Rotting Christ – Sakis Tolis

One of the first and foremost extreme metal bands from Greece, Rotting Christ have been crushing skulls with their unique blend of black metal and brutal death metal for over 20 years. For the first time ever Rotting Christ will be touring Australia in early 2010 as part of Metal Month.

MetalObsession.net recently had the chance to speak with Rotting Christ frontman and guitarist Sakis Tolis about the band’s upcoming Australian tour.

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Metal Obsession: It’s your first time touring Australia, what’s the vibe like in the Rotting Christ camp? Are you guys looking forward to the tour?
Sakis Tolis: Definitely, there are heavy vibrations in the ROTTING CHRIST camp for this upcoming tour. It will be the first time in our two-decade career that we will visit your land and there will be no better way to celebrate our 20-year history. Lucifer over Australia.

MO: Rotting Christ have been in existence for at least 20 years, yet many Australian metal fans were probably not aware of Rotting Christ until now. Please give a brief history of the band?
ST: Our history is too big so it will be better to check our bio www.myspace.com/rottingchristabyss. Definitely you will be covered.

MO: With the name “Rotting Christ”, has it ever caused any controversy amongst mainstream media, particularly in countries with a prominent Christian/Catholic population? Are there any notable stories you can tell us?
ST: Yes, we have cancelled or postponed too many shows in our career. Our albums have not been distributed in some fundamental territories, we have received threats, our posters have been scratched from walls in Christian communities and so forth, but we go on of course because we think that all religions worldwide are rotting and every conservative idea will find our band in front of them. This is Metal my friend… A punch to the system.

MO: Is it true that you are currently working on a new album? What is the working title? When is the anticipated release date?
ST: We have completed work on our new album and I think that it is a step forward from our previous album, Theogonia. Everyone that has listened to it has been excited and surprised because we went further than Theogonia. It will be out February and hope our new album will talk to your souls. I really wish that because this is our goal as a band.

MO: Where are you guys headed after the Australian tour?
ST: We hit the road… we do not know when exactly but I guess all around the globe…anywhere on this planet where you will find a Metalhead. Being on the road is our way of living and being addicted to that.

MO: What else is in store for Rotting Christ in 2010?
ST: Our new album, but we might also release a 7-inch EP that we’ve had in mind! Despite the fact that the band is more well-known worldwide, we are still true to our roots and we will always release vinyl and 7-inch EPs in the way we have grown up as individuals.

MO: Any last comments for the Australian fans?
ST: KEEP THE HORNS RISING BROTHERS AND SISTERS!

You can catch ROTTING CHRIST on New Year’s Eve this year at Screamfest in Sydney, or alternatively at Metal Month across Australia in early January 2010.

Thurs 31st Dec – Rotting Christ (Screamfest) @ Enmore Theatre, Sydney
Mon 4th Jan – Dark Funeral, Rotting Christ @ Billboards, Melbourne
Tue 5th Jan – Dark Funeral, Rotting Christ @ Hi-Fi Brisbane, Brisbane

Come check out our latest giveway. We have 11x double passes to giveaway to  Metal Month next year. To be in the running click on the image below.