Music

Rotting Christ change name for South African shows

by Jeremy Mersereau

Part of the appeal of forming an extreme metal band is coming up with a suitably outrageous, provocative name. Who wouldn’t want to play in a group called Impaled Nazarene, Bongzilla, or Anal Blasphemy? 

Unfortunately, donning an inflammatory moniker can cause issues with religious types, but that’s just the price you pay for naming your band something like, say, Cybernetic God Crusher.

Long-running Greek extreme metal group Rotting Christ are set to play Johannesburgh and Cape Town in South Africa this July, but pressure from Christian religious protestors is forcing the band the play under an assumed name. There’s no news yet on what name the band will be playing under, but may we suggest “Whopping Price”? Actually, that may not be the best name to increase attendance, come to think of it.

The South African production company behind Rotting Christ’s booking, Witchdoctor Productions, is no stranger to intense opposition from religious groups: last year’s Witchfest metal festival was forced to switch venues after the Christian community of a nearby town opposed the event. Behemoth concerts in Johannesburg and Cape Town scheduled for later this month have also come under (non-literal) Biblical fire.

“It started early last year with Witchfest 2015. In order to host an event you’ve got to get certain certificates from the council. Every time we made a move to do everything by the book, the councils were getting shot down by so-called Christians and religious protesters,” promoter Shaughn Pieterse said in a radio interview. “Rotting Christ was maybe a little bit too far for some people, it’s really in your face.”

He continues: “I believe we live in a democratic society and art is art. You can’t censor it. Art is designed to provoke emotions from people. Once you start getting offended by art and start censoring it, where does it end?” Let’s just all hope and pray to our lord Satan that Anal Blasphemy is never forced to compromise their integrity and change their name.

[h/t Metal Hammer]