A Dead Poem  by Rotting Christ

A Dead Poem was released in 1997 and is considered one of the most significant but also controversial albums by Rotting Christ, as it marked the definitive departure from traditional black metal towards a more gothic and melodic sound. The album was released on October 7, 1997, by Century Media Records.

The album was recorded at Woodhouse Studios in Hagen, Germany, in May 1997. All the music and lyrics were written by Sakis Tolis, while the production was done by Xy (of Samael) and Sakis Tolis. The musical genre the album serves is Dark/Gothic Metal, with minimal remnants of black metal elements mainly in the vocals. The artistic part of the cover belongs to Yiannis Zafeiris. The cover depicts an atmospheric, dark figure, matching the gothic style of the album.

A Dead Poem is considered one of their most "mainstream" and successful releases, paving the way for larger audiences. No standalone singles were released, but the song Among Two Storms became one of their most recognizable tracks. A Dead Poem divided the audience of Rotting Christ as with this fourth album they greatly distanced themselves from the black metal sound with which they had become known and beloved up to that point.