Refromed from the Upsetters, Christian Death was Rozz' first project that got attention around. Christian Death, the name, at the beginning is just a joke. Once Rozz got a friend wore the shirt from Christian Dior, and then they just joking about phases initial as C.D., Christian Death was one of the phase, and then they took it as their band name.
Born and raised in a Southern Baptist family, Rozz was kind of under the fear of God when he was young. And formed a group named Christian Death, somehow showed his rebellious as he was just 16. For so called 'satanic' lyrics' and performed in make up and wearing wedding dress or bearing a large cross on his back, Christian Death became a subject on Religious TV show 'satanic' influenced in arts' or etc., their first record Only Theatre Of Pain, was shown to be broken during the show. That made them banned from certain venues, and people protested against them outside the venue when they perform, but these also spread their name. And of course, Christian Death was a good band and got real talent.
Rozz Williams During Only Theatre of Pain
The first line up were Rozz Williams (vocal, lyrics), Rikk Agnew (Guitar), James McGearty (bass guitar) and George Balanger (Drums). For this line up, only one album Only Theatre of Pain (1982) and one EP Deathwish (1981) were released. However, those lead bassline, dark screaming guitar sound and the gloomy mood were enough to become a role model of all other goth followers. Cavity (1st Communion), Romeo's Distress, Spiritual Camp, etc were all became classic of deathrock. Or, Only Theatre of Pain itself is a classic anyway.
And what attracted me in this album was not about any 'satanic' things, it was the pain that Rozz expressed through his words and the whole gloomy mood within the album. If we take decoded this album OTOP is more about the solitude and the pain of life rather than religious things... (my secret fear of being alone/I sat and made love to myself/I sat and held hand to myself/I've got blood on my hand/I've got blood from my head) - Cavity (1st Communion).
As Rozz told, one of the main reason why the first line up of CD broke was drugs problems. And why there's the second line up was because a french label L'Invitation Au Suicide was going to re-release OTOP and needed CD to play in europe and back up the release. So Rozz joined the group Pompeii 99 which lead by Valor. In the beginning, Rozz wanted to use another name like Daucus Karota instead of Christian Death, but Valor liked it, so the Mk2 of CD was formed. Rozz Williams still the singer and lyrics writer, Valor played the guitar, Gitane DeMone on keyboard and backing vocal, and David Glass on drums.
Christian Death 1984
After the tour, the Mk2 CD back to the studio to record their new records, Catastrophe Ballet (1984). As the group was reformed, things changed a lot, even the way Rozz' singing. The raw and intense in the OTOP were washed away, melodic bassline and screaming guitar became religious keyboards and calmly guitar. But this time, CB seemed work under certain concept, like there's Awake at the Wall as an intro, Androgynous Noise Hand Permeates as an interlude and the Feeling Somnambulist as an outro. Plus some classic CD songs like Sleepwalk, As Evening Falls and This Glass House plus my favourite the Drowning, personally, CB is my favourite CD album and was the first CD record I've got.
As the songs played, I guessed this live recording, the Decomposition of Violets: Live in Hollywood was recorded during the tour which supported Catastrophe Ballet. The songs chosen were wonderful, almost the entire CB songs, Cavity and Romeo's Distress. And the new song, Face, plus a alternative version of Mysterium Iniquitatis called Theatre of Pain from Only Theatre of Pain. In the very beginning, it was released in cassette and until re released as CD in 1998, the sound quality is still bootleg level. It will be perfect, if the sound quality is good.
Ashes was the last album Rozz recorded with Valor, after this, Rozz left and concentrated on his Premature Ejaculation, maybe he thought it was the time to stop in a limited traditional rock band to create his arts. Ashes first released as a 2LP set, 4 faces included songs, from its arrangement, you can see their ambition. And it's quite different from CB, they still wanted to play within a concept and this was a progression.
Musically, they want to bring their sound out of the range from gothic and deathrock. Still you can't hear any typical Goth bassline, but the mood of low and dark were just coming through the songs. Keyboard and harmony between Rozz and Gitane played the main role in the music contents. Instruments like violin, accordion and trumpet were used to provide new texture of sound.
Lament (Over the Shadows) is a waltz like song lead by Gitane, Of the Wound is an exprience of fearful noise and spoken word. These are the things you won't hear from in normal Goth records. In between, When I was Bed and The Luxury of Tears are wonderful pieces, decadence and beautiful.
More in Ashes, it got totally 4 different covers seen it released until now! The long one shown above was the first release in L'Invitation Au Suicide. The white one is the one I've got, I fancy this version for so long, I still remember just when I found it in Tsim Sa Tsu HMV (well, I never seen any Rozz and Rozz' Christian Death records in the GREAT UK HMV) I spent all the money in my body for this version of Ashes. I like this one, mainly because it took the drawing of "The Souls of Paolo & Francesca" and "Beatrice Appears Among the Angels" in the package, they were drawn by Gustave Dore' from Dante's Divine Comedy. Also, the booklet contains odd bits of conversations and pictures of people in various forms of dementia. Which all Rozz' ideas.
The black background and white hands were designed by Valor. Another comics like cover is same as the long one, just the head of the character changed from a red head to one like Rozz face on it. It released after Rozz' gone and digital remaster, however, I don't like it.
Before Rozz separated with Valor, Valor agreed that, after finishing the current tour, they can't use the name Christian Death to perform and record, also they can't perform the CD material which they weren't involved with. Valor had agreed to change the name of the band to Sin and Sacrifice. But what turned out was, Valor kept using Christian Death and even performed CD songs from Only Theatre Of Pain which nothing written by him! Finally, he's like completely stolen the name Christian Death and he kept releasing records until now, and, the most contemptible things were, Valor told people he's the real and original Christian Death.
Valor can never get to a position like Rozz, his music is lack of depth, his lyrics are incomparable with Rozz'. As Valor is just a brainless and wordless anti Christ yawning shit when Rozz put anti thing away but concentrated in more about human being. Well, but he must be the trickiest theft in the music history.
Until 1992, Rozz released a re made CD songs album called The Iron Musk (1992), which titled from Dumas' novel about a king who keeps his brother, the rightful ruler, imprisoned. This implies he's the truth CD leader. But unfortunately, it's released before Rozz felt happy with the mix.
The last Rozz released new materials under the name Christian Death were the Path of Sorrows (1993) and the Rage of Angels (1994), the line up was emerged from his another project, Shadow Project. During the years, there's few live recordings of Rozz' Christian Death, they are an Official Anthology of Live Bootlegs (1986), Invocations (1993), Iconologia (1993) which was an one off concert with the MK1 Christian Death, only the bass player was Casey in stead of James McGearty and the Sleepless Nights live (1993) under the line up with Rikk Agnew, Eva O, Casey and Cujo.
Rozz and Eva O during Shadow Project.
How's Rozz and Christian Death influenced nowadays darkwave scene is easily seen, like the chorus of man and woman (on Lacrimosa, etc), atmosphere, melodic bass guitar, the apocalyptic lyrics and the way of performance (on Sopor Aeternus), etc. And not like Bauhaus, the sound of Christian Death is lower, more romantic and deposited with a slower shocking.
by blux
3-5-2002
A very good page of Christian Death discography
