UMUR "Ade's Winds" is the 4th demo by Greek death/black metal (later black/gothic metal) act Rotting Christ. The demo was independently released on cassette tape in the autumn of 1992. It bridges the gap between the May 1991 EP "Passage to Arcturo" and the band´s debut full-length studio album "Thy Mighty Contract" from November 1993.

The demo features 2 tracks and a total playing time of 11:20 minutes. Both tracks from the demo appear in re-recorded versions on "Thy Mighty Contract" (1993). The music style is a continuation of the death/black metal style which was initiated on the October 1989 "Satanas Tedeum" demo and continued and further developed on the May 1991 "Passage to Arcturo" EP. Although Rotting Christ are often associated with black metal, this is not your typical blasting black metal release with harsh snarling vocals. It´s rather an atmospheric and predominantly mid-paced type of death/black metal. The occasional use of horror tinged keyboards only further enhance the occult and at times epic atmosphere of the band´s music.

The musicianship is still the weak link, and the clumsy drumming and not particularly developed lead guitar work aren´t that interesting to listen to. The vocals sound really great and Rotting Christ definitely have some strong songwriting ideas too, so there are definitely positives to mention here. "Ade's Winds" features a relatively well sounding demo quality sound production, which isn´t perfect, but does present the material in a decent way. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Passage to Arcturo" is an EP release by Greek death/black metal (later black/gothic metal) act Rotting Christ. The EP was released through Decapiated Records in May 1991. 1990 didn´t see any releases from Rotting Christ so the last release before this EP was the "Satanas Tedeum" demo from October 1989.

Stylistically the over a year long recording break, has meant a maturity in the songwriting, but "Passage to Arcturo" still sounds like the natural successor to "Satanas Tedeum" (1989). It´s maybe slightly more black metal tinged (the guitar sound on both releases have that thin black metal sound to them), but the music is still a combination of death metal and black metal elements. Labelling this a pure black metal release would be wrong (personally I think this release swings more towards death metal). Just listen to the vocals, which are predominantly death metal growling. The band again incorporate the occassional horror tinged keyboard part (and even piano on "Gloria De Domino Inferni"), which enhances the dark an occult atmosphere of the music. "The Forest of N'Gai" is an example of the use of keyboards, but they appear more frequently here than on the preceding demo.

"Passage to Arcturo" features a raw demo quality sound production, but it´s not bad sounding at all and you´re able to hear every instrument and vocal part in the mix. If anything the relatively lo-fi sounding production values only add to the authenticity and occult atmosphere of the EP. Upon conclusion "Passage to Arcturo" shows progress and development from Rotting Christ, and although it´s not a perfect release (the musicianship is still a bit untight, and the spoken work sections unnecessary and a bit cringe worthy), it´s a good quality death/black metal release. A 3 star 60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Satanas Tedeum" is the 3rd demo by Greek death/black metal (later black/gothic metal) act Rotting Christ. The demo was independently released on cassette tape in October 1989. Rotting Christ started life as a grindcore act and that´s also the music style heard on their first two demos "Leprosy of Death" (November 1988) and "Decline's Return" (January 1989), but things have obviously changed a lot since the release of "Decline's Return" (1989).

Stylistically the material on the 5 track, 17:11 minutes long demo is death/black metal. The vocals are death metal growling and I´d predominantly label the instrumental part of the music death metal too, but there are some black metal traits in the music pointing in the future direction of the band ("The Nereid of Esgalduin" is for example a black metal tinged track, although the vocals are death metal growling). Atmospheric (horror tinged) keyboards occasionally play a role in the music and to great effect.

"Satanas Tedeum" features a well sounding demo production, where all instruments and vocals are audible in the soundscape. The demo reeks a dark and occult atmosphere, and it´s one of the great assets of the release. Considering the low quality of songwriting (or at least the one-dimensional nature of it) the band displayed on the first couple of demos, "Satanas Tedeum" comes off as a very impressive release, and it did lead to the band being signed by Decapitated Records for the release of the May 1991 EP "Passage to Arcturo". A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Decline's Return" is the 2nd demo by Greek grindcore (later black/gothic metal) act Rotting Christ. The demo was independently released on cassette tape in January 1989. It´s the successor to the "Leprosy of Death" demo from November 1988.

The music style is still a raw and aggressive type of grindcore, loaded with heavy hardcore sections, and loads of noisy and furiously fast-paced blasting. Like the case was with "Leprosy of Death" (1988), the material on "Decline's Return" was also recorded live at the band´s rehearsal space (on the 25th of January 1989), but unlike the first demo, the lo-fi sounding (non)-production of the material on "Decline's Return" makes it an almost impossble release to listen to. I can hear a distored rumbling bass somewhere in the mix, a vocalist shouting, and maybe a cymbal here and there, but other than that this is just a muddy and dark collage of noise.

While the musical influences are obviously still acts like Napalm Death and Extreme Noise Terror, the band´s lyrical approach has shifted towards goregrind Carcass territory which song titles like "Baptised in Phlegm", "Pneumonovascular Carcinogenesis", and "Embryonic Necrocannibalism" are a testimony to. 10 tracks and a total playing time of 9:30 minutes and then the demo is over, and in this case it´s hard not to feel some sort of relief. I don´t hesitate to call this sonic violence on the ears and there are probably not many out there, who will be able to appreciate a recording this raw and extreme. A 1.5 star (30%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Leprosy of Death" is the first demo by Greek grindcore (later black/gothic metal) act Rotting Christ. The demo was independently released on cassette tape in November 1988. Rotting Christ formed as far back as 1984 under the Black Church monicker but changed their name to the current one in 1987.

While Rotting Christ would soon turn towards a black metal oriented sound they play a raw, noisy, and fast-paced grindcore style on "Leprosy of Death". The demo features 9 tracks and a total playing time of 8:51 minutes. All material was recorded live during a rehearsal on the 11th of November 1988. The instruments don´t always sound like they are in tune, and there are feedback noise too, but it all just adds to the authenticity of the compositions. The music style is strongly influenced by early Napalm Death and other extreme grindcore/crust punk/hardcore artists of that era like Extreme Noise Terror, and S.O.B.

"Leprosy of Death" is a pretty extreme recording in every way possible. It´s recorded live in a rehearsal space and therefore the sound production is lo-fi and noisy (but actually still pretty well sounding), the performances aren´t exactly tight, and the songwriting is one-dimensional, but it´s as authentic as they get in terms of experiencing youthful anger and frustration through music. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.