The day is April, 12th, the sun and the country is still confined. The sun is shining, birds are singing, bees (or are they wasps?) are doing whatever bees (or wasps) do and, were it not for a faint but still distinct collective complaint, like a background buzz or something, you would not know we are in France, the nation of moaners, the undisputed champions of grumbling. The lockdown is supposed to be over in a few days but since there is a high chance we are getting served an extra fortnight, I decided to be a proper national hero and help my struggling compatriots through this unprecedented ordeal, boosting the troops' morale so to speak, by making an awesome compilation of dark Greek punk. I know it doesn't seem like much but hear me out.
I already touched upon the subject of Greek punk in 2016 with the series Bellicose pessimism and the melancholy of Ελληνική πανκ (the first part can be found here), a five-part epics aimed at providing a general description and a relevant outline of dark Greek punk as a genre. Illustrating my claim were five fine examples of dark punk music that could not have come from any other place than Greece. I am not saying that those five bands - Γενιά
Του Χάους, Γκούλαγκ, Αρνάκια, Χαοτική
Διάσταση and Πανδημία - sound alike, because they don't, but that they all share a vibe of melancholia, a sorrowful moodiness and at the same time a tenseness, a sense of combativeness - be it a hopeless one - in the face of life. I am quite certain that none of those bands started out with the intent of sounding all intense and gloomy and that this "bellicose pessimism" permeating the songwriting was not only a reflection of the social and cultural context, but also a characteristic in itself, perhaps grounding the dark Greek punk genre in vibe and mood as much - if not more so than - as in songwriting and instrumentalising.
I hope that this compilation illustrates such a claim as you will find bands that may technically sound very different in terms of style but share a common moroseness and fighting spirit, common aesthetics of darkness. I do not pretend to be an expert in Greek punk and I basically worked with the bands I was already familiar with, but I may have forgotten important bands that could also have fitted the bill while including some much smaller ones, so if you feel I missed some obvious acts, please let me know. It is, by essence, a subjective selection process. I focused on a 15 year period, from 1983 to 1998, and as hinted above, the range of styles is rather wide, the common denominator being that typical dark punk vibe, from dynamic punk-rock, to mournful postpunk, new wave or free rock.
30 bands in about 90 minutes. Enjoy the doom and gloom.
Bellicose pessimism
I hope that this compilation illustrates such a claim as you will find bands that may technically sound very different in terms of style but share a common moroseness and fighting spirit, common aesthetics of darkness. I do not pretend to be an expert in Greek punk and I basically worked with the bands I was already familiar with, but I may have forgotten important bands that could also have fitted the bill while including some much smaller ones, so if you feel I missed some obvious acts, please let me know. It is, by essence, a subjective selection process. I focused on a 15 year period, from 1983 to 1998, and as hinted above, the range of styles is rather wide, the common denominator being that typical dark punk vibe, from dynamic punk-rock, to mournful postpunk, new wave or free rock.
30 bands in about 90 minutes. Enjoy the doom and gloom.
1.Ex Humans « Στρατοδικείο », Ανώφελη Επιβίωση Lp, 1984
2.Ορεξη Για Τίποτα / Orexi Gia Tipota « Κορίτσι Βιάζει Αγόρι », Μην Φιλάτε Τον Βάτραχο Lp, 1997
3.Clown « Κλόουν », Κλόουν / Λευκά Κελλιά Ep, 1983
4.Ιδανικοι Αυτοχειρες / Idanikoi Autoxeires « Ωραία Ελένη », Πρώτη απόπειρα tape, 1995
5.Αρνητική Στάση / Arnetike Stase « Αυτολογοκρισία », Love is our Strongest Weapon split Lp with Kismet Hardcore, 1991
6.Όρα Μηδέν / Ora Miden « Σάρκα », S/t demo tape, 1988
7.Panx Romana « Ζω Στο Φόβο », Παιδιά Στα Όπλα Lp, 1987
8.Σκιες / Skies « Ισοβια Δεσμα », Ισοβια Δεσμα demo tape, 1992
9.Εναλλάξ / Enallax « Κόντρα », Κόντρα Lp, 1986
10.Stress « Γενοκτονία », Ήχος Της Ανασφάλειας Lp, 1985
11.Αναβιωση / Anabiosi « Γιατί », Ξεχασμένοι κόσμοι tape, 1990
12.Venericna Bolest « Πυρηνικό Καταφύγιο », Never Trash... a Pretty Face compilation tape, 1986
13.Νεκρική Σιγή / Nekriki Sigi « Ταξίδι Στην Άβυσσο », Ο Ήχος Της Σιωπής Ep, 1994
14.Αρνάκια / Arnakia « Κανείς Δεν Μπορεί », Στο Στόμα Του Λύκου Lp, 1993
15.The Yokels « Εμφανισιμος Πολιτης », Τελευταια Συγχορδια demo tape, 1990
16.Αδιέξοδο / Adiexodo « Εξακρίβωση Στοιχείων », .38 Lp, 1986
17.Metro Decay « Μαύρος Κύκνος », Υπέρβαση Lp, 1984
18.Χαοτική Διάσταση / Chaotiki Diastasi « Κομματικά Εξαρτημένοι », Πολίτες Της Κόλασης Ep, 1993
19.Χάσμα / Xasma « Ταξίδι », Όλοι-Τόσο-Μόνοι tape, 1996
20.Αδραστεια / Adrasteia « Ίσως άξιζε », S/t demo tape, 1998
21.Το Κελί 13 / To Keli 13 « Πλοίο Στασιαστών », Never Trash... a Pretty Face compilation tape, 1986
22.Χωρίς Περιδέραιο / Xoris Perideraio « Το Χρώμα Και Το Σχήμα », Άνωση Ep, 1983
23.Γκούλαγκ / Gulag « Εθισμός », Είμαστε Μικροί Μα Θα Μεγαλώσουμε tape, 1989
24.Πίσσα Και Πούπουλα / Pissa kai Poupoula « Κοινές Καταστάσεις », Πίσσα Και Πούπουλα Lp, 1993
25.Ausschwitss « Χαμένο Κορμί », Απειλή / Χαμένο Κορμί demo, 1983
26.Παρανυχίδες / Paranuxides « Ένα Μυστικό Στο Τέλος », Συνταγη Αντι-Θανατου compilation Lp, 1986
27.Αγανακτισμένοι Πολίτες / Aganaktismenoi Pollites « Φαύλος Κύκλος », Never Trash... a Pretty Face compilation tape, 1986
28.Γενιά Του Χάους / Genia Tou Xaous « Στίγμα », Γενιά Του Χάους Lp, 1986
29.Αποκτήνωση / Apoktenosi « Γενιά του κλικ », Τα Μαύρα Φεγγάρια Της Αποκτήνωσης tape, 1995
30.Anti... « Στρατός, Ελλάδα, Εξουσία », ANTI... tape, 1986
Bellicose pessimism
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