Ακρίτας [Akritas] -

Akritas (Ακρίτας) was a Greek symphonic-rock trio that released a self-titled album on Polydor in 1973. The band included musician/vocalist Stavros Logarides, who would later records as a solo artist.

Members: Άρης Τασούλης [Aris Tasoulis] (piano, organ, keyboards), Σταύρος Λογαρίδης [Stavros Logarides] (bass, acoustic guitar, vocals), Γιώργος Τσουπάκης [Giorgos Tsoupakis] (drums)

Background

Akritas formed in Athens in late 1972 around Stavros Logarides, a composer and multi-instrumentalist with roots in both Byzantine chant and 1960s rock. Born in Constantinople in 1953, Logarides received early musical training from his grandfather, a cantor at the Patriarchate, and later formed the bands Juniors and Sphinx, the latter winning a national competition in Turkey. At 15, he moved to Athens, released a single on Polydor, and sang on film soundtracks by Manos Hatzidakis.

In 1970, Logarides co-founded Poll and played on the albums Anthrope… and Lefko Album. He left the group in 1972 over its decision to compete in the Thessaloniki Song Festival and soon formed Akritas with keyboardist Aris Tasoulis (ex-Bourboulia) and drummer Giorgos Tsoupakis. The trio developed a compact, symphonic format with Greek lyrics and complex arrangements. They recorded six tracks in Germany with lyricist Dimitris Papachristou and completed their lone album.

(The name Akritas refers to the frontier guards of the Byzantine Empire who defended its eastern borders. Celebrated in medieval epic poetry, the Akritai symbolized vigilance and cultural resilience—an apt reference for a band exploring the outer edges of rock form.)

Ακρίτας

Akritas released their self-titled album in late 1973 on Greek Polydor.

Stavros Logarides wrote the album’s music and lyrics apart from the last three tracks, co-composed with Aris Tasoulis. Kostas Ferris contributed the libretto and additional lyrics on select numbers. Tasoulis balances piano, organ, and VCS 3 synthesizer, anchored by singer/bassist Logarides and drummer Giorgos Tsoupakis. Guitarist Dimos Papachristou guests on the closing “Ζέτα Ζωρζέτα.”

The 33-minute Akritas unfolds as a compact suite of brief, linked episodes that shift rapidly between textured motifs and clipped rhythmic cells. “Εισβολείς” opens with fast unison bursts between synth and snare, then drops into soft piano with staggered phrasing under a plaintive vocal. “Γέννηση” and “Τα Παιδιά” pivot between gentle acoustic figures, reverberant organ, and phased electric lines, with short dynamic climbs and abrupt halts. “Μνήμη” sustains a slow organ swell across its entire span, while “Επιστροφή” rotates piano, drum, and guitar in ascending layers with abrupt sectional cutoffs.

“Αγάπη” opens with brushed percussion and VCS 3 textures before swelling into its densest section—piano-led and cymbal-driven, with bright high-end bursts and an extended decay. “Τραγούδι” and “Το Πανηγύρι” develop brief piano ostinati over restrained rhythm figures, each building to terse codas without repetition. “Το Όνειρο” and “Ζέτα Ζωρζέτα” stand apart in phrasing and intensity—the former suspends sustained guitar over strummed undercurrent in a slow-lurch pace, while the latter, with guest guitar from Dimos Papachristou, deploys wah textures and sharp cuts in a way that edges toward saturated, high-density layering. Despite the brevity of each track, transitions between passages feel intentional, maintaining a modular flow across the entire sequence.

A1. “Εισβολείς” [Invaders]
A2. “Γέννηση” [Birth]
A3. “Τα Παιδιά” [The Children]
A4. “Μνήμη” [Memory]
A5. “Επιστροφή” [Return]
A6. “Αγάπη” [Love]
A7. “Ego”
A8. “Τραγούδι” [Song]

B1. “Το Πανηγύρι” [The Festival]
B2. “Το Θαύμα” [The Miracle]
B3. “Το Όνειρο” [The Dream]
B4. “Και Ιδού Ίππος Χλωρός” [And Behold a Pale Horse]
B5. “Κατάκτηση” [Conquest]
B6. “Ζέτα Ζωρζέτα” [Zeta Zorzeta]

Sessions occurred at studio facilities in Athens under the direction of producer Kostas Fasolas. Yannis Smyrnaios served as chief engineer, assisted by Giorgos Konstantopoulos.

The Akritas album cover presents a surreal cosmic tableau. Against a dark, star-speckled backdrop, a barefoot child in a white tunic floats weightlessly in open space, angled toward a glowing spiral galaxy at upper left. The child’s upward gaze and trailing limbs evoke a sense of motion and wonder, suggesting both cosmic vulnerability and exploratory ascent. The band’s name appears in uppercase Greek lettering at the top right, minimal and unobtrusive. The imagery aligns with the album’s suite-like structure—unbound by gravity, tethered to abstract movement—and reinforces the conceptual framework hinted at in the subtitle: Σουίτα χορού για κουαρτέτο και play back [Dance suite for quartet and playback].

Postlude

Following the album’s release, Akritas played live with Bourboulia and briefly expanded to include Angela MacKinnon and Giorgos Papadopoulos. In a final studio session, they traveled to London and recorded five unreleased tracks with Vangelis Papathanassiou.

Stavros Logarides worked extensively in film and television scoring through the mid-1970s. He composed music for two major state-broadcast series: Menexedenia Politeia by Angelos Terzakis and Oikogeneia Zarnti by Kostas Chatzargyris, collaborating in the latter with director Kostas Ferris.

In 1977, Logarides composed the soundtrack to I Fonissa, a feature adaptation of Alexandros Papadiamantis’ novella, nominated for Best Music at the Thessaloniki Film Festival. A decade later, his score for Menexedenia Politeia became the subject of a 1987 London court case, when his publisher EMI sued Warner and Vangelis over alleged publishing rights infringement.

During this period, Logarides became a regular contributor to the emerging post-junta Greek cinema, working with directors Giorgos Panousopoulos (Oi Apenanti), Nikos Nikolaidis, Nikos Perakis, Nikos Koundouros, and Ferris (Exoristos stin Kentriki Leoforo), among others.

Discography: