Genesis

''Genesis'' came out in 2002 and for some reason it is the last album I hear people mentioning when talking about Rotting Christ. I want to believe it's just a matter of ignorance and not bad taste. This is definitely a great album in many ways and one of the best releases of the Greeks. There are flaws, of caourse, but we are talking about a much more mature and well-produced record compared to the band's past.

From the very start, it is obvious that this is going to be a much more powerful album than "Khronos", with the dark atmosphere having been replaced by aggressive, melodic rifts and a powerful aura. The guitars are better than ever, with a tiny bit of greek music influence, which makes them more interesting and amazingly instant. In fact, the main rift of "Daemons" still comes to my mind from time to time, although it has been years since I first listened to "Genesis". Same goes for the bass. Striking and catchy, with well-composed, clever lines.

Sakis seems to have made a significant srep in improving his vocals this time. To be accurate, he has built a good stamina and his voice sounds more massive and stable. An important achievment for him, since the vocals in the band's first releases were borh evil and ridiculous. There are some new elements in "Genesis" as well, such as the clean vocals of "Quintessence" and the spoken ones of "Release Me". Those might unfortunatetly not be the best around, but at least they are proof of the band's admirable attempt to evolve even more after six full-lenghrh releases. The drums, on the other hand still sound uninspired but at least Themis seems to habe improved his stamina too.

To sum up, ''Genesis'' was the best album released by Rotting Christ by that year. The fiery power and feelings it evokes are unparalleled and there are strong signs of the more folk approach the band is going to take in the near future. Still, this is not a masterpiece of metal music, with its awkward moments standing out here and there, but it is definitely a must have for any follower of the Hellenic Black Metal Scene.