The return of the greatest ones!
The history of the Greek Black Metal veteran
Jim Mutilator was the first bassist and a founding member of the legendary Greek black metal band Rotting Christ.
In 1985, at the age of 14, he started a band called Black Church with the Tolis brothers. Two years later the trio went on to form Rotting Christ. He was also the first bassist in Varathron.
He appears on both Rotting Christ’s Thy Mighty Contract and Varathron’s His Majesty at the Swamp, two of Hellenic black metal’s most recognised and defining albums.
Fuck Christ tour 1993
He also participated in the most important black metal tour back in the day, which included Blasphemy, Immortal and Rotting Christ.
Video from the tour w/ Immortal – Rotting Christ – Blasphemy
He left Varathron in 1993, shortly after their full-length debut. He did two more albums with Rotting Christ, Non Serviam and Triarchy of the Lost Lovers before leaving in 1996. However, he contributed lyrics to Rotting Christ all the way up until the Sleep of the Angels album.
2019 : The Return of Jim Mutilator – An impressive comeback in the black metal scene with Yoth Iria
Jim has returned and is once again impressively active. Contributing heavily to 2018 book Non Serviam: The Official Story Of Rotting Christ, he also guested on Protogoni Mavri Magiki Dynasteia, the 2019 opus by Brazilian masters Mystifer. The same year would see him officially join Greek black metal veterans Medieval Demon on bass, as well as finally announcing his own outfit, Yoth Iria, a project he had been quietly working on for some years.
I think that Greece is a country with a good tradition in black metal. And it still births great bands that capture the old feeling, but also still create their own style. It’s obvious that albums like (Rotting Christ’s) Thy Mighty Contract, Non Serviam, (Necromantia’s) Scarlet Evil Witching Black, (Varathron’s) His Majesty At The Swamp, have had a worldwide effect, having influence a lot of bands, and without any doubt they are historical monuments.
My lyrics are totally occupied with occultism and magic as a way of life. By that I mean philosophical magic that helps people to improve themselves and rise to a higher spiritual level, and makes sure that we face all creations of mother nature with true respect. As a further explanation of the meaning I can say like this: if each of us work personally with our own self, we will create a better world. Of course my lyrics are against all kinds of oppression, as my personal view is man should be free without fear. And of course they are against religion.
I’m interested in occult and magic since I was a little child. I have been reading books about occultism since the mid-80s. Especially Aleister Crowley always had a big impact on my way of thinking and acting. Also the same goes for such high minds as John Dee, Leonardo Da Vinci and Aristotle. For me magic is something normal as everything around us is connected with magic. That is the reason I’ve written all my thoughts, including practical themes, in a book.
