Clairvoyant

Like the ancient town of Chalkida they’re hailing from, CLAIRVOYANT has an impressive history (in Heavy Metal terms, that is!) going back to 1989 when the band was originally founded by brothers Vaggelis and George Keramidas (guitars and drums, respectively). The earliest complete lineup (currently unknown) was established in 1991 and was followed by a longer period of gigging and creation of song material that culminated in the band’s first demo tape “The Sign” (1995). By the time of recording their debut, the band included, in addition to the Keramidas brothers, Nick Katopoulos (vocals), George Bazotis (guitars, keyboards) and Nick Lazaris (bass).

Featuring future CLAIRVOYANT staple songs “Fighter’s Soul” and “Clairvoyant”, “The Sign” gives a proper introduction to the band’s original style of galloping Heavy/Power metal, rooted in the 1980s and immersed in epic atmosphere. The tape was received positively by the underground press and more gigs followed; including a 1997 opening spot for ROTTING CHRIST at Chalkida castle. Around this time, George Bazotis left CLAIRVOYANT, leaving Vaggelis as the sole guitarist while Lefteris Sykiotis joined as keyboardist. In 1998, in preparation for their first full-length album, CLAIRVOYANT released a six-track promo tape, simply entitled “Promo 1998”, which included rerecordings of material previously included on “The Sign” along with two new compositions and a cover of the classic VIRGIN STEELE song “Don’t Say Goodbye (Tonight)”.

Finally in 1999 – ten years after the band’s creation – “Fighter’s Soul” (1999) saw the light of day, being released on CD by the Greek JeS Music Factory label. The album collects all of the “Promo 1998” tracks + two instrumental numbers and another classic CLAIRVOYANT composition in the form of “Fate’s Game”. Perhaps partly owing to their original yet hard-to-pin-down sound, “Fighter’s Soul” was met with encouraging response, not only from the fanzines, but also from the bigger Greek magazines as well as foreign metal press. The album eventually sold out, but was re-issued in 2001 by Zenetsis and Unisound Records with new cover art. Moreover, this version of the CD was also included for free with “True Metal” magazine, which of course aided the distribution of the album to a larger audience (also explaining why the CD can be easily obtained for just a few euros).

In the wake of “Fighter’s Soul”, CLAIRVOYANT managed to establish themselves further on the live circuit and shared the stage with many of Greece’s finest Heavy Metal bands (INNER WISH, MARAUDER, POWER CRUE, etc.) as well as international acts such as JAG PANZER (2003), PRAYING MANTIS (2006) and SCORPIONS (2009). However, despite these relatively high-profile gigs, it would take another ten years before the follow-up album was ready for release, entitled “Time’s Crime” (2009). In the years that had past there had occurred quite a few alterations to the lineup. The Keramidas brothers as well as drummer George Keramidas remained from the “Fighter’s Soul” era, but were now joined by vocalist Bill “Colin” Kontos (vocals) along with Kyriakos Katsiadramis (guitars, keyboards) and Chris Kalavris (bass). With so many years having passed and new members added, it is perhaps not so surprising that the band’s style had been modified to some degree. While “Time’s Crime” definitely bears the CLAIRVOYANT signum, the sound and songwriting style had gravitated closer to “pure” contemporary Power Metal, accompanied by a more stylish production.

“The Last Marks of Prophecy” (2015), currently the latest release by the band, pursues a similar mode of expression, although once again several member exchanges had occurred – including the addition of yet another vocalist in the form of Iliour Griften (vocals – HARMONIUM, ILIOUR GRIFTEN’S HEAVEN DENIES). “The Last Marks…” was also the first recording by the band not featuring original drummer George Keramidas, having been replaced by the prolific Foivos Andriopoulos (drums – ALPHAHASTE, LLOTH, SNAKEBITE and many more). The album also featured guest appearances by noted musicians such as Göran Edman (MADISON, JOHN NORUM, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, etc.) and Theodore Ziras (ICE DIVINE, BOB KATSIONIS, HAND OF GOD, etc.)

As of 2021, CLAIRVOYANT is still going strong and a new album is currently in the making and scheduled for release later this year. For those of you who enjoy epic Heavy/Power with plenty of originality, we can do nothing but recommend the band’s debut CD “Fighter’s Soul”, which as mentioned above can be obtained at a very affordable price on the second hand market.

Compilation appearances:
* 10 Νότες Νο 2 [CD, Comp: Ζενετζή / Ποπ + Ροκ, 1996]
* Warzone XX [CD, Comp: Metal Invader, 1998]
* Hellenic Forces Compilation Vol. 1 [CDr, Comp: Self-released (Hellenic Forces Fanzine), 2004]
* Cold Steel [Cass, Comp: Underground Tapes, ?]