year legacy.
Season of Mist is reissuing Sleep of the Angels, the fifth full-length album by Greek legends Rotting Christ. Originally released in January 1999 on Century Media, the album will now be available on vinyl through the band’s current label home.
Sleep of the Angels represents the furthest point from Rotting Christ’s black metal origins. It is a record defined by melodic weight, brooding atmosphere, and a gloomy romanticism that remains striking in its internal coherence. At its center is the interplay between the heavy guitar work of Sakis Tolis and a constant, gauzy keyboard presence that lends the whole record an almost ecclesiastical quality. The result is the most gothic album in the band’s ever-evolving discography.
Available formats: Black 12″ vinyl in gatefold Gold 12″ vinyl with black splatters in gatefold
Tracklist: 1. Cold Colours (03:36) 2. After Dark I Feel (04:32) 3. Victoriatus (04:02) 4. Der Perfekte Traum (04:28) 5. You My Flesh (04:36) 6. The World Made End (03:00) 7. Sleep the Sleep of Angels (04:35) 8. Delusions (03:37) 9. Imaginary Zone (03:45) 10. Thine Is the Kingdom (04:59) Full runtime: 41:12
Formed in Athens in 1987, Rotting Christ are one of extreme metal’s most enduring and restlessly shape-shifting forces. By the time Sleep of the Angels was recorded in September 1998, Rotting Christ had spent three consecutive albums methodically expanding from the rawness of their early catalogue toward atmosphere, melody and a dark romanticism. The album closed a trilogy begun with Triarchy of the Lost Lovers (1996) and continued through A Dead Poem (1997), before the band pivoted again toward heavier, more industrial-inflected territory on Khronos (2000).
Guest contributors to Sleep of the Angels include Waldemar Sorychta on lead guitar on “Victoriatus” and “You My Flesh,” and vocalist Eddy Kante on the partially German language “Der Perfekte Traum.”
Catch Rotting Christ this month on the band’s tour of North America with Behemoth, Deicide and Immolation.
The Godless IV 2026 North American Tour with Behemoth, Deicide, Rotting Christ + Immolation
April 9 – Baton Rouge, LA @ Chelsea’s Live* April 10 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall* April 11 – San Antonio, TX @ Vibes Event Center* April 13 – Las Vegas, NV @ Fremont Country Club* April 14 – San Diego, CA @ The Observatory Northpark April 15 – San Francisco, CA @ The Regency Ballroom April 17 – Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory April 18 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater April 19 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox SODO April 21 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Union April 22 – Denver, CO @ The Fillmore April 23 – Kansas City, MO @ Warehouse on Broadway** April 24 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave April 25 – Chicago, IL @ The Vic April 26 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant April 27 – Louisville, KY @ Goodwood Whiskey Row* April 28 – Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa April 30 – Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore* May 1 – Worcester, MA @ The Palladium** May 2 – New York City, NY @ Palladium Times Square May 3 – Albany, NY @ Empire Live* May 4 – Buffalo, NY @ Riverworks May 5 – Pittsburgh, PA @ The Roxian May 7 – Daytona Beach, FL @ Welcome to Rockville** May 9 – Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore May 11 – Toronto, ON @ History May 12 – Montreal, QC @ Olympia May 14 – Columbus, OH @ Sonic Temple Afterparty* May 15 – Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl May 16 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade May 18 – Dallas, TX @ The Factory May 20 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren May 21 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Palladium *Deicide, Rotting Christ + Immolation only **Rotting Christ w/Immolation ***No Rotting Christ ****No Deicide
Rotting Christ Special 1989-1995 set at 2026Maryland Deathfest Friday, May 22 – Market Place/Power Plant Live [Tickets]
Rotting Christ’s latest studio album, Pro Xristou, live album 35 Years of Evil Existence: Live in Lycabettus and newly re-recorded version of Aealo are available now on Season of Mist.
In the dimly lit catacombs of extreme metal, one name stands as a monolith: ROTTING CHRIST. Sakis Tholis and his brother Themis started this band together back in 1987. In the three decades since, these 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 embrace refined gothic soundscapes, only to plunge back into the depths of blasphemous fervour. Each chapter marked another, further exploration, and an unwavering commitment to push boundaries.
But the real 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 offered fans an intimate glimpse into unreleased and rare material. This allowed them to gather strength, preparing for the release of 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, intricately woven through tracks such as ‘The Apostate’ and ‘Ygdrassil’, 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 rooted in their 35-year legacy.
ROTTING CHRIST, a pillar of Greek metal, are reissuing Der Perfekte Traum for the first time on Season of Mist. Long out-of-print, this EP captures the band at a pivotal crossroads in their career between the melodic darkness of 1997’s A Dead Poem and the atmospheric depth of 1999’s Sleep of the Angels.
Now reissued by the band’s longtime label home Season of Mist, the new vinyl edition of Der Perfekte Traum preserves an overlooked chapter of Rotting Christ’s legacy.
A Dynasty from the Ice (Live in Europe 1996) (4:34)
The First Field of the Battle (Live in Europe 1996) (6:17)
King of a Stellar War (Live in Europe 1996) (6:54) Full runtime: 36:30
Der Perfekte Traum pairs two studio recordings with five live tracks drawn from the Triarchy of the Lost Lovers era. The haunting title track, performed entirely in German, weaves gothic textures with industrial undertones into one of Rotting Christ’s most unusual and hypnotic compositions—a song that has endured as a live staple for over two decades. “Moonlight” leans further into melancholic dark rock sensibilities, foreshadowing the band’s future explorations.
The live recordings, captured in Poland during the legendary 1996 “Out of the Dark” European tour alongside Samael and Moonspell, preserve the band’s visceral stage presence in its rawest form and represent the first officially released live material in the Rotting Christ catalogue.
Der Perfekte Traum features the core duo of Sakis Tolis (vocals, guitars) and Themis Tolis (drums), with an uncredited session bassist on the studio tracks. The live recordings notably feature founding bassist Jim Mutilator, who had departed the band in 1996, making these among the final captured documents of the original rhythm section.
The studio tracks on Der Perfekte Traum were recorded at Woodhouse Studios in Hagen, Germany, in September 1998, with pre-production by Sakis Tolis in Athens. Woodhouse Studios, owned by renowned producer and engineer Siggi Bemm, was one of Europe’s premier facilities for metal and gothic production during this period. The five live tracks were recorded in Poland during the “Out of the Dark” tour, 1996.
Catch Rotting Christ next month on their North American Tour with Behemoth, Deicide, Rotting Christ and Immolation.Get tickets at https://www.rotting-christ.com
The Godless IV 2026 North American Tour
April 14 – San Diego, CA @ The Observatory Northpark April 15 – San Francisco, CA @ The Regency Ballroom April 17 – Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory April 18 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater April 19 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox SODO April 21 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Union April 22 – Denver, CO @ The Fillmore April 24 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave April 25 – Chicago, IL @ The Vic April 26 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant April 28 – Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa April 30 – Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore* May 1 – Worcester, MA @ The Palladium** May 2 – New York City, NY @ Palladium Times Square May 4 – Buffalo, NY @ Riverworks May 5 – Pittsburgh, PA @ The Roxian May 7 – Daytona Beach, FL @ Welcome to Rockville* May 9 – Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore May 11 – Toronto, ON @ History May 12 – Montreal, QC @ Olympia May 14 – Columbus, OH @ Sonic Temple* May 15 – Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl May 16 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade May 18 – Dallas, TX @ The Factory May 20 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren May 21 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Palladium *No Rotting Christ **No Deicide
Production Credits: Pre-produced by Sakis Tolis (Athens, Greece). Tracks 1 & 2 recorded at Woodhouse Studios, Hagen, Germany, September 1998. Produced and engineered by Xy (Samael). Mixed and mastered by Siggi Bemm. Tracks 3–7 recorded live in Poland, “Out of the Dark” Tour, 1996. Vinyl remastered by George Nerantzis (2021).
Death metal legends DEICIDE are set to bring their relentless, unapologetic brutality to venues and festival stages across North America. Joined by ROTTING CHRIST & IMMOLATION, the onslaught begins in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on April 9 before bleeding through the states to Little Rock, Arkansas, on May 26.
Since their inception in 1987, DEICIDE has left a ferocious mark on the genre and there are no intentions of slowing down. In over three decades the band has released thirteen studio albums, their latest being 2024’s Banished By Sin, released via Reigning Phoenix Music, that is ingrained with thunderous aggression and power.
Headlining Shows and Festival Dates: w/ support from ROTTING CHRIST & IMMOLATION
4/09 Baton Rouge LA – Chelsea’s Live 4/10 Houston TX – White Oak Music Hall 4/11 San Antonio TX – Vibes Event Center 4/13 Las Vegas NV – Fremont Country Club 5/01 Reading PA – Club Reverb* 5/03 – Albany NY – Empire Live 5/07 – Daytona Beach FL – Welcome To Rockville # 5/14 – Columbus OH – Sonic Temple After-Party 5/22 – Tucson AZ – The Rialto #^ 5/23 – El Paso TX – Rockhouse Bar & Grill # 5/24 – Albuquerque NM – Sunshine Theater # 5/26 – Little Rock AR – The Hall #
*DEICIDE only #no ROTTING CHRIST ^w/ CATTLE DECAPITATION
BEHEMOTH w/ DEICIDE 2026 North American Tour Dates:
April 14 – San Diego, Calif. @ The Observatory Northpark April 15 – San Francisco, Calif. @ The Regency Ballroom April 17 – Boise, Idaho @ Knitting Factory April 18 – Portland, Ore. @ Roseland Theater April 19 – Seattle, Wash. @ Showbox Sodo April 21 – Salt Lake City, Utah @ Union Event Center April 22 – Denver, Colo. @ The Fillmore April 24 – Milwaukee, Wis. @ The Rave April 25 – Chicago, Ill. @ The Vic Theatre April 26 – St. Louis, Mo. @ The Pageant April 28 – Norfolk, Va. @ The Norva April 30 – Silver Spring, Md. @ The Fillmore May 1 – Worcester, Mass. @ The Palladium May 2 — New York, N.Y. @ Palladium Times Square May 4 — Buffalo, N.Y. @ Buffalo RiverWorks May 5 — McKees Rocks, Pa. @ The Roxian Theatre May 7 — Daytona Beach, Fla. @ Welcome To Rockville May 9 — Charlotte, N.C. @ The Fillmore May 11 — Toronto, Ontario @ History May 12 — Montreal, Quebec @ L’Olympia May 14 — Columbus, Ohio @ Sonic Temple May 15 — Nashville, Tenn. @ Brooklyn Bowl May 16 — Atlanta, Ga. @ The Masquerade May 18 — Dallas, Texas @ The Bomb Factory May 20 — Phoenix, Ariz. @ The Van Buren May 21 — Los Angeles, Calif. @ Hollywood Palladium
About DEICIDE:
The legendary death metal band was formed in Tampa, Florida, in 1987 by current and surviving members, drummer/composer Steve Asheim, and bassist/vocalist/lyricist Glen Benton. The band rose to mainstream success in 1992 with their second album Legion, and is credited as the second-best-selling death metal band of the Soundscan Era. Since their debut album in 1990, DEICIDE has released twelve studio albums, one live album, two compilation albums and two live DVDs. In November 2003, their first two albums, Deicide and Legion, were ranked second and third place respectively in best-selling death metal albums of the SoundScan era. DEICIDE is known for being uncompromising and crafting some of the best, most punishing Death Metal music in their three decade-plus of existence. In 2024, the band unveiled Banished By Sin, via Reigning Phoenix Music,anintense, brutal and savagely catchy slab of Florida Death Metal!
After drawing closer and closer to the edge over the past decade, Unverkalt are plunging into the darkness that’s always awaited below. The post-metal luminaries are still possessed by a cinematic vision, but their new album and first for Season of Mist throws back the velvet curtain in favor of a blackened veil. While wrestling with the weight of our accursed histories, Héréditaire now stands as their heaviest and most heartfelt offering.
“The contrasting elements at play in Héréditaire, from the gloomy to the raging and the eerie to the explosive, make it a compelling listen that rewards over time”, Dead Rhetoricwrites in an 8/10 review. “Unverkalt grapple with the emotions and atmosphere with masterful tone and intention, eliciting a response that leave you reflecting on what you just heard and make you want to return to it once again”.
Today, Unverkalt are thrilled to release a new video for the song that serves as the emotional pillar of Héréditaire. Fueled by contempt for those content on watching the world burn, “I, The Deceit” radiates strength with support from the band’s Greek brother-in-arms Sakis Tolis of Rotting Christ.
“I enjoy discovering new, unique and compelling music in today’s overwhelming world of information, and I believe I truly succeeded with Unverkalt”, Sakis Tolis says. “This is an exceptional piece of art, worth every minute of listening”.
“‘I, The Deceit’” captures the stillness of those who let the world burn, not out of ignorance, but because it serves them”, Unverkalt vocalist Dimitra Kalavrezou says.
Héréditaire marks a pulse-pounding new direction for Unverkalt. The album’s newfound heaviness traces back to humanity’s deepest and darkest origins. Each song peels back another layer of collective trauma that’s passed down to us through generations like a disease.
“Our new albumis a lament for what is far older than our very existence”, Unverkalt’s guitarist and chief composer Themis Ioannou says. “It speaks of what seeps through generations, searching for an answer to one pervasive questions: What do we carry that was never ours?”
Emerging from deep within Héréditaire, “I, The Deceit” burns like an open wound. With each pinprick of strings, a guitar throbs in pain. The entrancing chorus doesn’t come washing down like a wave of relief but as a numbing agent for our impending doom.
“This song carries the weight of human indifference toward the destruction we wreck upon the world”, Kalavrezou says. “That cruelty unfolds not as a distant tragedy, but as something intimate, almost ordinary”.
“I, The Deceit” is fueled by simmering contempt. From deep within its heavy blackened atmosphere comes a gust of blast beats. “The world falls apart / And you just stand there / Watching it burn down”, Sakis Tolis growls with scorn, standing strong amidst the eye of the storm.
Héréditaire might close shrouded in darkness, but a crack of light does appear in the form of Kalavrezou’s enchanting cleans. “I want us to have one heart together”. Like memories, the cry of horns and pleas screamed in Greek stoke the air as the song burns toward its fiery finish, reminding us of all we stand to lose.
“Even in the suffocating stillness, there’s a lingering ache for truth”, Kalavrezou says. “For something uncorrupted. And in that storm, something might still feel true”.
The video for “I, The Deceit” was directed and edited by Themis Ioannou at RAWBITE Studio.
Additional video credits Producer – Unverkalt Cinematography – Themis Ioannou Camera Equipment Support – Marcus Sander 2nd Camera Operator – Silvio Pelegrin (@silviopelegrin) Photography – Silvio Pelegrin On-Set Support – Silvio Pelegrin Lighting – Hariolf “Harri” Lemke Costume Design & Styling – Touché Privé, AllSaints, Disturbia Location – WHITEBOX030
Special thanks to Sakis Tolis.
Tracklist: 1. Die Auslöschung (6:06) [WATCH] 2. Oath Ov Prometheus (5:40) [WATCH] 3. Ænæ Lithi (5:34) 4. A Lullaby for the Descent (5:11) 5. Penumbrian Lament (6:02) 6. Introjects (5:25) [WATCH] 7. I, The Deceit (feat. Sakis Tolis) (5:47) [WATCH] 8. Death is Forever (4:50) 9. Maladie de l’Esprit (5:34) Full runtime: 50:11
UNVERKALT are drawn to the edge. Since emerging from the underground, the Germany by way of Greece post-metal band have balanced boundless atmosphere with suffocating heaviness. Their third album and first since signing with Season of Mist doesn’t continue in that direction so much as it plunges into the darkness that’s always been waiting below. Héréditaire lifts the veil from our cursed existence. What emerges is Unverkalt’s heaviest and most heartfelt offering.
“Our aim has always been to blend softer, more romantic elements with extreme chaos. With Héréditaire that time has now come”, says the band’s guitarist and chief composer Themis Ioannou. “This album is a lament for what is far older than our very existence. It speaks of what seeps through generations, searching for an answer to one pervasive question: What do we carry that was never ours?”
From the beginning, Unverkalt was born from an urge to give life to grief. In 2017, Ioannou started the band with vocalist Dimitra Kalavrezou in hopes of creating something that was slow-burning and visceral, crushing yet delicate. Their debut made good on that promise: “…so rivetingly beautiful that you will have to deepen to digest it”, Metal Hammer Greece wrote in awe of L’Origine du Monde. “Easily on the top-10 of 2020”.
The band’s second album followed three years later to further acclaim. While swooning between obsession and annihilation, A Lump of Death: A Chaos of Dead Lovers sharpened Unverkalt’s vision by pushing their avant-garde streak with more force. “Beyond being able to point roughly towards a couple of different genres, it is utterly impossible to compare them to any other artist out there making music in the same vein”, The Sleeping Shaman admired. Echoes and Dust agreed: “It stands in its own right as a beautiful slice of filmic post-rock, a soundtrack without a movie beyond the one playing in your head”.
Héréditaire is still possessed by cinematic visions. Like a camera coming into focus, lead single “Die Auslöschung” appears through a thickening haze before it’s snapped out of a trance by drummer Christian Eggers’ fiery blast beats. The album shifts between colors, textures, even languages. Stirred by a mournful saw of strings, “Ænae Lithi” raises memories of the Great Fire of Smyrna that were handed down by Themis’ grandmother. But where previous albums took cues from French painting and European film noir, this one throws back the velvet curtain in favor a veil. “Oath Ov Prometheus” dismantles the myth of man as god’s perfect creation with Kalavrezou’s freshly blackened vocals.
“We love to experiment with every album”, Ioannou says. “With Héréditaire, we wanted to introduce extreme vocals because they bring out all these heavy feelings. It’s like they’re shaking you awake”.
While Héréditaire is a pulse-pounding new direction for Unverkalt, the album’s arc traces back to our deepest and darkest origins. Amidst the tremolo-picked wreckage of “Penumbrian Lament”, long-held beliefs are swallowed into the void of guitarist Eli Mavrychev’s death growls. “It’s all sorts of dead ideas / They cling to us all the same”, Kalavrezou whispers, only to break into screams on “Introjects” beneath Joscha Hoyer’s throbbing bass line. “The concept behind the record is tied in with the album’s overall heaviness”, she says. “Each song peels back another blackened layer of memory, trauma and suffering, which linger over us like ghosts: invisible, yet endlessly present”.
Kalavrezou’s mystifying cleans remain one of Unverkalt’s defining traits. Even when trembling beneath the monolithic riff of “I, The Deceit”, her contempt for those who stand by as the world burns is heated when forged alongside her Athenian brother-in-arms Sakis Tolis from Rotting Christ. But as the album draws to a close, Héréditaire ends shadowed in doubt for the future. “Bathed in lies / Can we make it better” she wonders before disappearing into the shivering wake left by “Maladie de ‘Esprit”.
“This album is not meant to resolve”, the band says, “but to dissolve patterns from those who came before, faceless yet familiar. The colors have drained. What remains is veiled in black, not as a symbol, but as a truth that covers everything”.
On Héréditaire, Unverkalt lift the veil on our cursed existence with their heaviest and most heartfelt offering.
Guest Musicians: Sakis Tolis — Vocals on “I, The Deceit”
Songwriting Credits: Comped by Themis Ioannou. Lyrics by Dimitra Kalavrezou & Eli Mavrychev. Lyrics for “I, The Deceit” by Dimitra Kalavrezou & Joscha Hoyer.
Recording Credits: Recorded & Engineered by Unverkalt. Drums Recorded & Engineered by Christian Eggers at Noir Surge Sound, Berlin, Germany.
Production Credits: Produced by Themis Ioannou. Vocals produced by Dimitra Kalavrezou & Eli Mavrychev. Mixed by Joshua Barber. Mastered by Lasse Lammert at LSD Studios, Lübeck, Germany.
THE ROCK ALCHEMIST – Italian Rock Band from Turin with a strong sonic identity that blends modern rock with progressive, hard, alternative, and pop elements!
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s SARCOFAGUS return with a Historic 2010 Concert Video Premiere on YouTube! Click image to watch the video
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 