| Xylina Spathia | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Thessaloniki, Greece |
| Genres | Greek rock Alternative rock Electronic rock |
| Years active | 1993–2003 |
| Labels | Ano Kato Virgin Records EMI |
Xylina Spathia (Greek: Ξύλινα Σπαθιά, English: Wooden Swords) was a Greek rock band founded in 1993.
Xylina Spathia were formed in 1993 in Thessaloniki, Greece by Pavlos Pavlidis (vocals) - former member of the band Mora sti Fotia (Greek: Μωρά στη Φωτιά, English: Babies on Fire) - Vasilis Gountaroulis (synthesizer), Panos Tolios (drums) and Christos Tsaprazis (bass). Following the footsteps of Trypes, they started a new wave of Greek rock music for that era, building on the traditional forms of contemporary rock.
Their first album 'Ξεσσαλονίκη' (Xessaloniki (1993)) made a really notable appearance, bringing alternative rock in greek music.
With their second album 'Πέρα Από τις Πόλεις της Ασφάλτου' (Pera apo tis Poleis tis Asfaltou, Beyond the Cities of Asphalt (1995)) - which was re-released because of some problems the band had with their previous label - Xylina Spathia startled many with the maturity of their songs. The song 'Λιωμένο Παγωτό' (Liomenio Pagoto, Melted ice-cream) makes a never before success for a rock song in Greece overcoming the audience it was originally referred to and the style it represented.
The songs 'Λιωμένο Παγωτό' and 'Ο Βασιλιάς της Σκόνης' (O Vasilias Tis Skonis, The Κing of Dust) became youth hymns and until today are considered to be two of the most notable classic Greek rock songs.
A lot of concerts all over Greece followed, with their public growing bigger and bigger until their next album 'Μια Ματιά σαν Βροχή' (Mia Matia san Vrohi, A Glimpse like Rain (1997)) which, with changes in sound and composition, added new dynamic to their profile. The public reception pushed sales very high, making them a respectable band. More particularly, their third album earned them gold and their second platinum. Their successful appearances that summer in 'Festival of Vyronas' in Athens - where a record of 8,000 audience was gathered - and Nicosia, Cyprus, proofed their reception.
The same year, after an invitation from MTV, the band appeared in H.Q. Club in London, after replacing Panos Tolios at drums with Takis Kannelos of Mode Plagal. Concerts were played in four cities of England.
Because of the busy concert schedule, another change appeared in the formation of Xylina Spathia, now with Giannis Mitsis taking the place of Takis Kannelos as drummer.
The highlights of their career were thought to be their concert at the Rockwave Festival (1998), their support appearance at a Rolling Stones concert in Athens in September 1998 and their sold-out concerts in Rodon, Athens and Mylo, Thessaloniki, also in 1998.
Their last work, 'Ένας Κύκλος στον Αέρα' (Enas Kyklos ston Aera, A Circle in the Air (2000)) added new, electronic elements to their style and is actually another classic and representative album of the band.
After that, the band left the scene for reasons unknown. Despite that, the influence of their songs with the catchy melodies and the lyrical depth can still be noticed. Not only because their songs are still sung by people and played on the radio, but also because they encouraged other bands to continue what they started. Public reception and sales make Xylina Spathia within reason the most successful Greek band along with Trypes.