News: Rotting Christ to reissue 'Sleep of the Angels' on vinyl via Season of Mist
- 9 minutes ago
- 3 min read
1st April 2026
Season of Mist will reissue Sleep of the Angels, the fifth full-length album by Greek extreme metal duo Rotting Christ. Originally released in January 1999 on Century Media, the album is presented on vinyl, across ten tracks and a full runtime of 41 minutes.
Sleep of the Angels represents the furthest point from Rotting Christ's black metal origins—a record defined by melodic weight, brooding atmosphere, and a gloomy romanticism that remains striking in its internal coherence. At its centre is the interplay between Sakis Tolis's heavily chorded guitar work and a constant, gauzy keyboard presence that lends the whole record an almost ecclesiastical quality. Vocals shift between a characteristic snarl and a lower, whispered clean register, sustaining an intimate tension across the album's runtime. The result is the most gothic metal-focused statement in the band's ever-evolving discography: measured and darkly melodic throughout.
The Sleep of the Angels reissue will be out June 19th via Season of Mist.
The reissue is available on black 12" vinyl in gatefold and on gold 12" vinyl with black splatters in gatefold.
Tracklist:
1. Cold Colours (03:36)
2. After Dark I Feel (04:32)
3. Victoriatus (04:02)
4. Der Perfekte Traum (04:28)
5. You My Flesh (04:36)
6. The World Made End (03:00)
7. Sleep the Sleep of Angels (04:35)
8. Delusions (03:37)
9. Imaginary Zone (03:45)
10. Thine Is the Kingdom (04:59)
Full runtime: 41:12
Origin: Greece (GR)
Style: Gothic Metal, Black Metal
Guest contributors include Waldemar Sorychta on lead guitar on "Victoriatus" and "You My Flesh," and vocalist Eddy Kante on the partially German language "Der Perfekte Traum."
Formed in Athens in 1987, Rotting Christ are one of extreme metal's most enduring and restlessly shape-shifting acts. By the time Sleep of the Angels was recorded in September 1998, the Tolis brothers had spent three consecutive albums methodically expanding their palette away from the rawness of their early catalogue, toward atmosphere, melody, and a dark romanticism that reached its fullest expression here. The album closed a creative trilogy begun with Triarchy of the Lost Lovers (1996) and continued through A Dead Poem (1997), before the band pivoted again toward heavier, more industrial-inflected territory on Khronos (2000).
In the dimly lit catacombs of extreme metal, one name stands as a monolith: ROTTING CHRIST. Sakis Tholis and his brother Themis started this band together back in 1987. In the three decades since, these Greek titans have left their blackened imprint all over the metal world. They’ve released 13 studio albums and played more than 1,300 concerts around the globe. Underneath all this hard work, Rotting Christ have but one vision – an urge to not only push the boundaries of extreme metal, but to keep reinventing themselves along the way.
Rotting Christ’s evolution has unfolded across several distinct chapters. After starting out closer to the barely controlled chaos of grindcore, they went on to establish the iconic sound of Hellenic black metal. Their albums often embrace refined gothic soundscapes, only to plunge back into the depths of blasphemous fervour. Each chapter marked another, further exploration, and an unwavering commitment to push boundaries.
But the real turning point came in 2007, when Rotting Christ signed a pact with Season of Mist. They unleashed a series of albums for the French label that defied any and all expectations. From the piercing Theogonia and the symphonic grandeur of Aelo to the ritualistic intensity of Κατά Τον Δαίμονα Εαυτού, the cinematic experiences created by Rotting Christ became a spectacle of bombastic atmospheres, mesmerizing choirs, and neo-classical arrangements. The unexpected is their modus operandi, with the use of various languages (Latin, Arabic, Greek, English) as well as the extensive use of famous poetry woven into their music, like Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Raven’ on The Heretics.
In 2019, Rotting Christ’s epic journey continued with The Apocryphal Spell compilation, which offered fans an intimate glimpse into unreleased and rare material. This allowed them to gather strength, preparing for the release of their next, highly anticipated, 14th full-length studio album:
Pro Xristou.
Pro Xristou (‘Before Christ’ in Greek), serves as a fervent tribute to the last Pagan kings who resisted the onslaught of Christianity, guarding their ancient values and knowledge. In this thematic odyssey, intricately woven through tracks such as ‘The Apostate’ and ‘Ygdrassil’, Rotting Christ delves into the legacies of historical figures such as Flavius Claudius Julianus and Nordic mythological kings, embodying the might of Pagan wisdom in the face of Christian adversity. The album encapsulates the essence of Rotting Christ’s signature style—melodic, yet harsh at times—reinventing themselves yet again, while remaining rooted in their 35-year legacy.
Follow Rotting Christ:
Website: https://www.rotting-christ.com/