The Biggest Disappointment I've had this Year
Goldenkitten | Valhalla | 03/13/2010
(1 out of 5 stars)
"Horrible disappointment is the only way I can really think of summing this CD up after giving this a few through listens.
Theogonia was a master-piece, taking all that was good about their previous works and introducing some nice, borderline symphonic chanting elements. Thus if somebody told you that in making Aealo Rotting Christ had attempted to recreate that same great mix you would think the worse that could happen was a sense of deja vu but still some great music. You would unfortunately be very wrong, half this album is composed of songs that sound like the B-list of Theogonia, those songs that just weren't good enough to make it and the the other half is composed of completely unlikeable fusions of tribal beats, the same female chanting over and over and even to my horror a bit of pop-rock (infused with tribal beats, but it's still there) toward the end.
Before I even begin let me touch on the female vocalist they chose for this CD. She's not terrible, on the first two songs I heard her on I actually though she would be a decent addition but you have to understand. She is on (almost) EVERY song on this CD and in fact one interlude is made entirely of her and the worst part is she sounds the same in every song. It's the same treble shakey chanting in every song and it quickly gets old. It's the same tribal theme they had going in Theogonia but the difference is Theogonia incorporated multiple types of chanting, not the same thing over and over in every song which makes an already weak offering of predictable metal even more predictable, many songs sounding like repeats of a previous one.
Secondly another complaint about vocals, this time a lack of. As fans of Rotting Christ know Sakis is half the reason we listen, he has a very unique form of growl vocals which he has perfected in the latest CD's. COMPLETELY GONE. I kid you not, half this CD Sakis isn't even the main singer instead replaced by some terrible choices I'll get to when reviewing their respective songs. Then in the few places Sakis is present it's like he's phoning it in with almost none of his characteristic demon growling instead replaced by overall very basic metal screams and amateurish growls. I have no idea what happened here but Sakis could have easily saved this album and at least set it on the course for "Average", instead he helps sink it with his sub-par performance.
Now to a review of the actual songs. First the good. "Aealo", "Eon Aenaos", "Daimonwn Brwsis", and "Noctis Era" are all decent songs, heck Noctis Era even comes close to that good mix they had found in Thegonia. But when the best I can say is that they ALMOST did as good as the worst songs on their last album you know theres a problem.
From there it's just downhill. For a song they seem intent on pushing as the highlight "Fire Death and Fear" is a rather generic stroll through a mixture of thrash, melodic and death metal. Theres nothing to surprise here and it sounds more akin to something they would have put out in their early days...just with the inclusion of that annoying female vocalist. The same goes for Santa Muerte, predictable metal with no flair, very generic.
Now for the bad parts. They also incorporated other singers into this album but unlike most groups who feature other singers these voices aren't offering a few supporting lines, their carrying each song their in. "Pir Throntai" and "Thou art Lord" are some more generic metal but this time only including the very voice we buy Rotting Christ albums for as a background vocalist. The replacement literally sounds like he came from an alternative group like Clan of Xymox. Obviously no matter what you think of that music on its own this was NOT the place for it, it is very jarring after the rest of the material and sunk what probably would have just been a "Generic blah" album to the levels of "Bad".
Last on the CD is the song "Orders from the Dead". Put simply this is a nearly ten minute travesty, the length suggest they actually thought this was something special but in truth all it was, was an overly long horror to listen to. This takes all the bad elements of the album and combines them into one giant horrendous song that sinks the album more than any other element on its own. Overused female chanter? Check. Complete lack of the metal we look to Rotting Christ for? Check. Use of another singer for most of the song (who this time is doing a poor mans Current 93 recitation impersonation)? Check. Poorly conceived tribal drum elements? Check. I just don't even know what the group was thinking here.
Overall this CD is simply a wreck, how a group that could make the CD Theogonia could make this amazes me. Even more amazing is the fact that they were obviously trying to recreate Theogonia and yet managed to fail so horribly. I've been with Rotting Christ for a while and seen their ups and downs, this is easily their biggest down. Even when they had a bad album or two they usually salvaged it with a few acceptable songs throughout, that's completely lacking here as even the best song on the CD would be hard pressed to convince a new listener that the group was little more than your average black metal band.
It's a real shame and I can only hope this isn't a sign of things to come, I'll give them another chance but if they release another abomination like this I may have to be more careful with them in the future. So anyhow overall I'm giving it one star, I've never given anything one star before (and I'm talking on any review I've ever done, not just here at Amazon) and I never imagined the first thing I would give it to would be one of my favorite bands. But when the best thing you can say is "Well the best song almost achieved mediocrity" you know theres a serious issue."
Not workin' for me...
G. Wagstaff | SoCal, U.S.A. | 03/11/2010
(2 out of 5 stars)
"Sadly, I think this one is only for people that want to "collect the whole set."
"Sanctus Diavolos" it is NOT. I have every album made by Rotting Christ and this one is seriously my least favorite. I'm not sure how much it will ever get played. (I'm not even sure what I've done with it.) That's a shame because I really do think they're a great band. They just got it wrong with this one IMO. It just lacks the power/intensity, oh...and metal...of their previous work. Sorry, just not impressed with this one.
There's just too much of a "Greek tragedy/opera" thing going on for my liking. I can deal with the tribal drums...I can deal with SOME of the chanting but there's just too much of it to call this a Rotting Christ album. Frankly it sounds a bit more like they were "guest" musicians on somebody ELSES album. I suppose if I ignore/skip a few of the songs it might sound better.
Some of the real Rotting Christ manages to sneak in once in a while...which is what saved it from a 1 star review. But I have to say "Nekron Iahes..." is murderously annoying. I'm just glad it's only a minute long. I doubt I'll ever listen to that one again. Likewise, "Orders from the Dead" is almost laughable IMO. Well, OK, perhaps "almost" isn't quite right. It's one of those things your hear and then want to ask, "You bumped your head how hard..?" Yeah, yeah...the world is going up in flames. We get it already. Unfortunately when that song ends you find yourself thinking..."Wha..?" and wanting more. Not more of this but more of what you expected from a Rotting Christ album.
I just hope this isn't a sign of things to come and that their next release will see them getting back to what they do best."
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1