Nightstalker (band)

Last updated

Nightstalker
Origin Athens, Greece
Genres Stoner metal
Years active1989–present
LabelsHitch Hyke, FM, Vinylust, Mad Prophet, Nasoni, MeteorCity, Small Stone
MembersArgy Galiatsatos
Andreas Lagios
Tolis Motsios
Dinos Roulos
Fotis Mitropoulos
Website nightstalkerband.com

Nightstalker is a Greek stoner metal band from Athens.

Contents

History

Nightstalker are Argy (vocals), Andreas Lagios (bass), Tolis Motsios (guitar) and Dinos Roulos (drums). Formed in 1989 by the lead singer and drummer at the same time, Argy, Nightstalker have become popular in the underground rock scene as pioneers of the 'heavy rock' scene (later named as stoner rock) and have earned a cult following.

Having a classic rock and metal background, and influenced by the grunge rock of the early 1990s, the band managed to combine the raw rock 'n roll simplicity with heavy riffs and hazy, psychedelic tunes. After some releases in several compilations (Toxic Babes in a Rock 'n Roll Land, Divin'), the band became well known after the release of the first EP, SideFX (1994), and the first album Use (1996). Followed by the third release, the EP The Ritual (2000), the main characteristic of the first decade was the combination of drums playing and lead singing by Argy, and the productions of the albums by Alex K (The Last Drive). The next album, Just a Burn (2004), was the last that Argy played the drums, although the band had a drummer (Costas, a.k.a. Digital Alchemist) for the live shows. This album was a big opportunity to grow the bands' fan base, and its success was a big step for their next album Superfreak (2009) which was released by the American label MeteorCity.

The band itself usually rejects the "stoner rock" label. [1]

We never accepted labels in music. I've always believed we play rock. In the early 1990s music press labeled us as grunge. Three or four years now they've been saying we play stoner. In five or six years, if we're still on this planet, they'll say we play something else. But who gives a shit…

They have played live both in Greece and have toured Europe and appeared in various festivals, while supporting bands such as The Last Drive, Deus ex Machina and Uriah Heep etc. In 2016 a tribute album saw the light under the "Children Of The Grave" name with bands like Tonia, Heritage or Demolition Train playing their tunes.

The most recent of Nightstalker's 3-decade career has seen the band become more prolific, with the release of albums 'Dead Rock Commandos' in 2012, 'As Above, So Below' in 2016, and most recently Great Hallucinations in 2019.

Discography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nirvana (band)</span> American rock band (1987–1994)

Nirvana was an American rock band formed in Aberdeen, Washington, in 1987. Founded by lead singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic, the band went through a succession of drummers, most notably Chad Channing, before recruiting Dave Grohl in 1990. Nirvana's success popularized alternative rock, and they were often referenced as the figurehead band of Generation X. Despite a short mainstream career spanning only three years, their music maintains a popular following and continues to influence modern rock culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soundgarden</span> American rock band

Soundgarden was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by singer and drummer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto. Cornell switched to rhythm guitar in 1985, replaced on drums initially by Scott Sundquist, and later by Matt Cameron in 1986. Yamamoto left in 1989 and was replaced initially by Jason Everman and shortly thereafter by Ben Shepherd. The band dissolved in 1997 and reformed in 2010. Following Cornell's death in 2017, Thayil declared in October 2018 that Soundgarden would not continue, though they did reunite in January 2019 for a one-off concert in tribute to Cornell. Cornell, Thayil, and Cameron appeared on all of the band's studio albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grunge</span> Genre of rock music

Grunge is an alternative rock genre and subculture which emerged during the mid-1980s in the U.S. state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of punk rock and heavy metal. The genre featured the distorted electric guitar sound used in both genres, although some bands performed with more emphasis on one or the other. Like these genres, grunge typically uses electric guitar, bass guitar, drums and vocals. Grunge also incorporates influences from indie rock bands such as Sonic Youth. Lyrics are typically angst-filled and introspective, often addressing themes such as social alienation, self-doubt, abuse, neglect, betrayal, social and emotional isolation, addiction, psychological trauma and a desire for freedom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King's X</span> American rock band

King's X is an American rock band formed in Springfield, Missouri in 1979. They were first called the Edge and later became Sneak Preview before settling on their current name in 1985. The band's current lineup has remained intact for more than four decades, consisting of vocalist and bassist Doug Pinnick, drummer Jerry Gaskill and guitarist Ty Tabor. Their music combines progressive metal, funk and soul with vocal arrangements influenced by gospel, blues, and British Invasion rock groups. Despite a largely underground reputation as the "musician's musicians", King's X was pivotal in the early development of progressive metal, and produced a series of early records considered essential within the genre. The band's lyrics are largely based on the members' struggles with religion and self-acceptance. King's X was ranked No. 83 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melvins</span> American rock band

Melvins are an American rock band formed in 1983 in Montesano, Washington. Their early work was key to the development of both grunge and sludge metal. Primarily a trio, they have also performed as a quartet, with either two drummers or two bassists. Since 1984, vocalist and guitarist Buzz Osborne and drummer Dale Crover have been constant members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puddle of Mudd</span> American rock band

Puddle of Mudd is an American rock band formed in Kansas City, Missouri in 1992. To date, the band has sold over seven million albums. Their major-label debut Come Clean has sold over five million copies. They have released an extended play, an independent album and six studio albums, with their latest being Ubiquitous in September 2023. Vocalist and guitarist Wes Scantlin has served as the only consistent member throughout the band's history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mother Love Bone</span> American rock band

Mother Love Bone was an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1988. The band was active from 1988 to 1990. Frontman Andrew Wood's charisma and songwriting helped to catapult the group to the top of the burgeoning Seattle music scene at the time. Wood died shortly before the scheduled release of the band's debut album Apple, resulting in the breakup of the band. The album was released a few months later, though many recollections of demos, b-sides, and live performances were released and given to the general public as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Screaming Trees</span> American rock band

Screaming Trees were an American rock band formed in Ellensburg, Washington, in 1984 by vocalist Mark Lanegan, guitarist Gary Lee Conner, bassist Van Conner, and drummer Mark Pickerel. Pickerel was replaced by Barrett Martin in 1991. Screaming Trees became known as one of the pioneers of grunge along with Melvins, Mudhoney, U-Men, Skin Yard, Soundgarden, Green River, and Malfunkshun, among others. Although widely associated with grunge, the band's sound incorporated hard rock and psychedelic elements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mudhoney</span> American rock band

Mudhoney is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, on January 1, 1988, following the demise of Green River. Its members are singer and rhythm guitarist Mark Arm, lead guitarist Steve Turner, bassist Guy Maddison and drummer Dan Peters. Original bassist Matt Lukin left the band in 1999, but rejoined the band in December 2000 for a tour that lasted through January 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green River (band)</span> American rock band

Green River was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984. Considered one of the first grunge bands, Green River is best known for being the precursor to multiple key early 1990s rock bands, most notably Pearl Jam, Mudhoney, Mother Love Bone, Temple of the Dog, and Love Battery. Green River reunited for several live shows in 2008 and 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Cameron</span> American drummer

Matthew David Cameron is an American musician who is the drummer for the rock band Pearl Jam. He first gained fame as the drummer for Seattle-based rock band Soundgarden, which he joined in 1986. He appeared on each of the band's studio albums until its break-up in 1997. In 1998, Cameron was invited to join Pearl Jam's U.S. Yield Tour and then became a permanent member of the band. In 2010, Cameron became simultaneously a member of Pearl Jam and the reunited Soundgarden. He remained with Soundgarden until its disbandment after the death of lead singer Chris Cornell in 2017. Cameron, along with guitarist Kim Thayil and Cornell, is one of three members to feature on every Soundgarden studio album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stone Gossard</span> American guitarist and songwriter (born 1966)

Stone Carpenter Gossard is an American musician and songwriter who serves as a guitarist for the rock band Pearl Jam. Along with Jeff Ament, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder, he is one of the founding members of the band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Failure (band)</span> American alternative rock band

Failure is an American alternative rock band from Los Angeles that was active from 1990 to 1997 and again from 2014 to the present. They have released six full-length albums and five EPs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stone Sour</span> American rock band

Stone Sour was an American rock band formed in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1992. The band performed for five years before disbanding in 1997. They reunited in 2000 and since 2015, the group has consisted of Corey Taylor, Josh Rand (guitar), Christian Martucci (guitar), Johny Chow (bass) and Roy Mayorga (drums). Longtime members Joel Ekman and Shawn Economaki left the band in 2006 and 2011, respectively. Former lead guitarist Jim Root left in 2014. The band has been on an indefinite hiatus since 2020.

Killdozer was an American rock band formed in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1983 with members Bill Hobson, Dan Hobson and Michael Gerald. They took their name from the 1974 TV movie, directed by Jerry London, itself based on a Theodore Sturgeon short story. They released their first album, Intellectuals are the Shoeshine Boys of the Ruling Elite, in the same year. The band split in 1990 but reformed in 1993, losing guitarist Bill Hobson and gaining Paul Zagoras, and continued until they split up in 1996. Their farewell tour was officially titled "Fuck You, We Quit!", and included Erik Tunison of Die Kreuzen in place of Dan Hobson on drums and Jeff Ditzenberger on additional guitar. The band released nine albums, including a post-breakup live album, The Last Waltz.

<i>Screaming Life</i> 1987 EP by Soundgarden

Screaming Life is the debut EP by American rock band Soundgarden, released in October 1987 by Sub Pop. Screaming Life was later combined with the band's next EP, Fopp (1988), and released as the Screaming Life/Fopp compilation album in 1990.

Socialburn was a four-piece American post-grunge band from Blountstown, Florida. Forming in 2000, the band released two independent albums, What A Beautiful Waste and World Outside, before being signed to Elektra Records in 2002. The band's major record label debut, Where You Are, was released in 2003, and spawned two charting singles - "Down" and "Everyone". The band would later be dropped from their label on Elektra in the wake of its parent company Time Warner's merger with AOL, but released a follow-up, The Beauty of Letting Go, on smaller label "iRock Entertainment" in 2005. After touring in support of the album, the band disbanded in late 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Small Stone Records</span> American record label

Small Stone Records is an American record label based in Detroit, MI. It was founded in 1995 by Scott Hamilton and is a self-dubbed "heavy rock" label. The label has released a number of stoner rock compilation albums, as well as releases by Dozer, Los Natas, Halfway To Gone, Solace, and many others in the stoner rock, indie, blues-rock, and psychedelic genres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baby Shakes</span> American rock band

Baby Shakes is an American rock band from New York City. They define their music as rock 'n' roll, power pop, punk, and glam rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leadfinger</span> Australian rock and roll band

Leadfinger(pron: Led-finger) are an Australian guitar rock band formed in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales, in 2006 by Glasgow-born singer/guitarist Stewart 'Leadfinger' Cunningham. The band has released six albums to date, with the most recent coming out in February 2022 through Golden Robot Records.

References

  1. "Συνεντεύξεις: Nightstalker" (in Greek). [Avopolis Music Network]. 20 December 2004. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 3 September 2007.

Sources