Christian Death is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1979 by Rozz Williams. With their debut album Only Theatre of Pain (1982), they became a highly influential act, heralding the American gothic rock and deathrock movements.
After the release of their third album Ashes in 1985, Williams left the band and was replaced by guitarist Valor Kand as the lead vocalist.[1]
Contents[]
History[edit][]
Formation and Rozz Williams years (1979–1985)[edit][]
Christian Death was founded by 16-year-old Rozz Williams in Los Angeles in October 1979.[2] 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 (aka John Albert), bassist James McGearty and drummer George Belanger. The band took off after they changed its name to Christian Death and added past Adolescents guitarist Rikk Agnew. They had put out a number of cassette singles and demo records. In 1981, they made their LP debut with the song "Dogs" on the L.A. scene compilation Hell Comes to Your House.[1]
In 1982, Christian Death were signed to Frontier Records, and released their debut album Only Theatre of Pain in March.[1] Only Theatre of Pain was released in Europe by the French label L'Invitation au Suicide, which was followed by the record's release in Japan.
After having booked a European tour, Christian Death broke up amid band in-fighting and drug abuse. Williams assembled a new version of the band in 1983 by merging with their scheduled opening act, another L.A. rock band, Pompeii 99. This lineup included guitarist Valor Kand, vocalist-keyboardist Gitane Demone and drummer David Glass. The band went on to record their next two albums, Catastrophe Ballet and Ashes, under this lineup.[1]
Valor Kand era (1985–present)[edit][]
In mid-1985, Rozz Williams left Christian Death, in part due to his increasing interest in experimental music and performance art. Valor Kand took over leadership, serving as lead vocalist and songwriter. The band recorded an EP for the Italian label Supporti Fonografici called The Wind Kissed Pictures, which was credited to The Sin and Sacrifice of Christian Death. The EP was subsequently issued in the English-speaking world credited to Christian Death.[1]
Their first post-Williams effort 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 under the revamped lineup of Demone, Glass, guitarist James Beam and bassist Kota. Longtime drummer David Glass left the group following the release ofThe Scriptures and returned to California, where he eventually worked with several of Rozz Williams' side projects.[1]
Following the departure of Glass, the band had their biggest successes on the UK Independent Chart with the singles "Sick of Love", "Church of No Return" and "Zero Sex" and the album Sex and Drugs and Jesus Christ. Following the "Zero Sex" single, Demone opted to leave the band and Valor recorded the two-part All the Love, All the Hate concept album in collaboration with Nick the Bastard, which spawned the double A-side single "We Fall Like Love"/"I Hate You".
During the late '80s, Rozz 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 Rikk Agnew for a 1989 tour of Canada. The band was signed to Cleopatra Records, and released The Iron Mask, Skeleton Kiss EP, The Path of Sorrows and The Rage of Angels under the Christian Death name. A 1993 show featuring Only Theatre of Pain-era members Williams, Agnew and Belanger, along with bassist Casey Chaos, performing live from Los Angeles' Patriot Hall was recorded and later released in 2001 as a DVD by Cleopatra Records.[3]
Williams' reclamation of the Christian Death name sparked a fierce court battle with Valor Kand, who eventually won trademark rights and forced Williams to bill his version of the band as "Christian Death Featuring Rozz Williams". After this, Williams' version would not release another full album of original material and went on to pursue other projects.[1]Valor's Christian Death began recording again, offering the double live set Amen in 1995, and 1996's Nostradamus-themed Prophecies. Williams committed suicide on April 1, 1998.
In 2000, they added drummer Will Sarginson and toured Europe with Britain's Cradle of Filth in support of the Born Again Anti-Christian album. Valor's silence was broken again in 2007 with the American Inquisitionalbum.[1] on their official Facebook page <https://www.facebook.com/christiandeath>, they said that in 2014, they will release a video titled "you can't give it back"
Discography[edit][]
Main article: Christian Death discography;With Rozz Williams
- Studio albums
- Only Theatre of Pain (1982)
- Catastrophe Ballet (1984)
- Ashes (1985)
- With Valor Kand
- Studio albums
- Atrocities (1986)
- The Scriptures (1986)
- 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)
- Christian Death featuring Rozz Williams
- The Iron Mask (1992)
- The Path of Sorrows (1993)
- The Rage of Angels (1994)