The truth is that Lycabettus as a concert venue was missed and Rockwave Nights brought thousands of fans to the top of the historic hill for many different concerts of varying tastes. Rotting Christ’s 35th anniversary celebration was also staged here (practically it’s 37, small detail). With the timetable being kept in full and bar prices unmatched by any other highly publicized concert venue in the capital, the only thing that seemed likely to spoil the evening was the strong wind. Thankfully, it didn’t.
The historic Varathron were chosen to open. They started at the same time as Rotting Christ, both released their first album in 1993 and of course shared the same bassist, Jim Mutilator, in their early years. I’m not at all familiar with their material but I can say that they gave a flawless performance for the one hour they were on stage. The sound was excellent, the band in great mood and their leader Stefanos’ vocals sounded as if not a day had passed since he founded them. Several people in front of the stage responded very warmly to their music, opening the first mosh pits. The only thing that would have made their performance better would have been if they didn’t play when it was still sunny outside, the darkness would have suited them much better.
Rotting Christ came out amidst a standing ovation to a venue that was almost full, starting as someone would expect with “666”. The sound here was also impeccable and the band initially chose material from their last five albums, playing also “Like Father, Like Son”, the only one from the most recent “Pro Xristou”. But the chaos started when the dive into the past with “King Of A Stellar War” and the crowd singing loudly the melody of the chorus. Next one was my personal favorite, “Shadows Follow”, which was the only one of the entire setlist that was cut in half to be followed by “Archon”. Sakis then blew out the candles of a cake on stage since he was turning 52 on the same day. And what’s more impressive than having thousands of fans below wishing you well. Fans who were not only from Greece, as in a short speech Sakis welcomed people from Poland, Portugal and Brazil while a Palestinian flag was waved in the audience, resulting in a chant for the cessation of the genocide taking place there.
Then, the audio clip of “Gloria De Domino Inferni” and “The Forest Of N’Gai” took us even further back, to the historic EP “Passage To Arcturo” of 1991. They also played a cover of “Societas Satanas” as usual before we went into the classic favorite trio of “Sorrowfull Farewell”, “Among Two Storms” and “After Dark I Feel”. A surprise, for me at least, was the awesome “The Raven” right before closing with “Under The Name Of Legion”. Of course, we had the encore with the legendary “The Sign Of Evil Existence” and “Non Serviam”. In the latter, at Sakis’ urging, people came on stage, the band got lost among them as well as half of the lyrics because Sakis couldn’t reach the microphone. But what does it matter? A celebration ended in the best possible way, with the “non serviam” chants filling the Lycabettus theatre.
Setlist: 666, P’unchaw Kachun-Tuta Kachun, Fire God And Fear, Κατά Τον Δαίμονα Του Εαυτού, Άπαγε Σατανά, Dies Irae, Δαιμόνων Βρώσης, Aealo, Like Father Like Son, King Of A Stellar War, Shadows Follow, Archon, Gloria De Domino Inferni, The Forest Of N’Gai, Fgmenth Thy Gift, Societas Satanas (Thou Art Lord), Sorrowfull Farewell, Among Two Storms, After Dark I Feel, Athanati Este, Nemecic, In Yumen-Xibalba, Grandis Spiritus Diavolos, The Raven, Under The Name Of Legion, The Sign Of Evil Existence, Non Serviam
Four musicians who were flawless on stage. Almost two and a half hours of non-stop music. 26 songs from nearly their entire discography. A big celebration for the greatest Greek metal band that has no intention of stopping, probably until they celebrate their 50th anniversary. And a crowd that for the most part helped make this night one to remember, since as Sakis said, they started out playing for thirty people and never thought they’d live up to that. I think it was the best performance of Rotting Christ on Athenian soil in several years. Let’s hope for more great events like this one. Non Serviam!
George Terzakis
Photos: Maria Melliou
