Balothizer, the punk rockers who's following dubbed their sound as ‘Cretan music from Hell’, return with a second album - this time with an even heavier dose of cutthroat punk rebelliousness.

Cretan Smash is a whole new level of unabashed Cretan spirit: grittier arrangements of the Greek island’s already fiery folk music performed with a raw, jackhammering intensity - all mixed by Deerhoof’s Greg Saunier. The result is something that sounds like a coupling of Psarantonis and a 1980s punk gathering in a grimy basement full of moshing weirdos.

Hear single ‘Jegaman’ - 23 October | YouTube

Prior to the 13 November album release, Balothizer are sharing their second single ‘Jegaman’. The track is a blend of two tunes authored by a Cretan fisherman known as “Jegas” who arrived on the island from Peloponnesus and, although not a native, loved Crete’s music so much that he ended up writing some of the island’s most legendary songs.

'Jegaman' features revered Greek folk musician Stratos Skarakis' introductory violin taqsim-improvisation before exploding into a wave of hardcore punk staccato riffs. A native of Crete, Skarakis ornaments the track with idioms from the Kissamos region on the island.

Rewind to August 2018: soundcheck at Fengaros Festival, Cyprus. Balothizer were promoting their songs for their December 2018 debut album Cretan Music From Hell. Balothizer’s punk ethos and sandwich melt concoction of thrash metal splotched with acid-blotted Cretan folk music immediately caught the attention of Greg Saunier, the drummer of indie institution Deerhoof. Saunier later approached the band and offered to mix what was to be Balothizer’s subsequent album - Cretan Smash.

So who are Balothizer? Balothizer’s members each have an intense passion for Crete’s music and the shared ethos of the island’s people, with their long-standing history of constant rebellion against centuries of conquerors, their triumph over invasive fascists, their traditions of reciting Cretan musical poetry with so much spirit by colouring melodies with stoutly vocals and ornamental inflections, and the sheer punk essence exuding from their percussive strumming of the Cretan lute.

The album's first single, ‘Ponente & Levante’ was released on 9 October. Balothizer explains the song as a medieval song about a lonely knight travelling from west to east and befriended only by his sword and money-pouch - a timeless message about the horrors of materialistic-driven societies and politics.

The band draws special attention to the track ‘Aleppo’. The lyrics are from a folk song adored in Crete, known as ‘Halepianos Manes’ (translating to “Aleppian Melody”). The song’s melody is a folk tune, which - like countless cultural arts and traditions from the area - is shared across the region from modern-day Greece to modern-day Syria. The track presents the shared use of the folk dance tune, known as ‘Qadukka Al Mayyas’ in Arabic, ‘Ada Sahilleri’ in Turkish, and ‘Matia Mu/ San Pas ta Xena’ in Greek.

Track Listing:

1. Jegaman
2. Peace
3. Aleppo
4. Ponente & Levante
5. Foustalieris 2
6. Anathema

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