Biography
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Years Active
1989 – 1998 (9 years)
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Founded In
Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, United States
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Members
- Paris
- Rikk Agnew
- William Faith
Rozz Williams’ reclamation of the Christian Death name sparked a fierce court battle with Valor Kand, who eventually won trademark rights and forced Williams to bill his version of the band as Christian Death featuring Rozz Williams.
In mid-1985, Rozz Williams left Christian Death, in part due to his increasing interest in experimental music and performance art. Rozz reemerged in 1989 to reclaim the reigns of Christian Death. Reuniting with former bandmates Rikk Agnew and Eva Ortiz, they embarked on a U.S. and Canadian tour that carried them into 1990. Upon returning to Los Angeles, CA, United States, the band went into the studio and lay the tracks for “The Iron Mask”, the first in a series of recordings Rozz would make and release through newly founded Cleopatra Records. The intial release included, "Skeleton Kiss", an obscure Christian Death track dating back to “Only Theatre of Pain”. Fans and radio delighted in Rozz’s return to Deathrock, resulting in Cleopatra Records releasing “Skeleton Kiss” as a single.
Several compilations and live material followed, including, “Invocations”, which compiled live tracks from 1981-1989. More interestingly, was the inclusion of four unreleased studio tracks. Two of the tracks gave fans an idea of Rozz’s vision for the follow-up to “Only Theatre of Pain”. The remaining two tracks exhibit material from 1985, planned for the follow-up to “Ashes”.
Christian Death recorded an additional two studio albums for Cleopatra, “The Path of Sorrows” (1993) and “The Rage of Angels” (1994). The releases were heralded by critics worldwide as masterpieces drawing on all of Rozz’s influences and exhibiting all of his musical directions.
Having successfully reclaimed Christian Death as his own, and restored its tainted image to new glory in the eyes of fans, friends and critics - Rozz decided the time was right to also reclaim the band’s demise. What had been robbed of Christian Death on 6 April, 1985, was now solely in the hands of Rozz Williams to carry out. On 12 June, 1993, in the massive Patriotic Hall in Los Angeles, Christian Death: Rozz Williams, Rikk Agnew, George Belanger, Casey, and Frank Agnew performed one last show to a sold-out crowd. The concert was professionally recorded, and later released as “Iconologia : Apparitions, Dreams and Nightmares”.
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