On October 7, 1997 «A Dead Poem» came out, the album where Rotting Christ moved furthest from black metal and opened their sound up to melodies and acoustic passages.
Country: Greece
Genre: Gothic Metal / Melodic Black Metal
For fans of: Moonspell, Tiamat, Paradise Lost
The recording took place in May 1997 at Woodhouse Studio in Hagen, Germany, produced by Xy of Samael — a choice by Sakis Tolis, who wanted a musician and friend in the producer’s chair rather than an unknown engineer. New faces are heard on the album: Andreas Lagios on bass and Kostas Vasilakopoulos on second guitar, while keyboards took such a big role for the first time, with Xy and a session musician known only as Panayotis. On «Among Two Storms» Fernando Ribeiro of Moonspell sings; the guest spot came about when the two bands found themselves in Dortmund at the same time and Sakis invited him.
The release was followed by a European tour with support from Old Man’s Child and Sacramentum, with shows in about twelve countries. For the album’s 25th anniversary, in 2022 Peaceville reissued it on vinyl and CD.
Our take
It’s their most «atmospheric» album and at the same time the most controversial for those still expecting speed. Listening to «Among Two Storms» today, their choice is vindicated.
See also
Infernal Storm – Winter Of The Ancient Wrath · Varathron – Patriarchs of Evil · Rotting Christ – Tribute · Rotting Christ – Triarchy of the Lost Lovers · Rotting Christ – Sleep of the Angels
