Despite being not so prolific in terms of worldwide famous bands, the Greek extreme scene is one of the jewels in heavy metal’s crown. Septic Flesh, Necromantia, Thou Art Lord and of course renowned Rotting Christ, are enough names to confirm the quality spawned by the dark Greece entrails. But talking about Rotting Christ is not only talking about the Greek scene; it’s also talking about one of the pioneering bands of the second wave of black metal.
This horde –which truly deserves its legendary status– celebrates a 20 year long career in 2009, with their second and most complete DVD.
In order to honor this anniversary the band recorded a concert in their homeland, and also added to it a series of extra elements to complete one gigantic biographical opus, matching the high standard set by works like Therion’s Celebrators of Becoming for example.
This point in particular is remarkable, because many bands in a demonstration of honesty and integrity towards their fans, have decided that their audiovisual productions must not be limited to contain just a live gig and nothing else. DVDs –for the happiness of all– have become products documenting entire discographies, long periods in the life of bands, visions into the world of musicians, life on the road, and a wide variety of other topics.
Non Serviam – A 20 Year Apocryphal Story, is a beautiful package containing two DVDs and two audio CDs with massive material, because it includes a thirty three song concert (recorded in Greece back in 2007), covering the whole discography of the band, a mini documentary narrated by Sakis where the story of the band is reviewed from beginning to present day, an extensive mix of scenes from Sanctus Diavolos and Theogonia tours, all the official videos of the band, as well as a section of fan made filming of their gigs.
The concert simply confirms the quality of the band, because the execution is impeccable, and the interaction with the audience is proof that what we see displayed on the stage is pure spirit. The work of the six cameras keeps the underground aura throughout the concert, which took place in a small venue, but with a fine atmosphere created by the sinister and gloomy lights.
This DVD reaches the goal of celebrating massively both decades of this great band’s history. Indispensable for any fan.
Originally submitted to (http://www.metalicos.com) on June 29th, 2009.