Douglas

Arriving to the stage during the primordial days of Greek Heavy Metal, DOUGLAS was formed sometime in the early-1980s (some sources claim 1984) by Greek-Australian brothers Aleko (bass) and Elias Paraskevopoulos (drums) – in the context of DOUGLAS more commonly referred to as Alex and Eliot Douglas. In a way, the band’s history goes even further back as their lineup included guitarist Antonis Kontaxakis (“Tony Conta”) and singer Kornilios Misailidis (“Cornelius”), who were both members of the legendary Greek Heavy Metal/Hard Rock act FOXES. FOXES, which also featured Elias Loginidis of SPITFIRE-fame, recorded a song called “I’m Free Now” (written by Tony K.) that was performed in the movie “Ρεβάνς” (aka “Revanche”) in 1983.

“I’m Free Now” was later recorded by DOUGLAS for their 1984 debut EP: a two-track 12” vinyl on the Greek branch of Virgin Records that in addition to the above-mentioned re-recording also included a cover of THE WHO’s staple classic “Baba O’Riley”. The main reason for indulging on this subject relates to the status of “I’m Free Now” as one of the early products of Genuine Greek Heavy Metal (G.G.H.M.!), with its NWOBHM-like galloping riffs, THIN LIZZY-styled guitars and all-around great attitude. Whether you prefer the older version by FOXES or DOUGLAS’ slightly more refined piece, it remains an important part of Hellenic Metal history. As trivia, it is worth pointing out (in case you haven’t noticed already…) that the album cover for DOUGLAS debut 12” looks pretty similar to OSTROGOTH’s über-classic 12” EP “Full Moon’s Eyes” released the previous year.

Following the release of the debut EP, DOUGLAS proceeded to building an audience through occasional live shows in the Athenian vicinities, during which they allegedly also performed covers by bands like THIN LIZZY, IRON MAIDEN and JUDAS PRIEST. Three years later, now with the addition of Haris Hristou (“Chris Harris”), DOUGLAS finally released their first full-length album, entitled “State of Rock” (1987). Once again releasing through a major label (RCA Records), DOUGLAS had a classic mid-1980s Melodic Hard Rock/AOR sound that is easy on the years, yet not without character and quality. They didn’t go all-out fluffy, but retained a solid ground of relatively heavy riffs (for the style) and a rock-steady rhythm section, over which soared the (surprisingly non-accented) vocals of Cornelius. Today considered a semi-obscure gem by Melodic Hard Rock/AOR crowd, “State of Rock” was originally met with lukewarm reviews. According to available sources, the band only did two gigs following the album release and even though the ballad “It’s Late” got some airplay, the album probably didn’t sell that many copies.

Band activity was relatively modest during the following years, until a second DOUGLAS album somewhat surprisingly arrived in 1991. “Mad” (1991) –released through the Swizz-based Fresh Music label – kept much of the band’s core sound and compositional methodology intact, while at the same time coming off as a little bit heavier than “State of Rock”. Perhaps as a result from the band recording the album in Germany, parallels can definitely be drawn to contemporary Teutonic acts like BONFIRE. Timing and company support (the album was released in a meager edition of 500 copies, making it an expensive rarity these days) didn’t really work in the band’s favor at this time, and the CD soon dropped of all radars. A subsequent quarrel with the German producers (or the record company) seem to have sealed the deal for DOUGLAS, and the band eventually disbanded.

Luckily, the by-now impossible to find “Mad” CD was at last re-released in 2006 by the German MAT label (a branching of Membran Entertainment Group), allowing more than a handful of people to actually hear the album. There have also been talk of more re-editions/re-masters/compilations coming from the band in later years. Perhaps it’s time for a re-formation, guys?

Compilation appearances:
* Ελληνικό Rock [VHS, Comp: VCG, 1984]