More and more were seeing paleontologists sharing their love for the rock world through, well, rocks. Rotting Christ are the latest band to be immortalized as two researchers from Luxembourg have decided to name a newly discovered fossil species after the band's Sakis and Themis Tolis.

Dr. Ben Thuy and Dr. Lea Numberger recently discovered the brittle-star species, which now carries the name "Brezinacantha Tolis" as a nod to the sibling metal rockers.

Word of the naming got back to the band with Sakis Tolis posing with the aforementioned fossil in the featured image above. The musician states, “My deepest thanks to the paleontological community, and especially to Dr. Ben Thuy and Dr. Lea Numberger, to name a fossil under my name! This is one of the greatest honors I have received as an individual and musician and gives me power to keep on creating during these wild times. Brezinacantha Tolis can be found in the Natural History Museum in Maastricht. If you are close have a look!”

Thuy and Numberger state, "When we first saw the fossil brittle star, we immediately knew it was something exciting. It turned out to be a species new to science, and so we had the privilege to name it. With the choice of the name, we wanted to combine our joint passions for science and music, and decided to honor one of our favorite bands."

They continue, "The new fossil belongs to an animal that lived in a dark, toxic environment in the depths of an ancient ocean, dwelling on the remains of their dead predecessors. This is pure black metal! Naming this species after Sakis and Themis Tolis is our way to issue an academic recognition of their talent and hard work. Now they own a small piece of immortality, because scientific species names are for eternity."

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In other Rotting Christ news, the band has announced a collaboration with the creators of the Mortal Shell PS4 game, including their track "Χ Ξ Σ (666)" in the official trailer. Watch the trailer below.

Mortal Shell Trailer

See Rotting Christ in the Top 50 Metal Albums of 2019

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