The Unholy Trinity Live Report ROTTING CHRIST; SATYRICON; BEHEMOTH @ Alcatraz (Milan, 09.04.2025)

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🕯️ The Unholy Trinity 2025 – Live Report @ Alcatraz (Milan, 09.04.2025)

Three bands. One ritual. A thousand voices. Hell is here.

In an Italy (a country that's bigoted, prejudiced, and sometimes ignorant) that doesn’t seem to know where faith ends and censorship begins, The Unholy Trinity 2025 not only took place but triumphed. Despite petitions, blessings with water and salt, and exorcist shows from former striptease artists, Milan’s Alcatraz transformed for one night into the temple of evil.
On stage? Three titans of the extreme scene: Rotting Christ, Satyricon, and Behemoth. A trilogy that drew fans from all over Europe for what turned out to be one of the most intense shows of the year. MC² Live was in charge of the organization. We tell the massacre.

A live show with sound quality like I’ve never seen before. Crisp, clean... and we're talking about a metal concert with powerfully distorted guitars and ultra-fast drumming, so much so that I didn’t even need to use my earplugs... and I came home without any ringing in my ears.

🔥 ROTTING CHRIST
My favorite band in the genre, with their characteristic mix of black metal and gothic, epic, atmospheric music, haunting melodies, and a strong focus on atmosphere and imagery. I admit I’ve listened to their albums hundreds of times when I lived in Greece last year.

They’re the first to open the ritual and, despite a car accident that happened in Germany two days prior, the founding fathers of Greek black metal took the stage stronger than ever.
Sakis Tolis leads with a gritty voice and mystical charisma (though he seemed noticeably tired… could it be age or the German accident?), supported by the rhythmic power of his brother Themis on drums (who didn’t miss a beat) and the solid backing of Kostis Foukarakis and Kostas Heliotis on guitar and bass. The two session musicians, who've been with RC for a few years now, brought a different kind of energy—leaning more toward classic metal bravado. They were clearly skilled and added a solid, contrasting presence, even if their style didn’t fully align with the unique dynamic of the Tolis brothers, who remain impressively in sync and truly embody the spirit of the band.
The setlist is a journey through both classics and more recent work, all with a satanic twist, including pure esotericism (“Kata Ton Daimona Eaytoy,” “P’unchaw kachun – Tuta kachun”) and an emotional peak with the anthem “Non Serviam,” always greeted as a blasphemous prayer to shout to the heavens.
One downside: the absence of some of the band’s most successful tracks, opting for more Satan-themed songs. A minor flaw, given the limited 45 minutes they had.
🔸 Highlight: “Societas Satanas,” a cover of Thou Art Lord, a cult Greek band that has never performed live. Sakis is passionate, and you can feel it. But it’s not my favorite song.

❄️ SATYRICON
The Norwegians take the stage in a glacial atmosphere, with runes, ravens, and cold lighting. Satyr has long abandoned corpse paint and studs, appearing in jeans and a hoodie (he might as well have had a glass of wine, since he also makes his own Barolo), but his stage presence remains magnetic. Although initially a bit distant, this is more than compensated for by the guitarists and bassists with their long-haired headbanging.
The setlist spans from the groove of Now, Diabolical to the dark mysticism of To Your Brethren in the Dark. The crowd erupts on Black Crow on a Tombstone and, of course, with Mother North, which remains one of the most evocative songs in the entire European black scene.
Frost, as always, is a war machine: precise, powerful, glacial. Satyr loosens up as the minutes pass, interacting with the audience and strengthening the bond with a crowd that adores him.

🔸 Highlight: The Pentagram Burns and K.I.N.G., closing the show with style and impact.

😈 BEHEMOTH

And finally, the darkness. The anticipation for Behemoth is palpable, and although personally, they’re the band I like the least musically... by the end of the concert, I’ll have to [unfortunately] reconsider and count their show as one of the best I’ve ever seen. When the lights go out, the show begins with The Shadow Elite, the first taste from their new album The Shit Ov God, due out in May. Some people don’t like it for its simplistic and banal rhetoric about God and Satan, but damn, they got us all shouting "I am the shit of God, eat my flesh, drink my blood!"... Let’s be honest: making black metal popular and commercial isn’t an easy task. With their powerful sound, Behemoth manage to mix the depth of the genre with a more accessible side, without losing their identity.

The black mass begins: platforms, smoke, serpent-shaped staffs, and esoteric symbols create a stage set that recalls a ritual Sabbath. Nergal dominates the stage with his preacher-of-the-abyss persona, shifting from an experienced frontman to a performance that's almost theatrical, featuring upside-down crosses and a "Satanic pope" tiara.
The setlist is a collection of the band’s best songs: Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer, Conquer All, Christgrinding Avenue, Christians to the Lions, right up to the rare Cursed Angel of Doom, the first song ever written by the band. A musical massacre without pause.
The Poles, long known for being one of the most spectacular live bands in the extreme scene, surpass themselves in sound, interaction, and emotional impact. The encore with O Father O Satan O Sun! is the final seal on a night that feels like heresy and freedom.
🔸 Highlight: Chant For Eschaton 2000, with Orion coming down from the stage to play among the ecstatic crowd.

What was seen at Alcatraz was much more than just a concert. It was a manifesto of artistic freedom, cultural resistance, and musical identity. The three bands – different yet complementary – gave their body and soul in a night that reached the heights of the live extreme metal experience.
And to those still scandalized: keep signing your petitions. Metal will continue to play, scream, and ignite minds.
See you at the next circle.
Stay Black. Stay Free.

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