CHRISTIANS DEATH ( AMERICAN GOTHIC ROCK BAND )

Christian Death is an American gothic rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1979 by Rozz Williams. The band became a highly influential act, heralding the American gothic rock and deathrock movements.
After the release of Christian Death's third album Ashes in 1985, Williams left the band and then-guitarist Valor Kand replaced him as the lead vocalist.


Rozz Williams (born Roger Alan Painter; November 6, 1963 – April 1, 1998) was an American vocalist, musician, artist, and poet most known for his work with the bands Christian Death, Shadow Project (with musician Eva O), and with the industrial project Premature Ejaculation. Christian Death is cited by some as a pioneer of the American gothic rock scene as well as deathrock. Williams was also involved with Daucus Karota, Heltir, EXP, Bloodflag, and Christian Death Featuring Rozz Williams, along with recording a handful of solo albums.
Williams committed suicide by hanging himself in his West Hollywood apartment on April 1, 1998. He was 34 years old.

History

Formation and Rozz Williams years (1979–1985)

 

 

Christian Death was founded by a teenage Rozz Williams in Los Angeles, California in October 1979. Williams grew up in the eastern suburb of Pomona in a Christian family. Williams had originally called his band the Upsetters, which included guitarist Jay (a.k.a. John Albert), bassist James McGearty and drummer George Belanger. The band garnered attention after changing their name to Christian Death and adding former Adolescents guitarist Rikk Agnew. In 1981, they made their first vinyl appearance with the song "Dogs" on the L.A. scene compilation album Hell Comes to Your House.
In 1982, Christian Death signed to Frontier Records, and released their debut album, Only Theatre of Pain that March. Only Theatre of Pain was released in Europe by the French label L'Invitation au Suicide, followed by the record's release in Japan.

Christian Death broke up amid band infighting and drug abuse. Williams assembled a new version of the band in 1983 by merging with another L.A. rock band, Pompeii 99. This lineup included guitarist Valor Kand, vocalist and keyboardist Gitane Demone, and drummer David Glass. The new version of the band recorded their next two albums, 1984's Catastrophe Ballet (with bassist Constance Smith) and 1985's Ashes (with bassist Randy Wilde).

Valor Kand era (1985–present)

Christian Death performing live at Wave-Gotik-Treffen in Leipzig, Germany, in 2014

In mid-1985, Williams left Christian Death, in part due to his increasing interest in experimental music and performance art. Kand took over leadership, serving as lead singer and songwriter. Augmented by bassist Johann Schumann and guitarist and keyboardist Barry Galvin, the band recorded an EP for the Italian label Supporti Fonografici titled The Wind Kissed Pictures, credited to "The Sin and Sacrifice of Christian Death". The EP was later reissued in Germany and the U.S., credited to Christian Death.

Their first post-Williams album was 1986's Atrocities, a concept album about the aftereffects of World War II on the European psyche, which was followed by 1987's The Scriptures, recorded by a revamped lineup of Kand, Demone, Glass, guitarist James Beam and bassist Kota. Longtime drummer Glass left the group following the release of The Scriptures and returned to California, where he eventually worked with several Williams side projects.
The band had their biggest successes on the UK Independent Chart with the 1987–89 singles "Sick of Love", "Church of No Return" and "Zero Sex" and the 1988 album Sex and Drugs and Jesus Christ. Following the "Zero Sex" single, Demone opted to leave the band.

Valor recorded the two-part All the Love All the Hate concept album (1989) in collaboration with Nick the Bastard, which spawned the double A-side single "We Fall Like Love"/"I Hate You".
During the late 1980s, while also recording as Shadow Project, Williams resurrected his own version of Christian Death, with his wife Eva O contributing guitar as well as vocals. Billing themselves as the original Christian Death, they were rejoined by first-album guitarist Agnew for a 1989 tour of Canada. The band was signed to Cleopatra Records, and released The Iron Mask album and Skeleton Kiss EP in 1992. Williams' reclamation of the Christian Death name sparked a fierce battle with Kand. However, Kand already had the rights to the name due to Williams' departure from the band and subsequent neglect of the moniker. Williams consequently billed his version of the band as "Christian Death Featuring Rozz Williams". After this, Williams' version released The Path of Sorrows album in 1993 and The Rage of Angels in 1994. A 1993 show featuring Only Theatre of Pain-era members Williams, Agnew and Belanger (along with bassist Casey Chaos) performing live at Los Angeles' Patriot Hall was recorded and later released in 2001 as a DVD by Cleopatra. Williams pursued other projects before committing suicide on April 1, 1998.

Meanwhile, Kand's Christian Death continued performing and recording, issuing the 1990 album Insanus, Ultio, Proditio, Misercordiaque, on which Kand conducted the English Abbey Choir and the Commonwealth Chamber Orchestra. The band added bassist Maitri in 1991. Her first concert with Christian Death took place at the Contemporary Festival, held at the Anfitheatro delle Cascine in Florence, Italy on 12 July 1991. The band released the Sexy Death God album in 1994, the double-live set Amen in 1995, the Nostradamus-themed Prophecies in 1996, and Pornographic Messiah in 1998.

In 2000, Christian Death added drummer Will Sarginson and toured Europe with Britain's Cradle of Filth in support of the Born Again Anti Christian album.
Kand and Maitri also formed another band, black metal/deathrock act Lover of Sin, releasing the album Christian Death Presents Lover of Sin in 2002.
For Christian Death's 2003 tour, they were augmented by Cradle of Filth guitarist Gian Peres.
Christian Death released American Inquisition in 2007, featuring new drummer Nate Hassan.
In 2014, the band embarked on the 30th Anniversary Catastrophe Ballet tour, beginning in Europe and continuing through the year's end in North, South and Central America.
In January 2015, Christian Death announced the planned release of the PledgeMusic funded album, The Root of All Evilution. The album was digitally released on August 14, 2015, by Knife Fight Media, and on vinyl on October 16, 2015, by Season of Mist. A CD release was announced for December 18, 2015, on The End Records.

Musical style and content

Christian Death's style is considered gothic rock and deathrock. According to Steve Huey of AllMusic, Christian Death's music "relied on slow, doomy, effects-laden guitar riffs and ambient horror-soundtrack synths". According to Huey, Christian Death's lyrics involve shock value and are often about topics like "blasphemy, morbidity, drug use, and sexual perversity". Necrophilia also is a topic that has been used in Christian Death's lyrics. Liz Ohanesian of L.A. Weekly wrote that Christian Death experiments "with dirgey guitars, tribal drums and overtly spooky imagery". According to author Liisa Ladouceur, along with "spooky guitars and keyboards", elements of genres such as post-punk and spoken word also have been used in Christian Death's music.

Legacy

Former Christian Death vocalist Williams paved the way for Nine Inch Nails vocalist Trent Reznor and rock musician Marilyn Manson.

Discography

Discography of Christian Death, all three versions: 1) originally fronted by Rozz Williams, 2) fronted by Valor Kand, 3) parallel versione formed by Rozz Williams in the late 1980s.

 

Fronted by Rozz Williams

 

Albums

• Only Theatre of Pain (1981)
• Catastrophe Ballet (1984)
• Ashes (1985)

EPs

• Deathwish (1984) (recorded 1981)

Live albums

• Catastrophe Ballet Live (1984)
• The Decomposition of Violets (1985)
• Iconologia (1993)

Other

• Singles + Demos (1979)

Compilation albums

• Invocations 1981–1989 (live and studio archival recordings) (1993)

Fronted by Valor Kand

Albums

• Atrocities (1986)
• The Scriptures (1987)
• Sex and Drugs and Jesus Christ (1988)
• All the Love All the Hate (Part 1 – All the Love) (1989)
• All the Love All the Hate (Part 2 – All the Hate) (1989)
• Insanus, Ultio, Proditio, Misericordiaque (1990)
• Sexy Death God (1994)
• Prophecies (1996)
• Pornographic Messiah (1998)
• Born Again Anti Christian (2000)
• American Inquisition (2007)
• The Root OF ALL Evilution (2015)

EPs

• The Wind Kissed Pictures (1985)

Live albums

• Jesus Christ Proudly Presents (1987)
• The Heretics Alive (1989)
• Amen (1995)

Compilation albums

• Anthology of Live Bootlegs Vol. 1 (1988)
• Anthology of Live Bootlegs Vol. 2 (1989)
• Past Present and Forever (1988) (re-release of The Wind Kissed Pictures)
• Jesus Points the Bone at You? (1991)
• The Bible (1999)
• Love and Hate (2001)

Singles

• "Believers of the Unpure" (1986)
• "Sick of Love" (1987)
• "Church of No Return" (1988)
• "What's the Verdict" (1988)
• "Zero Sex" (1989)
• "We Fall Like Love"/"I Hate You" (1989)

Christian Death II (also known as Christian Death featuring Rozz Williams)

Albums

• The Iron Mask (1992)
• The Path of Sorrows (1993)
• The Rage of Angels (1994)

Live albums

• Heavens and Hells (1990)
• Sleepless Nights: Live 1990 (1993)
• The Doll's Theatre (1994)
• Christian Death: Live (video; 1995)
• Death in Detroit (1995)

Compilation albums

• Mandylion (released solely in Europe under the name Christ Death) (1993)
• Death Mix (1996)
• The Best of Christian Death (Featuring: Rozz Williams) (1999)
• Death Club 1981–1993 (2005)
• Six Six Sixth Communion (2007)
• Death Box (box-set; 2012)

Singles

• "Skeleton Kiss" (1992)
• "Spiritual Cramp" (split with Sex Gang Children) (1992)

 

With Rozz Williams

• Only Theatre of Pain (1982)

With Rozz Williams and Valor Kand

• Catastrophe Ballet (1984)
• Ashes (1985)

With Valor Kand

• The Wind Kissed Pictures (1985)
• Atrocities (1986)
• The Scriptures (1987)
• Sex and Drugs and Jesus Christ (1988)
• All the Love All the Hate (Part One: All the Love) (1989)
• All the Love All the Hate (Part Two: All the Hate) (1989)
• Insanus, Ultio, Proditio, Misericordiaque (1990)
• Sexy Death God (1994)
• Prophecies (1996)
• Pornographic Messiah (1998)
• Born Again Anti Christian (2000)
• American Inquisition (2007)
• The Root of All Evilution (2015)

Christian Death featuring Rozz Williams

• The Iron Mask (1992)
• The Path of Sorrows (1993)
• The Rage of Angels (1994)