The stage had been cleared for all superfluous material, and it was time for the wickedest band of the evening to begin playing. No doubt this was what many had been waiting for, and Gimle was far more filled now, than it had been not so long ago, and as it turned out, would be later on.

Yes, the crowd was pumped, and as soon as the band entered the stage, cheering commenced. Darkness followed, as Rotting Christ opened up with the chant-like beginning of ΧΞΣ, and the room was enthralled. The song picked up pace, as it does, and the crowd moved with it, beginning to headbang and sway more than before.
Kostas Heliotis got the crowd clapping their hands for the start of the new Fire, God And Fear, and as we knew he would, he worked hard to keep a connection going with the crowd. Worked hard, but he didn’t really need to, as the crowd followed every little whim of the band. Applauding, shouting, chanting to Satan and Cthulhu - Roskilde was down for it all, it would seem. Hell, they even managed to pull through where Kolding had failed the day before - when Societas Satanas started, Rotting Christ finally got the wall of death they had asked for.

Rotting Christ have always been good performers in the time that I’ve followed them, yet the quality of the audience can’t be denied. Hence, the band seemed to find renewed strength to deliver an even stronger show this night. Sakis Tolis was all smiles when not singing, and he literally jumped with excitement at times. His brother was still a bit too obscure behind the drums, but at least Kostis Foukarakis could be seen looking more at the crowd this night, and seemingly liking what he saw. Sure, there was still mostly a lot of hair waving around as he headbanged, but especially in those moments of adding backing vocals, there was a good look in his eye.

Not surprisingly, nothing had happened to the setlist from one day to the other, but as I had enjoyed the track selection immensely once already, I wasn’t disappointed this time around either. Rotting Christ has a wealth of good songs to choose from, and the ones that had made the cut for this tour was more or less the cream of the crop. Both showcasing the band’s intent and capabilities, they also made for a nicely varied set, where tempo and tone were both played around with.
Personally, I had a lot of fun shouting replies to Ἄπαγε Σατανά (Apage Satana), and I’ve always had a soft spot for Δαίμονων Βρωσης, since acquiring Aealo, so they were possibly highlight moments for me, but it’s hard to say, really - it was all good.

If I said Rotting Christ weren’t completely at their top yesterday, well, I’m glad to say that the show had been pushed that extra little inch today. The band delivered an amazing show, that left nothing and noone wanting. It’s no surprise that this was the highlight of the evening for many.

Setlist:

ΧΞΣ
dub-saĝ-ta-ke
Fire, God And Fear
Κατά τον δαίμονα του εαυτού
Ἄπαγε Σατανά (Apage Satana)
Dies Irae
The Forest Of N’Gai
Societas Satanas (Thou Art Lord cover)
Δαίμονων Βρωσης
In Yumen-Xibalba
Grandis Spiritus Diavolos
Non Serviam