REVIEWS
Title: Rotting Christ - In Domine Sathana (DVD)	Released: 2003
Reviewed By: Walter West (Walter West)	Rating: (4.5/5)

2002 Concert
1. Intro
2. In Domine Sathana
3. You are I
4. Quintessence
5. Thou Art Blind
6. Shadows Follow
7. Lex Talionis
8. King of a Stellar War
9. Middle intro
10. The sign of Evil Existence
11. Archon
12. After Dark I feel
13. The World Made End
14. Fgmenth, Thy Gift
15. Under the Name of Legion
16. Outro

1996 Concert
1. Transform All Suffering Into Plagues
2. Shadow Follow
3. Diastric Alchemy
4. A Dynasty From the Ice
5. The First Field of the Battle
6. King of a Stellar War

2003 Bootleg Concert
1. In Domine Sathana
2. You are I
3. Snowing Still
4. The Sign of Evil Existence
5. Under the Name of Legion
6. Outro
7. Sorrowful Farewell

Also Includes:
Interviews with the band and behind the scenes tour report.
Practice sessions in the bands jam area
Full discography and the rest of the usual DVD stuff
Also includes a 5.1 sound track.

Ok so the often-labeled black metal band Rotting Christ has a new DVD. Rotting Christ formed back in 1989 in Greece and has, in my opinion, released the most consistently good catalogue of any black metal band ever. Already having all of their CD releases it was a no-brainer to pick up this DVD. Not only is the DVD under 20 dollars but it also runs a whopping 190 minutes. That is a lot of metal.

The first concert was filmed in Poland last year along with Dark Tranquillity, who is also releasing a DVD soon. It was well shot and the audio is fantastic. The band is very careful to not make any mistakes. You can tell they were nervous making their first DVD and they wanted it to sound perfect. They play a wide variety of material from their albums, but of course feature more from the recent release " Genesis". I have no complaints about the audio quality in either stereo or 5.1. All the instruments are clearly audible and the bands performance, while reserved, is commendable. The only drawback would be the poor audience. I would have edited them out entirely due to the extreme lack of enthusiasm.

The second concert from 1996 is also pro-shot in Poland. The audio is only available in stereo and is not of the same quality as the first show. It is still a nice chance to get to see the band in an older incarnation. There is also some tracks included here that are not in the first show which only makes this even more of a bonus. The first concert alone would have made the DVD worth the buy, but this is icing on the cake. The audience seems to be much more lively in this show than on the first one. The band again puts on a fine performance, but the drums and bass are not very clear.

The last concert on the DVD is a bootleg from a show in Greece early in 2003. This is a bootleg, and thus the quality is not comparable to the rest of the DVD. This would rate as a higher-grade bootleg and the video is clean. It is interesting to notice that the band is livelier than the pro-shot concert, since they are not worried about being filmed. It is a nice bonus and again we get to hear a couple tracks not represented on the other concerts.

The rest of the DVD is compromised of a very long interview with Sakis. It is very informative and entertaining. He gives a lot of insight into the band early years. Along with this is a mini-documentary filmed before the show in Athens. WE are shown the band backstage and before the show. Also we are treated to a live practice session in the bands rehearsal space.

This is a fantastic DVD all the way around. It avoids a perfect rating simply because the audio is not quite on the same level as the Overkill and Megadeth releases. But for what you get in the excellent package it is worth the money. I would even suggest this to a Rotting Christ newbie. It gives a great overview of all their material plus hours of viewing entertainment. Bottom line is if you like Rotting Christ you should have this. If you have never heard them, but are interested in a melodic thrash/black metal band then this would be a nice purchase as well.

Band Website: http://rchrist.conxion.gr/