Rock music in Greece
1968 in Paris saw the formation of Aphrodite's Child, (Vangelis, Demis Roussos and Loukas Sideras) one of the most important and successful Greek rock bands that achieved international fame with their albums It's Five O'Clock (1969) and 666 (1972).
In the beginning of the '80s there was a small but energetic number of punk and New Wave bands and in the 1990s hip-hop elements also entered the mainstream rock scene in Greece.
Early in 1981, the band Fatme was formed combining very creatively elements of Greek popular music roots and rock for the first time.
Even though Vasilis Papakonstantinou started his career in the 1970s, it wasn't until the beginning of the 1980s that he gained huge popularity and became one of the most successful Greek rock singers.
Nikos Ginis appeared on the Greek Rock scene in a concert in Zografou's Vaska Private School (where most rock concerts were organized at the time), as a surprise one-off guitar solo player with a brilliant local band (The Fakiola brothers band with Nik Kourtis as drummer) and since he had just returned from the US had a lot new tricks up his guitar playing sleeve.
Also in 1980 the anglophone New Wave band Sharp Ties was formed by Tolis Fasois (lead vocalist), George Karagiannidis (bass), Petros Skoutaris (guitar) and Pantelis Bees Karachisarides (drums).
Another group that deserves mentioning is the PUMSVC (Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiasis, or Pneumonokoniasis for short) a progressive rock band from Zografou formed by keyboard player Jim Kavakopoulos and guitarist George Alahouzos (Greek-Australian).
George Hatzakos and Giannis Jizman also deserve mention as they were two of the first country/folk/rock musicians who performed solo, opening every concert at that time in Zografou.
With the second generation, the scene also produced some of the finest electric guitar players such as Christophoros Krokidis and Spyros Pazios, who are still active to this date, working on various projects.
The members were Thodoris Dimitriou (voice) Takis Barmpagalas (ex-Forward Music Quintet) (guitar), Diogenes Chatzistefanidis (bass) and Spyros Harisis (drums).
In October 1985, they signed a contract with Triple Action Studios III to record six tracks and the next year they released their first LP titled Secret Gardens with EMI.
In the same year, a collection was released by the Spanish IPS & Co., with all the bands that participated in the exhibition, titled Biennal '87 and contained their track "Rain Is Falling Hard".
Other groups followed, including Diafana Krina, Endelekheia, The Flowers Of Romance, Nama, Pyx Lax, Katsimihas Brothers, Giorgos Dimitriadis kai Oi Mikroi Iroes, Giorgos Dimitriadis (then as a solo artist), thirty ντέρτι, Manolis Famellos kai Oi Podilates, and Ypogeia Revmata.
Furthermore, ex-Trypes frontman Giannis Aggelakas, released several albums with his 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 music, releasing four albums in the decade and achieving international popularity.
Septic Flesh reunited and recorded Communion (2008), which received highly positive reviews and recognition, as did the album Cheap Pop for the Elite (2012) by the Corfu-based rock/pop band Kore.
Dozens of bands started playing heavy, stoner, southern, grunge rock, etc., with leading pioneers Planet of Zeus and 1000mods continuing the legacy of Nightstalker and touring relentlessly around Europe.
