The progenitors of gothic rock from America, Christian Death has taken an uncompromising standpoint since its inception in the late 70s. They criticized the moral foundations of American society. Regardless of who led or performed in the collective, Christian Death shocked with their flashy covers.
The main themes of their songs have always been godlessness, militant atheism, drug addiction, base instincts and dirty depravity. Be that as it may, the significance of the group for the formation of the American rock scene was enormous. Radical fighters with well-established moral principles have formed a whole galaxy of loyal followers. Fans found inspiration in their defiance of conventional moral boundaries and gothic-metal compositions.
The group has always attracted the attention of numerous public scandals and discord within the team. Therefore, its spasmodic, unstable development was observed. It was the litigation and discord between the main players that caused the tragic death of founder Rozz Williams at the age of 34.
Creation and formation of Christian Death
Rozz Williams, real name Roger Alan Painter, founded Christian Death in California in 1979. The future star of the alternative music scene was born in California into a conservative, law-abiding and religious family. He formed his first band at the age of 16.
Initially, the young rock musician gave his offspring the name Upsetters. At first, the group was not popular. She was forced to be content with garage concerts for a narrow circle of her friends.
The idea to change the name to Christian Death came to Williams. The name, which would later bring much contention and litigation, was a definite play on words. The play on words hinted at the name of the famous designer Christian Dior, who was at the peak of popularity at this time. The recognition of the name, as well as the virtuoso playing of the new guitarist Rick Agnew, who joined the group, almost overnight lifted the band, unknown at that time, to the peak of popularity.
Breakup and replacement of Christian Death line-up
The rapid growth of popularity in his native Los Angeles and a large army of fans did not become a lucky star for Williams. And soon entailed a lot of disagreements and strife within the composition. Drug abuse and inability to compromise led the band to finally split on the eve of their first European tour.
A year later, Williams put together a new version of the band. Australian-born guitarist Valor Kand, keyboardist and vocalist Gitan Demon, and drummer David Glass joined Williams. Everyone had a goal - to create the most famous. But, as it turned out later, not the last composition of Christian Death.
It was at this time of relative calm and harmony within the team that the most famous album of the group "Catastrophe Ballet" was released. It was enthusiastically received by gothic rock fans all over the world.
Leader leaving
In 1985, the founder of the group, Rozz Williams, leaves his offspring, planning a solo career. Valor Kand took over the reins of the group. He began to appear on stage as the main vocalist. His authorship belongs to almost all the lyrics of the time.
Kand suggests changing the band's name to "Sin and Sacrifice". But fans, accustomed to the iconic name, were slow to accept this innovation. The original name had to be abandoned, but the instability and disagreements between the participants continued to hinder further creative development.
The final split and the appearance of a double
In 1989 there was a final split. As a result, Kand turned out to be a solo artist and recorded another album, All the Love All the Hate. The album consisted of two separate parts, covering the themes of "love" and "hate" respectively. It was this album that was severely criticized for its overtly nationalist sentiments.
Meanwhile, Rozz Williams decided on a desperate step. He resurrected his first brainchild Christian in the late 80s, declaring himself the only real Christian Death band. This line-up recorded the albums "Skeleton Kiss", "The Path of Sorrows" and "Iconologia".
From that moment, the ongoing litigation for the ownership of the original name of the group and the race for popularity begin. The copyright dispute between Kand and Williams, which flared up in 1998, gained particular publicity. The dispute ended in tragedy: unable to cope with heroin addiction, 34-year-old Williams hanged himself in his apartment in West Hollywood.
He is still mourned by loyal fans. And even Valor Kand abandoned his former hostility. He dedicated the album "Pornographic Messiah" to his enemy and friend.
Revival
After a 4 year silence, Christian Death returned in 2007 with a new drummer (Nate Hassan). The following year, the band performed extensively, completing four tours in Europe and one tour in America by the end of the year.
In 2009, ten Christian Death albums were successfully re-released. The band also toured extensively, celebrating the 30th anniversary of Catastrophe Ballet with a tour of Europe followed by fan meetings in the Americas.
With the successful support of fans, the new album "The Root of All Evolution". In this regard, the musicians organized another long tour of Europe, and then the United States.
Genre and secret of success
The two main and most successful albums "Catastrophe Ballet" and "Theater of Pain" Christian Death created in the deathrock genre. The virtuoso punk-heavy guitar is the merit of the outstanding guitarist Rikka Agnew of that time. At the same time, there are more keyboard lines in many compositions, which are perfectly combined with the piercing voice of the soloist Gitane Demone.
It was the band's most prolific time, when musical genius Rozz Williams and his future rival Valor Kant could work creatively together. Many fans call the later discs, recorded after the tragic death of Rozz Williams, a sad shadow of the great.
