Greek rock
Encyclopedia
Rock and roll
, spread around the world in the 1950s and 60s, entering Greece in the middle of the 60s. Greek rock performers in the field include Jimi Quidd
(born Jimmy Hatzidimitriou, later member of The Dots and producer
for Bad Brains
), and Pavlos Sidiropoulos
, the most important representative of Greek folk-rock and rock.
), The Idols
and The Olympians. The late sixties saw the formation of Aphrodite's Child
, one of the most important and successful Greek rock bands: with their album It's Five O'Clock
(1969) they achieved worldwide fame. Another aspect of Greek rock in the late 1960s saw the release of the first albums of Dionysis Savvopoulos
, who combined Greek folk-music
with rock elements.
was still ruled by a military dictatorship. Bands included Socrates Drank The Conium
(anglophone
progressive rock
), Exadahtylos (political/satirical lyrics), Pelóma Bokioú
(Santana-like Latin rock with Greek lyrics), Poll (folk with vocal harmonies, Greek lyrics).
The fall of the dictatorship
was followed by the cultural dominance of left wing intellectuals although the government was still moderately right-wing. For them, rock was an "imported" (xenoferto - ξενόφερτο) form of music
and they instead promoted music based on local traditions like Theodorakis'
compositions.
One of the most popular rock artists in the decade was Pavlos Sidiropoulos
, who managed to merge Rock music
with Greek lyrics. Another important musician who experimented with Greek lyrics was Nikolas Asimos
, who recorded his first illegal tapes during the decade. Greek rock was revived at the end of the seventies, with the first punk
and new wave
bands, as well as some older artists. The ex-frontman of Exadahtylos, Dimitris Poulikakos
made an LP in 1976.
for Musical Brigades) with frontman Tzimis Panousis
. The lyrical content of the band for the time was considered to vary from humorous and lightly satirical to all-out criticizing towards the political life of Greece—nevertheless the band played music with rich musical content; a mixture of many influences besides rock such as reggae
and funk
.Pavlos Sidiropoulos went on through the deacade by forming the band "Aprosarmostoi" and produced some of his best albums with them.
In early 1981 a new band Fatme was formed who combined very creatively elements from Greek popular music roots and rock for the very first time.Their frontman was Nikos Portokaloglou who is still a recording singer/songwriter of great acclaim.
Even though Vasilis Papakonstantinou
started his career in the 70s, it wasn't until the beginning of the 80s that he gain huge popularity and became one of the most successful greek rock singers. Vasilis Papakonstantinou is still active and he continues to release successful albums.
With the second generation, the scene produced also some of the finest electric guitar players such as Christophoros Krokidis and Spyros Pazios who to date are still active in various projects. During the mid-1980s, a band called The Last Drive
appeared, whose outstanding performance both in Greece and internationally deeply influenced the scene. In 1985 it was the great birth of the modern Greek rock as it is known today and this thanks to a bands from Thessaloniki: Trypes
with their first album and two years later in 1987 a trio-band called Mora Sti Fotia - Μωρά στη Φωτιά (Babies on Fire), [veria]whose name was inspired by the song's title "Baby's on Fire
" by Brian Eno
. The band plays a combination of new wave, punk, soft
and hard rock
).
Other sub-genres of rock emerged during this period: Heavy metal
, Punk rock
and Indie rock
gained popularity. Greek metal bands such as Spitfire (Traditional Heavy metal) and black metal
sound pioneers Rotting Christ
and Varathron, emerged in the 80's.
, Trypes
and Stereonova. For the first time in Greek rock history, there were sold-out appearances in large venues of Greek bands. For the first time in Greek history were there rock songs hits played on the radio. Thousands of fans cheered these groups; Greece was a great place, musically, to live in during this period. Other groups followed including Diafana Krina
, Endelekheia
, The Flowers Of Romance
, Nama
, Pyx Lax, Katsimihas Brothers
, Giorgos Dimitriadis kai Oi Mikroi Iroes, Manolis Famellos kai Oi Podilates, Ypogeia Revmata,
Trypes broke up in early 2000s just as Xylina Spathia.
Heavy metal
bands continued to emerge in the 90s, with symphonic death metal band Septic Flesh
being one of the most important.
An anglophone revival during this decade took place, with bands like Raining Pleasure
achieving worldwide fame. Furthermore, ex-Trypes
frontman Giannis Aggelakas, released several albums with his personal band Oi Episkeptes, combining Greek rock not only with folk elements, but also with Jazz
and Reggae
.
Firewind
took the leading position in modern Heavy metal
, releasing four albums in the decade and achieving international popularity. The guitarist of the band, Gus G performed along with Ozzy Osbourne replacing his former guitarist, while the keyboardist Bob Katsionis
released personal albums. Septic Flesh
reunited and recorded Communion, which received highly positive reviews and recognition. During the 00s a small scene of metal bands playing metalcore
/hardcore punk
/screamo
/deathcore
emerged.
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
, spread around the world in the 1950s and 60s, entering Greece in the middle of the 60s. Greek rock performers in the field include Jimi Quidd
Jimi Quidd
Jimi Quidd, born Jimmy Hatzidimitriou was a Greek-American performer and music producer. He was the lead singer of the New York pop punk band the Dots and also discovered and produced the hardcore band Bad Brains....
(born Jimmy Hatzidimitriou, later member of The Dots and producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
for Bad Brains
Bad Brains
Bad Brains is an American hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1977. They are widely regarded as among the pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members objected to this term to describe their music. They are also an adept reggae band, while later recordings featured elements of...
), and Pavlos Sidiropoulos
Pavlos Sidiropoulos
Pavlos Sidiropoulos was a Rock musician, noted for supporting the use of Greek lyrics in rock music, at a time when most Greek rock groups were using English lyrics.- Art :...
, the most important representative of Greek folk-rock and rock.
1960s
Greek rock , originated in the early 1960s with the creation of several anglophone pop-rock bands such as The Forminx (which included composer VangelisVangelis
Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou is a Greek composer of electronic, progressive, ambient, jazz, pop rock and orchestral music, under the artist name Vangelis...
), The Idols
and The Olympians. The late sixties saw the formation of Aphrodite's Child
Aphrodite's Child
Aphrodite's Child was a Greek progressive rock band formed in 1967, by Vangelis Papathanassiou , Demis Roussos , Loukas Sideras , and Anargyros "Silver" Koulouris . Their band's name was derived from the title of a track from another Mercury act, Dick Campbell, from his Sings Where It's At album...
, one of the most important and successful Greek rock bands: with their album It's Five O'Clock
It's Five O'Clock
It's Five O'Clock is a 1969 album by Greek Progressive rock band Aphrodite's Child.-Track listing:#It's Five O'Clock - 3:31 #Wake Up - 4:04...
(1969) they achieved worldwide fame. Another aspect of Greek rock in the late 1960s saw the release of the first albums of Dionysis Savvopoulos
Dionysis Savvopoulos
Dionysis Savvopoulos is a Greek music composer, lyricist and singer.He was born in Thessaloniki. In 1963 he moved to Athens, terminating his law studies in favour of his career in music...
, who combined Greek folk-music
Greek folk music
Greek folk music includes a variety of Greek styles played by ethnic Greeks in Greece, Cyprus, Australia, the United States and elsewhere. Apart from the common music found all-around Greece, there are distinct types of folk music, sometimes related to the history or simply the taste of the...
with rock elements.
1970s
Greek rock first peaked in the early seventies, while GreeceGreece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
was still ruled by a military dictatorship. Bands included Socrates Drank The Conium
Socrates Drank the Conium
Socrates Drank the Conium is a Greek progressive/blues rock band that formed in 1969 and was active in the early 1970s. Their sound was reminiscent of other such bands of the approximate period like the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Led Zeppelin, Cream, Jeff Beck and some of the more progressive,...
(anglophone
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
), Exadahtylos (political/satirical lyrics), Pelóma Bokioú
Vlassis Bonatsos
Vlassis Bonatsos was a popular Greek entertainer. His father was a judicial and his mother was a piano teacher. Vlassis started his music career by creating a group called "ΠΕΛΟΜΑ ΜΠΟΚΙΟΥ", in the early 1970s, which was named after the initials of the names of the members of the group...
(Santana-like Latin rock with Greek lyrics), Poll (folk with vocal harmonies, Greek lyrics).
The fall of the dictatorship
Greek military junta of 1967-1974
The Greek military junta of 1967–1974, alternatively "The Regime of the Colonels" , or in Greece "The Junta", and "The Seven Years" are terms used to refer to a series of right-wing military governments that ruled Greece from 1967 to 1974...
was followed by the cultural dominance of left wing intellectuals although the government was still moderately right-wing. For them, rock was an "imported" (xenoferto - ξενόφερτο) form of music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
and they instead promoted music based on local traditions like Theodorakis'
Mikis Theodorakis
Mikis Theodorakis is one of the most renowned Greek songwriters and composers. Internationally, he is probably best known for his songs and for his scores for the films Zorba the Greek , Z , and Serpico .Politically, he identified with the left until the late 1980s; in 1989, he ran as an...
compositions.
One of the most popular rock artists in the decade was Pavlos Sidiropoulos
Pavlos Sidiropoulos
Pavlos Sidiropoulos was a Rock musician, noted for supporting the use of Greek lyrics in rock music, at a time when most Greek rock groups were using English lyrics.- Art :...
, who managed to merge Rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
with Greek lyrics. Another important musician who experimented with Greek lyrics was Nikolas Asimos
Nikolas Asimos
Nikolas Asimos was a Greek composer and singer. His real surname was Asimopoulos . Asimos was a very special case of a counter-culture artist, mostly because of his choice of lifestyle. His behaviour and songs were often received as provocatory by the general public. He was a person with strong...
, who recorded his first illegal tapes during the decade. Greek rock was revived at the end of the seventies, with the first punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
bands, as well as some older artists. The ex-frontman of Exadahtylos, Dimitris Poulikakos
Dimitris Poulikakos
Dimitris Poulikakos is a Greek actor and rock singer. He hails from Mani, Greece.- Filmography :Dimitris Poulikakos participated in more than 60 movies*1972: Fonissa, I *1972: Aldevaran*1975: Kelli miden, To...
made an LP in 1976.
1980s
At the beginning of the 1980s, there is a musical enrichment in the scene as more and more bands flourish, despite the extensive censorship on forms of art that in the later years gradually stopped. One example of this era is that of Mousikes Taxiarhies - Μουσικές Ταξιαρχίες (GreekGreek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
for Musical Brigades) with frontman Tzimis Panousis
Tzimis Panousis
Tzimis Panousis is a Greek musician and stand-up comedian born in Athens on February 12, 1954, where he has spent most of his life. His fans often refer to him as “Tzimakos”...
. The lyrical content of the band for the time was considered to vary from humorous and lightly satirical to all-out criticizing towards the political life of Greece—nevertheless the band played music with rich musical content; a mixture of many influences besides rock such as reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
and funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
.Pavlos Sidiropoulos went on through the deacade by forming the band "Aprosarmostoi" and produced some of his best albums with them.
In early 1981 a new band Fatme was formed who combined very creatively elements from Greek popular music roots and rock for the very first time.Their frontman was Nikos Portokaloglou who is still a recording singer/songwriter of great acclaim.
Even though Vasilis Papakonstantinou
Vasilis Papakonstantinou
Vasilis Papakonstantinou is a Greek singer known mostly for his work in Greek rock. Most of his songs have gained considerable popularity, mainly in Greece and Cyprus.- Early life :...
started his career in the 70s, it wasn't until the beginning of the 80s that he gain huge popularity and became one of the most successful greek rock singers. Vasilis Papakonstantinou is still active and he continues to release successful albums.
With the second generation, the scene produced also some of the finest electric guitar players such as Christophoros Krokidis and Spyros Pazios who to date are still active in various projects. During the mid-1980s, a band called The Last Drive
The Last Drive
The Last Drive is a Greek punk garage rock group which formed in 1983, broke up in 1995, and reunited in January 2007.-1983-1987: The beginnings:...
appeared, whose outstanding performance both in Greece and internationally deeply influenced the scene. In 1985 it was the great birth of the modern Greek rock as it is known today and this thanks to a bands from Thessaloniki: Trypes
Trypes
Trypes , which translates in English as "Holes" are an acclaimed greek rock band. Members come from Thessaloniki.-History:Trypes was created in 1983 when Giorgos Karras and Giannis Aggelakas wrote their first, post-punk influenced lyrics....
with their first album and two years later in 1987 a trio-band called Mora Sti Fotia - Μωρά στη Φωτιά (Babies on Fire), [veria]whose name was inspired by the song's title "Baby's on Fire
Baby's on Fire
"Baby's on Fire" is the third track on English musician Brian Eno's 1973 debut album, Here Come the Warm Jets. It is an example of the predominantly glam/art rock style Eno employed at the time, praised for its guitar solo by King Crimson founder Robert Fripp.-Writing and recording:Eno recorded...
" by Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
. The band plays a combination of new wave, punk, soft
Soft rock
Soft rock is a style of music which uses the techniques of rock music to compose a softer, more toned-down sound. Soft rock songs generally tend to focus on themes like love, everyday life and relationships. The genre tends to make heavy use of acoustic guitars, pianos, synthesizers and sometimes...
and hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
).
Other sub-genres of rock emerged during this period: Heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
, Punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and Indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
gained popularity. Greek metal bands such as Spitfire (Traditional Heavy metal) and black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
sound pioneers Rotting Christ
Rotting Christ
Rotting Christ is a Greek black metal band formed in 1987. They are noted for being one of the first black metal bands within this region, as well as a premier act within the European underground metal scene.- Line-up :...
and Varathron, emerged in the 80's.
1990s
The 1990s is when Greek rock culture was at its highest. It was dominated the group Exoristoi(Greek epic metal legend, Greece's only platinum selling heavy metal band, founded by Hollywood & Billboard Award winning composer and frontman Demetrios Katis ), Xylina SpathiaXylina Spathia
Xylina Spathia was a Greek rock band founded in 1993.- History :Xylina Spathia were formed in 1993 in Thessaloniki, Greece by Pavlos Pavlidis - former member of the band Mora sti Fotia - Vasilis Gountaroulis , Panos Tolios and Christos Tsaprazis...
, Trypes
Trypes
Trypes , which translates in English as "Holes" are an acclaimed greek rock band. Members come from Thessaloniki.-History:Trypes was created in 1983 when Giorgos Karras and Giannis Aggelakas wrote their first, post-punk influenced lyrics....
and Stereonova. For the first time in Greek rock history, there were sold-out appearances in large venues of Greek bands. For the first time in Greek history were there rock songs hits played on the radio. Thousands of fans cheered these groups; Greece was a great place, musically, to live in during this period. Other groups followed including Diafana Krina
Diafana Krina
Diafana Krina was a Greek rock group. It consisted of Thanos Anestopoulos , Pantelis Rothostoglou , Nikos Bardis , Kyriakos Tsoukalas , Tassos Machas and Panagiotis Berlis...
, Endelekheia
Endelekheia
Endelekhia is a rock band consisting of Dimitris Mitsotakis , Dimitris Leontopoulos , Antonis Dimitriou , Andreas Vaitoudis and Yorgos Koulouris...
, The Flowers Of Romance
The Flowers of Romance (Greek band)
The Flowers Of Romance was a pioneering punk and gothic rock band of the underground Greek rock scene from 1981 to 1998. The Flowers Of Romance’s energetic sound and combinations of several styles of rock led to their prevalence within the underground Greek rock scene for nearly two decades, and a...
, Nama
Nama
Nama may mean:* Nama band, a Greek music group* Nama , a genus of plants in the family Hydrophyllaceae* Holy Name in Indian religions* Nama , a hero in ? folklore who built an ark to save his family from a flood...
, Pyx Lax, Katsimihas Brothers
Katsimihas Brothers
Haris and Panos Katsimihas , also known as the Katsimihas brothers or Katsimiheoi are two Greek singer songwriters, who for the greatest part of their music career, performed as a duet. The Katsimihas brothers are twins...
, Giorgos Dimitriadis kai Oi Mikroi Iroes, Manolis Famellos kai Oi Podilates, Ypogeia Revmata,
Trypes broke up in early 2000s just as Xylina Spathia.
Heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
bands continued to emerge in the 90s, with symphonic death metal band Septic Flesh
Septic Flesh
Septic Flesh is a death metal band from Athens, Greece, which was founded in 1990.- History :Septic Flesh was formed in March 1990 by Sotiris Vayenas , Spiros Antoniou , and Christos Antoniou , and quickly released a debut EP, Temple of the Lost Race in December 1991...
being one of the most important.
2000s
The 00s saw less interest in Greek rock music; however, mainstream rock artists of the past decades remained popular.An anglophone revival during this decade took place, with bands like Raining Pleasure
Raining Pleasure
Raining Pleasure is an Indie / Rock band originating from Patras, Greece, often credited with spearheading the newest wave of Greek bands with English lyrics. The band was formed in September 1990 under the name "Rest in Peace". A year after their formation the band started appearing live locally....
achieving worldwide fame. Furthermore, ex-Trypes
Trypes
Trypes , which translates in English as "Holes" are an acclaimed greek rock band. Members come from Thessaloniki.-History:Trypes was created in 1983 when Giorgos Karras and Giannis Aggelakas wrote their first, post-punk influenced lyrics....
frontman Giannis Aggelakas, released several albums with his personal band Oi Episkeptes, combining Greek rock not only with folk elements, but also with Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and Reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
.
Firewind
Firewind
Firewind is a Greek power metal band. Formed in 1998, the group is currently signed to Century Media Records and was originally a small project created by guitarist, Gus G. to showcase his demo, Nocturnal Symphony in 1998. Firewind later became a full band over three years later when they recorded...
took the leading position in modern Heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
, releasing four albums in the decade and achieving international popularity. The guitarist of the band, Gus G performed along with Ozzy Osbourne replacing his former guitarist, while the keyboardist Bob Katsionis
Bob Katsionis
Babis "Bob" Katsionis , born on February 17, 1977 in Athens, Greece, is the rhythm guitarist and keyboard player for the heavy metal/power metal bands Firewind, Revolution Renaissance and Outloud.-Appearances:...
released personal albums. Septic Flesh
Septic Flesh
Septic Flesh is a death metal band from Athens, Greece, which was founded in 1990.- History :Septic Flesh was formed in March 1990 by Sotiris Vayenas , Spiros Antoniou , and Christos Antoniou , and quickly released a debut EP, Temple of the Lost Race in December 1991...
reunited and recorded Communion, which received highly positive reviews and recognition. During the 00s a small scene of metal bands playing metalcore
Metalcore
Metalcore is a subgenre of heavy metal combining various elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. The name is a portmanteau of the names of the two genres. The term took on its current meaning in the mid-1990s, describing bands such as Earth Crisis, Deadguy and Integrity...
/hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
/screamo
Screamo
Screamo, though used loosely to generally describe music that features screamed vocals, is actually a musical subgenre of hardcore punk which predominantly evolved from emo, among other genres, in the early 1990s...
/deathcore
Deathcore
Deathcore is an extreme metal music genre that combines elements of death metal with elements of metalcore or hardcore punk, or both. It is defined by an "excessive" use of death metal riffs, blast beats and use of hardcore punk breakdowns...
emerged.