Rotting Christ is a band whose music has transcended multiple things throughout the years. Most notably their dumb band name and breaking out of the Greek metal scene when it was in its embryonic stages, but in a way, they also transcended their black metal roots to create something fairly unique from existing elements. Nowadays, the band plays a dark type of metal that draws inspiration from the rituals of multiple religions. ‘Aealo’, on the other hand, is quite a unique album even within Rotting Christ’s discography. It is deeply rooted in traditional Greek music and uncommonly catchy.

So if ‘Aealo’ is not black metal, what is it? I would say that it’s a folk metal album first and foremost, but not in the way folk metal is usually laid out. There are hardly any traditional instruments and the simple, yet incredibly heroic-sounding lead guitar parts – the undisputed highlights of the album for me – have more in common with traditional heavy metal than any Greek folk music. The traditional element is mostly carried by the female choirs that appear on most tracks, dubbed Pleiades in the booklet. They add a melodic and atmospheric depth that Sakis Tolis could not have on his own.

One of the things that makes ‘Aealo’ so good is the fact that Rotting Christ doesn’t overcomplicate things. Much like on its excellent predecessor ‘Theogonia’, Sakis never plays more notes on guitar than strictly necessary, as does his brother Themis on drums. As a result of that, every note hits like a truck and the more melodic elements of the music get all the space they need for maximum impact. Even the guitar solos are relatively simple in terms of notes. There are a few solos that contain a fast run (‘Eon Aenaos’, ‘dub-saĝ-ta-ke’, ‘Fire, Death and Fear’) but even those are entirely in service of the songs’ melodic majesty.

If there is something to fault ‘Aealo’ for, it would be that two songs right near the end are notably weaker than the rest. ‘Thou Art Lord’ features a particularly passionate guest performance by Primordial singer Alan Averill, but gets stuck in the same groove for about a minute and a half longer than it should. Diamanda Galás cover ‘Orders from the Dead’, featuring Galás herself, is well done, but clashes with the rest of the album atmospherically, though I tend to view it as a bonus track. Everything else is an extremely tasteful blend of simple, yet effective riffs and rhythms, very strong melodic themes and the one-of-a-kind atmosphere created by the traditional choir.

The term “battle metal” is sometimes thrown around for folk metal bands whose lyrics focus on historical wars. There aren’t many albums that fit that description as well as ‘Aealo’. It truly sounds as if the band translated a handful of ancient Greek battle anthems to the possibilities of contemporary metal, which may well have been the case. Interestingly, that has not resulted in chaotic violence, but rather in a melodically beautiful and deeply immersive listening experience. While the elements of ‘Aealo’ are familiar, I have yet to hear an album that sounds quite like it. And those lead guitar parts give me goosebumps.

Recommended tracks: ‘Aealo’, ‘Santa Muerte’, ‘Eon Aenaos’