Angelo Perlepes' Mystery [English]

Posted by universechild On Oct 22, 2011 0 comments

Angelo Perlepes is one of the best metal guitarists and one of the most important rock musicians in Greece. Born in 1966, his involvement with the Hellenic Heavy Metal scene dates back to the late 70s/early 80s.

His very first band as a youngster was Stigma, while later in the 90s he assumed guitar duties for Blood Cover. He started his own personal band, Mystery, in 1986. Their recording career spans the 90s and the 00s, but their spirit definitely belongs in the classic rock decades, the 70s and the 80s.

As it is the case with other masters of guitar like Yngwie Johahn Malmsteen, his absolute hero is Richie Blackmore, and the Neoclassical style of his music can be compared with that of the Swede virtuoso. Perlepe’s albums, however, beyond the technical prowess which isn’t in the responsibility of a non-musician to judge, overflow with emotion and, as the title of one of his albums reads, passion.

One of the great injustices this God damned country always had is that Perlepes (and other important names of rock, like Spitfire and Firewind) are virtually unknown to a wider, non-rock, audience, while Vasilis Papakonstantinou and Pyx Lax are even known to grannies that use the TV for soap operas. The guitar solo (just the solo) from Burning Eyes, Tales of the Unexpected or Neverending Flame, have more emotion that the entire Greek “Rok” scene (a clarification, Greek “Rok” as a separate genre and Greek Rock as actual rock music with either Greek or English vocals, are two entirely different things). We don’t want to seem petty, but sometimes the frustration of this complex towards metal gets to us.

Needless to say, the four full length albums, as well as the other releases (singles, compilation) that he has released with Mystery are must-haves for any fan of classic rock/metal, or guitarists.