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Christian Death, es la banda Pionera dentro del Deathrock, fundada en Los angeles california en 1979.Fue lidereada y fundada por Rozz Williams, junto a Rikk. El mas notable de los discos de la banda es Only theatre of Pain cual fuera el mayor evento dentro del nacimiento del Deathrock dentro de Estados Unidos y mas alla.

Despues de muchos cambios en la Alineazion dentro de la banda, dio como resultado a mediados de los 90's en dos bandas con el mismo nombre, el nombre fue tomado por Valor Kand, quien fuera guitarrista en la banda de Rozz Willias. Esta segunda version de la banda, no incluiaa ningun miembro original de la banda, a pesar que esto ocurria aproximadanme desde 1985 hasta la fecha.

Despues de haber estado interesado en el PUNK y tocar en algunas pocas bandas locales de Los Angeles, Rozz Williams funda Christian Death en octubre de 1979 a los 16 años, junto con el bajista James Mcgearty,Baterista George Belanger y un guitarrista llamado Jay. quien provenia de una banda previa de Rozz llamada Daucus Karota. la banda fue nombrada originalmente de una forma satyrica y juego de palabras derivados de la diseñadora Christian Dior. La primer presentacion de la banda en vivo fue en el Catration Squad en 1980, cuando el Bar invito a Christian death a tocar un par de canciones- Atravez de 1980 y el año siguiente la banda tocaria en muchos shows junto a 45Grave y otros grupos de Deathrock de L.A., aunque ellos tmb tocaban con bandas de Punk como Social Distortion y The adolescents alrededor de esras fechas.

Mientras Rozz y Christian Death fueron en efecto tocando lo que eventualmente se iba conociendo como Rock Gothico pionero, como era llamado en los EE.UU, al mismo tiempo la banda no tenia conocimiento de la escena gotica britanica al otro lado del atlantico y aun no escuchaban de Bauhaus u otra banda de este moviemiento. las influencias de Christian death era basicamente bandas de punk como "The Germs"y "Sex Pistols" asi como bandas de Glam Rock y Proto-punk de principios de los años 70's tales como David Bowie, T-rex, The Stooges, The New York Dolls, Alice Cooper y Kiss. e incluso un poco del Post-punk britanico como "The Fall and Wire", y de Rock Psicodelico de los 60's como The Doors.

Apesar de empezar a emergir en la misma aerea donde surgio el movimento "West Coast hardcore" a principios de los 80's el grupo no estaba feliz con la escena local, especialmente con la audiencia que gustaba de "black flag" y de "Circle Jerks" clamando que mucha de aquella escena odiaba al punkrock unos años antes y se trataba solo de patear punks. pero empezaban a cortar su cabello corto y a patear hippies en tanto el afterpunk se conviertio en mas popular en los estados unidos, Christian death despreciaba a estos seguidores de este movimiento como "Hillbilly punks" en una entrevista.

Durante febrero de 1981, La banda fue un hiato y Rozz se concentro en un proyecto paralelo junto a Ron Athey llamado "Premature Eyaculation", pero Christian death volvio para ese verano con un nuevo guitarrista: Rikk Agnew, remplazando Jay. en una compilacion que incluia a muchas bandas locales de punk y deathtock llamada "hell comes to your house" fue lanzado en 1981, donde se incluyo un tema de Christian Death "dogs" esta cancion benia de grabaciones en estudio financiadas por mcGearty, las canciones de esa sesion serian lanzadas en francia en el Deathwish EP tres años despues.



English Version

Christian Death is a name that originally applied to the pioneering Los Angeles deathrock group formed in 1979. The band was fronted and founded by Rozz Williams, featuring guitarist Rikk Agnew. Christian Death are most notable for their album Only Theatre of Pain which was a major event in the birth of the deathrock subculture within the United States and beyond.

After some major line up changes, resulting at one point during the mid 1990s, in two bands with the name Christian Death, the name was taken by Valor Kand, who had played as a replacement guitarist in one incarnation of Rozz Williams' band. This version does not feature a single member of the original band, though it has been around since 1985 continuing on today.


After becoming interested in punk music and playing in a few local Los Angeles bands, vocalist Rozz Williams founded Christian Death in October 1979 at the young age 16 with bassist James McGearty, drummer George Belanger and a guitarist named Jay, who brought in from a previous band Rozz had been in called Daucus Karota. The band name was originally a satirical play on words derived from the designer brand Christian Dior. The first Christian Death performance in front of a live audience was at a Castration Squad gig in 1980, when Castration Squad invited Christian Death on stage to play a couple songs. Throughout 1980 and the following year the band would play many shows with 45 Grave, another L.A. deathrock group, though they also played shows with standard punk bands like Social Distortion and The Adolescents around this time.

While Rozz and Christian Death were in effect playing what would eventually be considered pioneering gothic rock or deathrock, as it was being called in the United States at the time, the band were not actually aware of the developing British gothic rock scene on the other side of the Atlantic at the same time and had not yet heard Bauhaus or any of the other bands from this movement. Influence wise Christian Death had mostly been into punk like The Germs and Sex Pistols as well as early 1970s glam rock, rock, and proto-punk such as David Bowie, T. Rex, The Stooges, the New York Dolls, Alice Cooper, and KISS. They also had a liking for some of the British post punk bands around at the time like The Fall and Wire, as well as 1960s psychedelic rock exemplified by The Doors.

Despite being in the same area as the emerging West Coast hardcore movement, by the beginning of the 1980s, the group were not happy with the local scene, especially the crowd that liked Black Flag and the Circle Jerks, claiming that much of that audience hated punk rock a few years earlier and were all about beating up punks, but started cutting their hair short and beating up hippies instead after punk became more popular in the United States. Christian Death dismissed the followers of this movement as "hillbilly punks" in an interview.

During February 1981, the band went on a hiatus and Rozz Williams concentrated on a side project with Ron Athey called Premature Ejaculation, but Christian Death got back together that summer, with a new guitarist: Rikk Agnew (formerly of The Adolescents), replacing Jay. A compilation album featuring several local punk and deathrock acts called Hell Comes to Your House, was released in 1981. The track that Christian Death contributed, "Dogs", came from studio sessions financed by McGearty. The songs from those sessions would be released in France as the Deathwish EP three years later.