Photo by: Tasos Anestis
Official press release:
Rotting Christ are announcing the reissue of Sanctus Diavolos. Originally released through Century Media in September 2004, the Greek legends’ eighth full-length is the final pillar from their gothic period and one of the band’s most extreme and cohesive albums
Season of Mist will reissue Sanctus Diavolos on black and colored vinyl on September 11, 2026. Pre-order here.
Available formats:
- 12″ vinyl gatefold – black
- 12″ colored vinyl gatefold – transparent yellow, red & black marbles
Sanctus Diavolos was the first album Rotting Christ frontman Sakis Tolis wrote after the departures of the band’s longtime guitarist Costas Vasilakopoulos and keyboardist Georgios Tolias. Sakis absorbed both roles himself, handling guitars, keys and vocals alongside his brother Themis Tolis on drums and Andreas Lagios on bass. Across ten songs, the album moves from the aggression of opener “Visions of a Blind Order” through mid-tempo, riff-driven black and gothic metal, pausing at the string-and-choir interlude “Sanctimonious”, before closing on the sprawling, choir-drenched title track.
Thematically, Sanctus Diavolos frames its central figure as Lucifer the light-bearer, a seductive, welcoming presence. This distinction sets it apart from the band’s earlier work and from most of the genre’s stock devil-worship posturing. Symphonic and choral writing plays a larger role here than on any previous Rotting Christ album. “Visions of a Blind Order” features a guest solo from Gus G and choir arrangements by Christos Antoniou of Septicflesh, which were performed live by an eight-person choir.
Sanctus Diavolos was recorded at SCA Studios in Athens and mixed by Fredrik Nordström at Studio Fredman in Sweden.
Sanctus Diavolos track listing:
- “Thou Art Blind”
- “If It Ends Tomorrow”
- “My Sacred Path”
- “Aeternatus”
- “Art of Sin”
- “Lucifer Over London”
- “Law of the Serpent”
- “You Are I”
- “Khronos”
- “Fateless”
- “Time Stands Still”
- “Glory of Sadness”
