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PLAYGROUNDED

Heavy Prog • Greece


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Playgrounded biography
PLAYGROUNDED are a heavy progressive band formed in Chania, Greece in 2007, by Odysseas (bass) and Orestis ZAFEIRIOU (keys) and Michael KOTSIRAKIS (guitars). Their line-up was solidified in 2010 with the additions of Stavros MARKONIS (vocals, ENSTRO) and Vasilis PODARAS (drums, GEORGE KONTRAFOURIS BABY TRIO). They are currently based in both Athens and Crete. After a series of live gigs with such acts as ROTTING CHRIST and ARCHIVE?s Craig WALKER, PLAYGROUNDED was chosen by ANATHEMA to open their headline show in Crete and soon focused on recording their first album, ''Athens''.

Produced by PLAYGROUNDED and George Alamaras, ''Athens'' is a testimony of a country and its youth in crisis. It is sketches of a new balance between metal and electronica driven by endless talks on the dead-ends of modern Greece. Inviting the listener into the deepest details of their soundscapes, PLAYGROUNDED enlisted Grammy Award winning Ted Jensen (MUSE, DREAM THEATER, DEFTONES) to master ''Athens'', available worldwide since November 19 2012 by Casket Music/Copro Records (UK).

The band's sound boasts of influences of acts such as ANATHEMA, PAIN OF SALVATION, TOOL and KARNIVOOL and is highly recommended especially for the fans of the latter.

Biography adopted from the band's website - edited by aapatsos

PLAYGROUNDED Videos (YouTube and more)


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PLAYGROUNDED discography


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PLAYGROUNDED top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

4.15 | 13 ratings
Athens
2012
3.17 | 10 ratings
In Time with Gravity
2017
3.78 | 9 ratings
The Death of Death
2022

PLAYGROUNDED Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

PLAYGROUNDED Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

PLAYGROUNDED Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

PLAYGROUNDED Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

PLAYGROUNDED Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 In Time with Gravity by PLAYGROUNDED album cover Studio Album, 2017
3.17 | 10 ratings

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In Time with Gravity
Playgrounded Heavy Prog

Review by kev rowland
Special Collaborator Prog Reviewer / Special Collaborator

3 stars Playgrounded is an Electronic/Heavy rock band formed in Greece in 2007 and now based in Rotterdam, Holland. Their debut album, 'Athens', was released in 2013 and they are now back with the follow-up. They supported the likes of Anathema and Riverside following that release, attempting a balance between heavy rock and electronic music, driven by endless talks on the dead-ends of modern Greece. Recorded between August and November 2016 in Kristiansand Norway and produced by C.A.Cederberg (Anathema, Maria Mena etc.), the follow-up (according to the band) stands on the shoulders of giants to take a small step down the path of progressive music, where electronic and electric passages always gravitate to hypnotic ambient grooves.

These are great words, but I'm not sure that it always works. There are times when Playgrounded come across as being heavily influenced by Muse, and this works incredibly well, but when they are more overtly electronic in focus I'm afraid that I tend to lose interest. While I do enjoy some electronic music, it does tend to be in small doses, and even the use of real drums as opposed to programmed doesn't really strike me as much as it should. For me this is an album where the band are still trying to strike their own identity, perhaps not surprising given that it was composed while they were in the throes of moving from Greece to Holland, two very different countries within the EU. It will be the next album, once they are established in Holland, that will show if they are going to be the force they want to be within progressive music. For me this is very much a "wait and see" release, which is good but not essential.

Thanks to aapatsos for the artist addition.

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