For a live album, this is something special. For a band who have been together since 2007, Villagers of Ioannina City’s output is limited. However, the combination of psychedelic, stoner, and progressive rock, laced with other folk and traditional instruments offer a unique perspective into their vision – a real collision of cultures and a kaleidoscopic explosion of intensity.
The show centres on The Age of Aquarius, with the band playing the album in full. They splice in other songs as the show progresses. The opening three tracks take over 22 minutes. There are few short, sharp shocks here. Instead, an extended and hypnotic workout is never rushed. The title track and “Part V” anchor the first part of this show. It’s splendidly performed, with vocalist Alex Karametis bringing a richness in his vocals, as well as some fine subtle guitar work. This combined with the numerous additional instruments including the wind work of Konstantinos Lazos and clarinet of Konstantis Pistiolis brings a stunning edge to the songs.
A trio of songs from 2014’s debut Riza follows. The band are in perfect synchronicity, the music is uplifting, emotional, and even spiritual in nature. The combination of the stoner edge and bagpipe, clarinet, and wind instruments simply fantastic. “Perdikomata” follows “Nova”, the slightly jarring opening riffs of the former providing a crashing contrast with the smoother riffs of “Nova”. It develops into one of the most stunning songs on the album, no mean feat given the excellence of each composition. There is symbiotic and organic feel to the song, reciprocated by the ovation at the end of each one, and by the time the band launch into “Skaros” with their trance-like rhythmic patterns and snake charmer clarinet, you are already much immersed.
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As the album unfolds, it’s impossible to not be seduced by the mesmeric music that the six-piece play. We get the full two-hour set which ebbs and flows. There are huge cheers for the band’s big 2014 track “Zvara”, one of the shorter pieces on the set list but so aurally captivating. The crowd help Karametis, he hardly has to sing, such is the volume of the audience. It’s an immense piece of work and a real central pillar for this release. By the time we get to the final epic, 2014’s single “Karakolia”, there is a feeling of both exhilaration and exhaustion. It’s a quite stunningly perfect release, and one that can only increase the desire to one-day experience such a show in the flesh.
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Through Space and Time (Alive in Athens 2020) is out on March 3rd
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