It was a hot Cretan summer back in 2013 when the band had one of its firsts gigs in the cultural center of the University of Crete. The audience did not know what to anticipate from a band that claimed that aggregates ostensibly non-related music styles. Babel Trio started preforming.
Almost in a ritual way, melodies from Cretan traditional music took an electrified character, distorted riffs with aggression and with a heavy dose of explosive drums, their music took over the audience. People started moving their heads and felt the connection to their music roots but in an unprecedented way. A member of the Audience shouted to the band "Play metal! Play Metal", to get the response from the drummer of the band "We only play Cretal". That was the day when “Cretal”, the music style of Babel Trio was born.
Almost in a ritual way, melodies from Cretan traditional music took an electrified character, distorted riffs with aggression and with a heavy dose of explosive drums, their music took over the audience. People started moving their heads and felt the connection to their music roots but in an unprecedented way. A member of the Audience shouted to the band "Play metal! Play Metal", to get the response from the drummer of the band "We only play Cretal". That was the day when “Cretal”, the music style of Babel Trio was born.
Babel Trio is consisted by three members, Dimitris (electric lute), Trikalero (drums), Michael (electric bass). Babel Trio's members come from different areas of Greece bringing together at least three different influences of Greek traditional Music. Dimitris, with roots from Crete, Trikalero from the North-west part of the mainland and Michael from the Ionian Islands, were involved in music in very early ages, inspired by traditional, classic, jazz and metal/stoner rock music styles. Growing up in non-urban areas they experienced traditional music concerts and fests that included also big circle dances. Their traditional music influences along with their heavy rock 'blender', and their personal, electric touch, creates a uniquely blended sound that likened as classic Cretan lyre player Skordalos possessed by the Melvins.
Babel trio is aiming in producing music that screams the cultural, economic and social struggle of Greeks nowadays, through the emotional state of anger. These emotions are expressed though explosive drums and distorted traditional melodies played by the electric lute and the electric bass, and speaks in a progressive folk rock, psychedelic music code, rooted in the island of Crete and the Aegean sea. Although Babel trio’s inspiration is derived mostly from the traditional music of the Aegean and Crete, has also an international character aiming to convey the messages beyond the Greek borders.
Babel Trio’s vision is to present people’s struggle of preserving their own local cultural identity in a period of social, economic and cultural crisis in Greece and worldwide. Babel trio’s goal is to convey its messages not only to the Greek public but also to the European and why not Global audience. Emotions, concepts and concerns such as Anger, despair, revolution and romanticism are expressed through its music. In the track "Rizitiko”, for example, that is a traditional Cretan song that speaks about freedom we choose not to use voices and in that way to express how our culture tends to remain speechless in this period of crisis. Another example is the “Karouzos dialogue” track where the band is conveying the vainglory of the modern times lifestyle.
source: the band itself
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