Rotting Christ
HELL’S HEROES | HOUSTON, TX | 03.23.2024
Photo by Sam James @samjames.jpeg
Still Fresh
There’s a lot of bands celebrating milestone anniversaries. 30, 35 or 40 years of dedication to a singular project. How do they avoid burnout? How are they not distracted by the latest trends, tricks and new toys that pop up? I find myself CONSTANTLY distracted. Creatively chasing new directions that ultimately lead to dead ends. But, sometimes you discover something that is actually worth a damn. And that makes all the duds worthwhile.
Photo by Sam James @samjames.jpeg
Rotting Christ are an evolving work of art. Since 1987, everything has built on what’s come before and looks to where the band will go in the future. There are foundational elements that remain the same, but there is an undeniable momentum in everything they create. What I’ve recently realized is to look at their catalogue, as well as other bands that fall in this category, as a retrospective. The same way I would look at the work over the lifetime of an artist like Picasso, Van Gogh or Weird Al. There are periods of creative excellence, big swings and transition. Good, not so good and work that is clearly setting up for the next thing to be the thing.
Crowd photos by Luke James @lukejeffjames
Photos by Sam James @samjames.jpeg
The release years for their first 5 songs of their set at Hell’s Heroes went like this: 1996, 1993, 1993, 1993, 1993. I don’t even like looking at work I did last month let alone 31 years ago. In 1993 my finger was lodged firmly in my nose, knuckle deep, while parked 6 inches from the TV watching whatever was on Nickelodeon. At the same time Rotting Christ released “The Mighty Contract.” An album they pulled from more than any other during their set. That music still resonates, and it always will.
Greek art endures. Maybe being surrounded by timeless, classic works had a way of informing Rotting Christ on the role time can play into their discography. I grew up in a town where the oldest things were the retirees living in the 55+ community across the street. Coming to this realization informed by the recent triumphs of Rotting Christ, Sodom, Exciter, WASP, Bulldozer and every other band still out there doing it for the love of doing it has had a profound impact on my relationship with creativity. I look forward with excitement at what’s to come and I am learning to look back with pride.
Written by Luke James @lukejeffjames
Photography by Sam (Willey) James @samjames.jpeg | Crowd Photography by Luke James