En-Garde

Who could’ve guessed that the same musicians that spawned such raw and dirty music as SARCASTIC TERROR would only a few years down the road emerge as pioneers of Greek Gothic Metal? Well, that’s pretty much what happened when Iordanis Anastasiadis (guitars – NAISSANT, NOCTURNAL DEATHSARCASTIC TERROR) and Giorgos Krepouris (bass, vocals – SARCASTIC TERROR) joined forces with drummer Dimitris Kanellopoulos (BLACK SUN, FUNERAL STORM, INNER FEAR, etc.) and soprano vocalist/keyboardist Elisabeth Kotronia in 1994 to form the early lineup of Athens-based EN-GARDE.

Of course, there were other bands in Greece who flirted with Gothic/Romantic musical features, themes and atmospherics, but EN-GARDE stood out from other Hellenic acts with their unique take on this at-the-time emerging subgenre of Metal. Rather than incorporating Gothic elements within a Black/Death Metal framework (in the line of say, NIGHTFALL) or adopting the “Beauty and the Beast” gimmick of continental groups such as THEATRE OF TRAGEDY, EN-GARDE carved out a niche of their own through solemn and dramatic music that in terms of style could be positioned somewhere between Heavy Metal, Gothic Rock and Neo-Romantic/orchestral music.

EN-GARDE was formed in Athens ’94, originally operating as a four-piece. The early days were characterized by stylistic experimentation before the band established their core sound which remained fairly stable throughout the band’s career. Their first official release came out in 1995 as a two-track 7”-single on Darkside Records (“Negative Self Image”), showcasing the basic ingredients that would be further developed on the band’s sophomore release “Deviation” (1995) – for example with the addition of male tenor vocals on the third track (a surprisingly listenable rendition of ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER’s “Phantom of the Opera”!) Allegedly, this release was originally meant to be published through the band’s current record company (Darkside Records, perhaps?), but since the label was forced to shut down the band distributed “Deviation” by themselves as a six-track cassette EP. Side note: on the “Deviation” j-card it says that the EP was released through “In Vision Musik!” – a label known for issuing, another other things, ODIUM’s (Nor) “Sad Realm of the Stars” LP as well as ZEPHYROUS’ second full-length album “Towards…”. If anyone knows if this label were run by members of EN-GARDE, please let us know!

After gaining some well-deserved attention through the inclusion of the song “Kid’s” on Metal Hammer’s “Hammer Holocaust” compilation series in 1995, EN-GARDE finally unleashed their debut full-length album “Comedia de L’arte” in 1997 through Throne Productions (a label run by Frixos Dimitriadis of the Cypriot Black Metal band GODBLOOD). Here the listener can experience EN-GARDE in what is arguably their most cultivated sonic shape, with improved technical as well as compositional abilities, while occasionally showcasing a slight turn towards Gothic Rock territories during selected songs. Another obvious novelty on the album is the inclusion of male vocalist John Pediaditakis, who shared the vocal spot with Elisabeth K, who by this time had developed into a highly competent soprano.

Despite of the band discussing the possibility of a second full-length in old interviews, “Comedia de L’arte” unfortunately proved to be EN-GARDE’s swansong in terms of featuring new material. A compilation CD was released retrospectively through Sleaszy Rider Records in 2003, entitled “Forgotten Memories”, featuring the debut 7” and “Deviation” (no unreleased bonus tracks…)

For those who wish to dig deeper, there allegedly exists a promotional tape released in 1995, but we haven’t been able to confirm whether the tracks included here are alternate versions or the same ones as included on “Negative Self Image” and “Deviation”. There’s also a bunch of Eastern-European bootleg versions of “Comedia de L’arte” floating around, but since these are unofficial releases we have refrained from including them below.

Compilation appearances:
* Hammer Holocaust I [CD, Comp: Metal Hammer & Heavy Metal, 1995]