Greek Prog: From Alpha To Omega

FORBIDDEN MYTH     The finest export from Greece since the Elgin Marbles first rolled up onto British shores at the turn of the 19th century - for which the Greeks have never quite forgiven us. Forbidden Myth is the brainchild of Antonis Adelfidis - Greece's answer to Rick Wakeman - ably assisted by multi-instrumentalist George Katsanos, playing together on just about every keyboard instrument they could lay their hands on, and with a cast list of supporting players almost as long as Ben Hur. It's also worth mentioning that Katsanos is a mighty fine singer too. This is the greatest partnership since Burton & Taylor, Bogey & Bacall, or Marks & Spencer. There's an old saying that you should beware of Greeks bearing gifts, but when those same Greeks come bearing gifts of prog albums, then you should welcome them with open arms and with love and kisses too. In the vast pantheon of prog, Adelfidis & Katsanos joins that long list of Greek heroes including, Theseus, Perseus, Odysseus, Vangelis, Roussos & Sideras. Okay, so the first three Greek heroes never formed a prog band as far as I'm aware, but the last three names were all in the same band. You won't find an Achilles Heel in the astounding sounds and amazing music of Forbidden Myth though, as this stunning album is a pure 100% masterpiece from beginning to end. In fact, you won't have heard such masterful keyboard wizardry as this since caped crusader Rick Wakeman first stunned us all with his acclaimed Myths & Legends album. Forbidden Myth target the listener with rip-roaring power chords with the unerring accuracy of a laser-guided Paveway missile.  Zantea Chronicles: The Dream Dominator is the towering Acropolis on the Mount in terms of epic prog albums, which even surpasses all of Ayreon's magnificent masterworks. You'll find Forbidden Myth listed under Heavy Prog on ProgArchives, although they almost found their way into the Progressive Metal category, which really wouldn't have done them justice. After all, Zantea Chronicles is far better than any album I've ever heard by Dream Theater, although I can now hear howls of derision coming from DT fans. It's truly an epic album too, running at over 100 minutes long, in the true tradition of Ayreon's epic productions, making it excellent value for money. If you have the good fortune to buy this fine album, then it'll be the best 4,000 drachmas you ever spent. In the vast progosphere, Forbidden Myth are as good as it gets and Zantea Chronicles joins some of the finest European prog albums from Holland, Italy and Germany. And so, for any German prog fans out there, "Das ist Verboten Mythos. Danke schoen und gute nacht." 

Thanks. I do tend to exaggerate, but when it comes to superlatives, sometimes words fail me. 

THE 4 LEVELS OF EXISTENCE    The 4 Levels of Existence only existed just long enough to produce one album, recorded in about ten hours and released on an obscure underground label, but that's the stuff of which prog legends are made. The album is a tasty Greek salad of Psychedelic Rock, spiced up with a light sprinkling of feta cheese. The lyrics are all in Greek, but that's part of its endearing charm. In spiritual tradition, the name of the band and eponymous album is a reference to the four Sanskrit levels of human existence. Namely, the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual bodies. To improve physical well-being, you could try walking, stretching, massage, yoga, running, dancing or swimming. Or alternatively, if that all sounds like too much hard work and you want to save a lot of time and effort, why not just listen to the album instead. It'll only take 35 minutes of your time and you don't even need to take any vitamin supplements. 

AFFORMANCE     Oh, what an Afformance! This is contemplative music for the psyche and the soul. Afformance are listed as Post Rock/Math Rock here on PA, although Math Rock doesn't really add up for me. Either way, you can expect to hear plenty of ambient soundscapes from this Greek quintet, so not exactly a Peloponnesian potpourri of pop, but don't let that subtract from the sound of Afformance, as their spacey introspective albums are something soothing to while away the hours whilst contemplating your navel, when you've got nothing more exciting to do than rearranging your sock drawer. There's really not much to choose between Afformance's four albums and two EP's, but Music for Imaginary Film #1 certainly has the most intriguing title, and if spending an entire afternoon watching deeply introspective Ingmar Bergman movies is your idea of fun, then this is the album for you!  

APHRODITE'S CHILD      Come with me to the End of the World as we meet the three kings of Greek Prog. Namely, singer Demis Roussos (1946-2015), drummer Lucas Sideras (born 1944), and keyboard legend Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou (1943-2022), better-known to us all simply as Vangelis, and collectively-known as Aphrodite's Child. The "king of the kaftan" Demis Roussos was the most unlikely-looking sex symbol, with his portly frame usually dressed in multi- coloured bell-tent kaftans. His solo career after Aphrodite's Child was even more successful, guaranteeing that he'll be remembered forever and ever. The drummer Lucas Sideras may be largely forgotten now, but he did release a solo album and he was something of a sex cymbal in his time too. Vangelis of course needs no introduction from me, other than to say he's one of the greatest keyboard players who's ever lived! Aphrodite's Child have the singular distinction of being the only Symphonic Prog band ever to emerge from the Peloponnesian peninsula of Greece. Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love and beauty and there's plenty to love in the beautiful music of Aphrodite's Child. Their first of three acclaimed albums features such evergreen classics as "End of the World" and the lovelorn "Rain and Tears" with their follow-up album including the heart-rending title track, "It's Five o'Clock", and the plaintive cry of "Marie Jolie". It's their third and final epic though, "666" (the number of the beast) which proved to be a Revelation, where hellfire and damnation were spurned to enable its release. "666" is a double album and musical tour-de-force which is generally the most highly- regarded Aphrodite's Child album amongst prog fans. As well as including the aptly-titled "Break" - sadly recorded just before the band broke up - the album also features the unforgettable "Infinity" with Irene Papas, which - depending on your point of view - either sounds like a wailing banshee, or a five minute orgasm!

APOCALYPSIS     Holy Moses! Apocalypsis are a Revelation and a Testament to the awesome power of prog that this Biblical epic has really stood the test of time. The music is served up in Biblical proportions too, with gallant knight and keyboardist Vasilis Detilis boldly leading the way on his gleaming white charger, ably assisted by The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypsis. Namely, Giannis Palamidas on vocal duties, Achileas Spyrou  on guitars, Harris Photopoulos on bass and Stavros Sidiropoulos bringing up the rear on drums. Apocalypsis' eponymously-titled debut features six fairly lengthy compositions with suitably intriguing titles, consisting of:- 1. Metepsychosis; 2. Threat; 3. Expiatory Victim; 4. Lies, Mistakes & Closin' Eyes; 5. My Death at a Rugby Game; & 6. Journey in the Night. The histrionic falsetto of the singer, with trousers so tight you can guess his religion, is something of an acquired taste, sounding like a curious cross between Russell Mael of Sparks and Daevid Allen of Gong, but at least the lyrics are all in English - although it's not always easy to tell. The music is mainly keyboard-driven with enough dynamic changes of tempo and sudden chord changes to keep even the  grumpiest of prog fans happy. Apocalypsis' second and final album sounds even better than the first, with grandiose pomposity in abundance and  with noticeably improved production standards too, making it an album you just can't say "No" to. All in all then, Apocalypsis is not the end of the modern world as we know it, but the beginning of a love for the ancient world of Greek prog - especially for the bearded classical Greek prog scholars amongst us. 

My pleasure. You just reminded me to include mention of vocalist  Giannis Palamidas in the Apocalypsis line-up. 

AWAKE & GALLO     The truth is out there! An album for fans of the X-Files, so don't blame me if this creepy burnt offering scares the living daylights out of you. Awake & Gallo have the notable distinction of being the only Krautrock band ever to emerge from Greece, although not a total surprise when you consider that Germans weren't exactly flavour of the month there during World War Two after heavily bombing the Greek port city of Piraeus, along with the Nazi Fokkers machine-gunning civilians from the air. The list of Nazi war crimes against Greece is longer than the Unter den Linden in Berlin. Thankfully, these days when the Germans invade Greece every summer, it's only to be the first to lay their beach towels on the sun-loungers beside the hotel swimming pool. Anyway, enough about the war. Awake & Gallo are tripping the light fantastic with a haunting, LSD-inspired album that takes you on a mind-blowing odyssey into a shadowy demon-haunted world of psychedelic purple haze that drifts in and out of the consciousness like a bad dream - or like some dark nightmare vision in The Twilight Zone. Beware! This spooky, atmospheric album of phantasmagorical delights will wrap its warm tendrils around your heart and grab you by the throat. It may even be enough to give Mulder & Scully the creeps and freak them out. "In Search of the Universal Truth" is destined to seductively charm its way into the inner recesses of your brain and not let go. This is sonic nirvana for the mind, body and soul. It's an ideal album for listening to late at night during a thunderstorm with the lights turned down low, as you drift  gently away into the arms of Morpheus. Just make sure you lock all of the doors and windows first and remember to check under the bed. Awake & Gallo's second album sounds even more dark and sinister than the first - hardly surprising with a title like "Ultra Violence World" - but their third and final album is Prescription Only, so you'd have to order it from your local medical practitioner. 

That's wonderful to hear! I'm enjoying this Greek listening jamboree even more the second time around, made even more worthwhile by hearing Aries stellar album again, and of course, Forbidden Myth. I look forward to hearing the long-awaited second album.