Style: Melodic black metal, gothic metal
Primary Emotions/Themes: Rebirth, demons, power through self, power through satan
Thoughts: Rotting Christ and I have a troubled past. The early stuff, the albums that are most commonly held in the highest regard, do nothing for me. I've tried so many times with Thy Mighty Contract and Triarchy of Lost Lovers. They continue to fall flat with me.
Genesis however is another story all together. This album sees the band embracing their black metal roots while incorporating all sorts of fascinating influences - the primary of which is a strong gothic atmosphere.
The opener Daemons quickly dispels the notion that the band is shying away from the extreme metal side of their sound. The past few albums embraced the gothic side of the sound perhaps a bit too much, leading to overlong and lethargic sounding albums. This is not the case here. The album starts out at a blistering pace with blast beats, a nearly dissonant guitar riff, and keyboards that embrace the gothic atmosphere perfectly. It demands my attention immediately and never lets go.
The band starts showing the true nature of the record with the epic Lex Talionis. The song starts off with a Gregorian chant with guitars and keyboards creating a heavily layered and atmospheric introduction. The song builds by adding in choirs and layers upon layers of guitar riffs. This is the Rotting Christ that I love. This is the sound that no other band can replicate. It shows up briefly on Genesis, but it would be perfected on the follow up.
The album continues to unfold incorporating more and varied influences. These include clean vocals, creative use or choirs and chants, rock and roll song structures, and atmospheres so thick they require a sword to cut trough. This is Rotting Christ coming into their own. Genesis is indeed a form of rebirth for them, and while not nearly as good as the follow up it brought new life into the band that was desperately needed*.
(*This is not to knock Khronos at all, that album rules.)
Written October 23rd 2023
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