Christian Death is possibly one of the most difficult bands about which to write. This is because they were (and are) so influential, both musically and aesthetically, that any description of the band or their history tempts controversy. Much of this arises from the interest and conflict that came from a very public, and bitter, split which led to the existence of two seminal bands with the same name. While (as is so often the case) neither 'version' of the band viewed themselves as a 'gothic' group, and were often considered to be Death Rock, their fan base quickly grew to be dominated by those who recognised themselves as Goths. These fans seized on the imagery and music with all the same drama and extravagance that the bands themselves exhibited, the rabidity of which, after the band's split, translated itself into strident declarations of allegiance towards one version or the other. Yet, what cannot be denied is any discussion of Gothic music cannot be complete without reference to Christian Death. This piece hopes to cover enough history, and discography to demonstrate the distinctions and importance of both versions of Christian Death.

Christian Death came into existence in Southern California in 1979. Originally named for a corruption of the moniker of designer Christian Dior, Christian Death rose from a Glam and American Punk background which, lacking the political class clash distinctions of British Punk, brought forth something which allowed for more drama, less reality, and subtlety, but what was in the end darker and more self-destructive than any other contemporary gothic band around at the time. It was founded by Rozz Williams, born Roger Alan Painter, 1964, d. April 1 1998 (vocals), who along with Jay (guitar), James McGearty (bass), George Belanger (Drums) formed the initial unit who were to quickly become popular, playing with groups like mock horror band 45 Grave.

Yet it was their 1981 that the band took on what is commonly seen to be its first solid form when Jay was replaced by Rik Agnew, and the band was then signed to Frontier Records allowing them to release their 1982 debut 'Only Theatre of Pain'. Dealing with themes of horror and religion, it has often been described as having slightly overwrought, and (unsurprisingly) teenage, lyrics. However, the use of back masking on 'Mysterium Iniquitatis', along with inspired rock noise, and an engaging hammer horror ambience made it a fine first outing. It also involved the vocal contributions of Eva Oritz (Eva O) who was later to play a more crucial role in the Christian Death legend. It was a critical success but led to vigorous protests from the Christian organizations for its satanic references, and Rozz's open mockery of Christian ritual in live performance. However, by the end of 1982 the band had split, influenced by feuding and drug problems in its membership.

However in 1983, to tour the European release of 'Only Theatre of Pain' Rozz joined with a band called Pompeii 99 headed by Australian Valor Kand (guitar), with Gitane Demone (keyboards, backing vocals), David Glass (drums) and Constance Smith (bass). Originally Pompeii 99 was going to tour as the opening act, but with Rozz now at the helm they changed their moniker to that of Christian Death. In 1984 they recorded two albums. The first, Catastrophe Ballet, was recorded in Monmouth, Wales, and heavily influenced by Rozz's love of Surrealism and the Dadaist movement, and dedicated to the artist Andre Breton. The second, Ashes, recorded back in America and was toured extensively until April 1985. This album combined Rozz's interest in surrealism with common topics of romanticism and horror, while introducing a certain Bowie-esque meets cabaret element. It is also commonly held to be the best of the Valor/Rozz team, due to Rozz learning to use (and sometimes bury) his inconsistent voice, and Valor finally hitting his straps with his guitar work. It included songs that were to become Goth classics, such as the brilliant 'Luxury of Tears'. For an album that promised so much it was, unfortunately, to prove to be the last produced by this line up.

It was at this time, coinciding with the beginning of their Italian tour, that Rozz, uncomfortable with the less experimental rock style being given under Valor's influence, left the band. Rozz allegedly received promises from Gitane Demone and Valor Kand that the name 'Christian Death', a product of his vision, would be dropped in favour of 'Sin and Sacrifice'. However Valor ended up keeping the name (with the support of Gitane Demone), though changing its meaning to the idea of 'to die a Christian Death'. This act, whether a breach of faith or not, was the source of much of the animosity felt towards Valor Kand by fans of Rozz Williams, and would lead to litigation in a few years. It would eventually be ruled that Valor, as the most consistent (and productive) long standing band member, founder and driving force behind the 'Christian Death Socity' retained the right to use the name as a trademark, whereas all non-Valor Christian Death albums there after produced would be presented as Christian Death 'featuring Rozz Williams'.

After 'disbanding' Christian Death Rozz began to form numerous side projects that transcended the primarily religious focus of his original Christian Death work, or the surrealism of 'Catastrophe Ballet', instead combining them all in experimental projects that reflected his interests at the time. For example Premature Ejaculation, formed with Chuck Collison in 1985, involved performances in which meat and offal were often flung at the audience, or that were formed of a combination of multi-media. After his marriage to Eva O in 1987 together they formed the most famous side projects involving Rozz, Shadow Project. The name was taken from human impressions left on surfaces in Hiroshima after it was destroyed by nuclear attack. The line up varied but at its inception included many notables, including Jill Emery, who had earlier played with Rozz's second band The Asexuals, and would later go on to play in Hole. It was Shadow Project that would allow Rozz to indulge in his increasing fascination with many diverse, and macabre, topics including serial killers. The work produced in Shadow Project was also considered to be some of his most mature as well. Both albums, one self titled, the other dubbed 'Dreams for the Dying' were exceptionally well received and produced stand out tracks such as 'Static Jesus', 'Glory Days', 'Knight Stalker' (about serial killer and rapist Richard Ramirez), 'Under Your Wing', 'Holy Holy', and many more. During the late 80's and the 90's Rozz Williams was a prolific (if not always consistent) producer of music, and a driving force behind some seven side projects.

Yet the proliferate nature of Rozz's other work did not stop him from taking up the mantle of Christian Death again from 1988 to 1990 in order to counteract rumours of either his death, or his incarceration in an asylum. He was joined by Eva O, Rikk Agnew, Casey (bass) and Cujo (drums) and they recorded their first self titled album. After some further side projects Rozz again reformed the band in 1992 and with the help of Eva (guitar), Paris (keyboards), William Faith (bass), Scat Elis (bass), Stevyn Grey (drums), Kris Kohls (drums), Brian Virtue (samples), Wayne James (guitars), Armon Christoff (piano and acoustic guitars) and Aaron Schwartz (harp), produced two new Christian Death studio albums entitled The Path of Sorrows and The Rage of Angels. The former was commonly cited as being Rozz's favourite album, while the latter featured aspects of Rozz's new interests with its title track being written for infamous serial killer Geoffrey Dahmer. These two albums proved to be extremely popular with fans of Rozz's Christian Death.

Meanwhile, after the 1985 split Valor Kand left to lead the Italian tour. They attempted to tour as Sin and Sacrifice but the fans often believed that they were Christian Death and that Valor was Rozz. The tour was not very successful, as the promoter defrauded the band. Finding themselves destitute in Milan, the band signed a contract with Italian label Supporti Fonografici and produced the EP ' The Wind Kissed Pictures', released under the band name of The Sin and Sacrifice of Christian Death. The money they received allowed them to get back to what was to be their new home, England.

The band, now composed of Valor, Gitane, David Glass, Barry Galvin and Johann Schumann, was able in 1986 to produce their first post split album, 'Atrocities', also recorded at Rockfield Studios in Monmouth, Wales as had been the 'Catastrophe Ballet' release. This album focused on the effect in Europe of World War II, encompassing the themes of eugenics, terror, sexual capitulation, and the resultant surrealism. In some ways it was the closest album that Christian Death, under Valor's leadership, produced to the old style from the pre split days. 'Atrocities' is a fine testament of mid80s guitar-driven gothic music, and possibly the best release of post-Rozz Christian Death. At that point, Valor Kand seemed to have a clear vision, handling production and arrangements, and successfully aided by the strong vocal and instrumental abilities of Gitane Demone. It was a fine testament of the band's vision of dark music, demonstrating Valor Kand's often ignored musical and vocal skills.

From a certain point around the late 80s Valor Kand used Christian Death to promote his own over ambitious, and rather odd "crusade" against politicians and the Catholic Church, through both his lyrics, and his even more aggressive interviews. 1987 saw the release of two albums. The first, 'Jesus Christ Proudly Presents', was a collection of six 7" singles each containing songs recorded live during various performances from 1986 and early 1987. The second was 'The Scriptures'. Musicians involved included Valor, Gitane, David Glass, James Beam (guitar) and Kota (bass). The album is promoted rather boldly as a concept album. Unfortunately it did not live up to the previous efforts of either of the Christian Death incarnations. The first side contained rather simplistic guitar rock, while the second was comprised of two experimental tunes, and a gamete of synth preludes and interludes that left the impression of an unfinished work. However, the album is not without its merits, namely 'Sick of Love' (originally 'Song of Songs' after its Biblical origin) which has Valor's voice cleverly buried in the excellent melody while Gitane Demone's voice soared over it all creating a brilliantly textured gothic anthem.

The effect of Valor's new direction had its impact. Gitane Demone left in 1989 citing differences with Valor's musical direction, while the bands membership, always unstable at the best of times, began to splinter due to Valor's concern at the amount of alcohol abuse. While they managed to tour in various forms, the Christian Death line-up was to be unstable for some years. However Valor managed to be moderately prolific. In 1989 he released 'All the Love, All the Hate'. A double album focused on human forms of fascism and racism the cover showed a swastika in a black heart ringed by Jewish stars, using shock value symbols, inflammatory lyrics and sound bites of Hitler and the KKK in a supposed commentary about the evil that men do. Unfortunately, the use of Nazi salute sound bites and lists of afflicted people did not serve adequately as comment. All in all, it also proved to be a generally average Metal Album.

After 1989 the band's comparative instability was evidenced in Valor's focus on releasing mainly singles, or unreleased material. There was a new single, 'Sex/The Nascent Virion', 'Insanus, Ultio, Proditio, Misericordiaque', a compilation of previously unreleased songs, , 'Jesus Points the Bone at You?', an unrealeased singles collection., and a re-release of 'The Wind Kissed Pictures'. Thankfully for many fans much of this material looked back to the old gothic interests, as well as forward to his more metal focus. Then in 1992 Christian Death released 'Sex & Drugs & Jesus Christ' which took up again the metal direction in which Valor was moving. It produced only one really stand out track 'This is Heresy'. It also featured Gitane Demone. It is often this album that is cited as causing her to give up the Christian Death vehicle as a lost cause.

It was not finally until 1994 that the band formed a solid line up again of Valor, Maitri (bass and vocals), Aaron Wayward (guitar) and Steven Wright (drums). After much work, and Valor's move to New England, America, they released 'Sexy Death God'. One of Christian Death's best mid nineties efforts, key to the album was that Valor toned down the over ambitious concepts and concentrated on song writing. The results were generally of a higher standard than recent work without Rozz Williams. Highlights included 'Invitation au Suicide', 'Temples of Desire', ,The Serpent's Tail', and 'Kingdom of the Tainted Kiss'. The quality of these songs was shown in a excellent 1995 double live album 'Amen'. The work pace increasing, Valor then released 'Prophecies' in 1996, an album that received truly mixed reviews. The album was an uncertain mix of self-conscious surrealism, and self-righteous anti-fascist, anti-nazi posturing. However, while many saw it as musically cluttered, and difficult to listen to, it was still the source of some good songs ('Without', and 'Thunderstorm'), and other newer listeners, arising from an accompanying surge in gothic music, found it diverse and interesting.

It was at this point that the whole Christian Death story took a sudden change. Though Valor's Christian Death had been the most prolific, everything produced had been received in the context of the existence of another pretender to the throne. However tragedy struck the gothic world when on April 1, 1998, Rozz Williams hanged himself in his Los Angeles home. Valor's response to this was to dedicate his release of 'Pornographic Messiah' that same year to the memory of Rozz. It was an exceptional turn away from his normal style, incorporating a wide range of technology that made it truly experimental and even included samples from previous albums by both versions of the group. All the songs were interesting, and included songs that gained a number of fans ('She Never Woke Up', 'The Obscene Kiss', 'Weave My Spell', and 'Die With You') along with an exciting, if controversial, cover of 'Sex Dwarf' by Marc Almond (of Soft Cell Fame). Perhaps stunned by the sudden absence of Rozz even ardent detractors of Valor were forced to accept that 'Pornographic Messiah' was good album. Unfortunately for fans of gothic music Valor has also, it appears, felt free to now move on in producing metal albums and finding himself a new audience. His latest offering, 'Born Again Anti-Christian' released in produced with members of Black Metal Boy Band 'Cradle of Filth', and even featuring Danni Filth on some songs steps a long way from being Goth friendly. However some people still found it refreshing compared to some other metal and the overt experimental nature of 'Pornographic Messiah'.

Whatever the case with the new musical direction of Christian Death one point remains constant. Both incarnations were, without a doubt, hugely influential on gothic sub-culture and Music. As much as the differences between Rozz' and Valor's approach are often highlighted both shared the distinction of having significantly enriched the lives of their fans. They also both demonstrated the different paths that much of gothic music was going to take in the 80's and 90's, and large amounts of current Goth rock derives its form, and feel directly from these two versions of Christian Death.

Christian Death Sites
http://www.rozzwilliams.com/
http://www.rozznet.com/
http://www.christiandeath.com/news/index.shtml