Doing an all-Greek episode was so blindingly obvious that I actually had to check to make sure I hadn’t already done one somewhere in the last four years or so that I’ve been doing The Obelisk Show for Gimme Metal. Like, duh. And the playlist? One of the easiest times I’ve ever had putting one together. So many bands, so many vibes, so much to choose from.

Lotus Emperor’s new record, which was reviewed yesterday, was the impetus for the entire thing, so it seemed only fair to start with that, but I wanted to make sure to include a fair bit of landmark acts — 1000mods, Villagers of Ioannina City, Planet of Zeus, Naxatras, Nightstalker, Puta Volcano — alongside up and comers like Bus, Supermoon, Lotus Emperor, Acid Mammoth, Honeybadger, Half Gramme of Soma, and so on, in order to give some sense of the scope of the Greek underground, which for my money is one of the strongest in the world and an ecosystem of bands and fans unlike any other happening right now in Europe (if you want to expand to the rest of the world, Australia would rival).

Before I turn you over to the playlist, I’ll give the inevitable disclaimer that this represents but a fraction of Greece’s vibrant heavy creative community, and that there’s basically a planet’s worth of bands in Athens alone, never mind anywhere else in the country. I say in one or another of the breaks that I consider Greece at least as strong a scene as Sweden and Germany in terms of everything but broader recognition, and I stand by that. If you hear this show and want to dig further into any of these acts or find others, that’s the ideal.

Thanks if you listen and thanks for reading.

The Obelisk Show airs 5PM Eastern today on the Gimme app or at: http://gimmemetal.com.

Full playlist:

The Obelisk Show – 11.11.22 (VT = voice track)

Lotus Emperor	Petra	Syneidesis (2022)
Villagers of Ioannina City	Dance of Night	Age of Aquarius (2019)
Acid Mammoth	Black Dust	Caravan (2021)
VT
1000mods	Navy in Alice	Super Van Vacation (2011)
Half Gramme of Soma	Muck & Cheese	Slip Through the Cracks (2022)
People of the Black Circle	Alchemy of Sorrow	People of the Black Circle (2022)
Seer of the Void	Lysergus Mons	Revenant (2020)
The Same River	Weight of the World	Weight of the World (2022)
Church of the Sea	No One Deserves	Odalisque (2022)
Supermoon	Mantra	Supermoon (2020)
VT
Planet of Zeus	All These Happy People	Faith in Physics (2019)
Burn the Sun	A Fist for Crows	Le Roi Soleil (2022)
Naxatras	The Battle of Crystal Fields	IV (2022)
Honeybadger	Laura Palmer	Pleasure Delayer (2020)
Nightstalker	Sad Side of the City	Great Hallucinations (2019)
Bus	Moonchild	Never Decide (2020)
VT
Puta Volcano	Black Box	AMMA (2020)
Last Rizla	Dive	Mount Machine (2018)

The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal airs every Friday 5PM Eastern, with replays Sunday at 7PM Eastern. Next new episode is Nov. 25 (subject to change). Thanks for listening if you do.

Gimme Metal website

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The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.

Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.

Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.

The Obelisk Questionnaire: Diamond Pr of The Same River

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How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?

All of us, have a different perspective on what we call journey of life. I define everything I do as a need filtered through the idealistic obsessions that feed my soul. There’s a chain of events
from the day we were born until our last breath, that keep pushing our personal ascendance and that’s what I call instinct.

Describe your first musical memory.

I was around 5 years old when my dad gave me a mixtape and I remember the first song I felt in love with. The second song of this tape, Stranglers- Nice ‘n’ Sleazy.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

Back in 2005 when I saw the original Black Sabbath lineup live.

When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?

The day I saw my grandpa at the hospital, I realise that nobody’s a god and one day will all face the consequences of time.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

The gift of artistic expression, is undoubtedly a way for our soul to speak in ways that otherwise couldn’t. The reaction and resonation of this procedure leads, at least for me, to be a better man.

How do you define success?

Success is believing to yourself and chasing your dreams until your last breath.

What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?

I have seen Belgrade after the war and the image with the starving children can’t leave my head.

Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.

I would like to write a book. A novel actually.

What do you believe is the most essential function of art?

Commitment is the most important factor. Without it you have no chance of creating something that vibrates even to yourself.

Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?

My little daughter to start talking and call me dad.

https://www.facebook.com/thesameriverband
https://www.instagram.com/the_same_river_band/
https://twitter.com/TheSameRiverGr
https://thesameriver.bandcamp.com/

The Same River, Weight of the World (2022)