Rotting Christ are one of the most influential, long-running metal bands to hail from Greece. Their sound has shifted over the years from grindcore to black metal to dark/gothic metal, blurring styles and incorporating folk and early music influences. The band has been the subject of controversy due to their name, with conservatives criticizing the group -- even other metal bands refuse to be booked on the same bill. While the band maintains a staunchly anti-Christian stance, their lyrics are usually centered around occultism and mythology rather than Satanism. Since emerging in 1993, the group has issued a string of uncompromising albums like Sleep of the Angels (1999), Theogonia (2007), and Rituals (2016) that have been instrumental in the growth of the extreme metal genre. 2019 saw The Heretics released, followed by the limited-edition box set Athanatoi Este in 2020 and the studio album Pro Xristou in May 2024.