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/:: Artist :: Rotting Christ ::\
:: Album :: Thy Mighty Contract ::
:: Year :: 2021 ::
:: __ _ _ __ ::
-:--\\-----------------------------------------------------------------//--:-
:: \ / ::
:: . Genre :: Black Metal Source :: CDDA . ::
:: Label :: Cold Art Industry R.date :: 16.12.2021 ::
_::__ Cat.nr. :: COLD033 Size :: 97,3 MB __::_
::// \\::
::/---------------------------------------------------------------------\::
:: ::
/: Encoder :: LAME 3.100 -V0 :\
..: Bitrate :: avg. 287kbps : .
. Quality :: 44,1kHz/Joint-Stereo .
. .
Website ::
__ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __
.\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////.
+/ -\------- | | ----\ tracklist /---- | | -------/- \+
/: . : : . :\
/:: ::\
:: 01. The Sign of Evil Existence 02:00 ::
:: 02. Transform All Suffering into Plagues 05:26 ::
:: 03. Fgmenth, Thy Gift 04:30 ::
:: 04. His Sleeping Majesty 05:50 ::
:: 05. Exiled Archangels 05:08 ::
:: 06. Dive the Deepest Abyss 03:33 ::
:: 07. The Coronation of the Serpent 04:07 ::
:: 08. The Fourth Knight of Revelation 06:50 ::
:: 09. Visions of the Dead Lover 04:46 ::
:: 10. The Mystical Meeting 05:01 ::
:: ------- ::
.. >> 47:11 min ..
__ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __
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+/ -\------- | | ----\ release notes /---- | | -------/- \+
/: . : : . :\
/:: ::\
:: ::
:: Greece has long had a flourishing and distinct black metal ::
:: scene. More known for melody and a sense of theatricality ::
:: than the coldness and overt harshness of their Nordic ::
:: peers, Greek black metal was going strong from pretty much ::
:: the time many of the canonical Norwegian second wave bands ::
:: were dropping their first albums. Necromantia and Varathron ::
:: also laid down some Greek black metal classics in 1993, but ::
:: more than anyone, Rotting Christ put the scene on the map ::
:: with their legendary debut Thy Mighty Contract. ::
:: ::
:: Despite some of the major characters they were in contact ::
:: with in the core second wave scene calling Thy Mighty ::
:: Contract ôtrue black metalö, stylistically it is anything ::
:: but. With bands like Darkthrone attempting to distill black ::
:: metal to its core essence at the time, Rotting Christ bolt ::
:: in the opposite direction. While undeniably a black metal ::
:: album, the influence they incorporate really run the gamut. ::
:: Thrash and death still form a strong undercurrent, with ::
:: doomier passages also being frequent. While Passages to ::
:: Arcturo planted the seeds, Thy Mighty Contract is really ::
:: where Rotting Christ began to run wild with melody. ::
:: Infectious smoky melodies regularly drift across the ::
:: soundscape, giving the album a melancholy autumnal vibe. ::
:: SakisÆ mid-range declarative bellows mesh perfectly with ::
:: this vibe. ::
:: ::
:: Although both a great listen and an album of monumental ::
:: historical importance, Thy Mighty Contract is not without ::
:: its flaws. The album is a bit rough around the edges, and a ::
:: lot of that comes down to production. The mix is a bit dry ::
:: and thin, which could work fine with the type of black ::
:: metal trying to evoke a wintry trapped in a blizzard style ::
:: atmosphere, but it doesnÆt work great with Rotting ChristÆs ::
:: diverse melodic style. The sorest point in the production ::
:: is by far the drum sound. Contrary to popular belief, ::
:: Rotting Christ do not employ a drum machine here; rather ::
:: the drumming is performed on an e-kit. The tone is weak and ::
:: mechanical. The mixing on the drums is kind of off, too û ::
:: in faster section the snare overpowers the rest of the mix. ::
:: ::
:: Despite my incessant griping about minor issues, Thy Mighty ::
:: Contract is very much a classic for a reason. The biggest ::
:: reason I donÆt listen to it as much as I otherwise would is ::
:: just how hard they outdid themselves on the next two ::
:: albums. Non Serviam is an impressive leap forward, and ::
:: Triarchy of the Lost Lovers is hands down one of the best ::
:: albums metal has to offer. More than being the first major ::
:: stop on the journey of a fantastic band, Thy Mighty ::
:: Contract is a formative moment in GreekÆs black metal scene ::
:: û which is one that continues to be one of the most ::
:: colourful and consistent regional scenes in the world. ::
:: ::
:: . _ _ . ::
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