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SUPER VINTAGE: "Shining Light" (promo video)

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I reviewed REVOLUTION HIGHWAY the other day, and from that band's Greek guitarist STAVROS PAPADOPOULOS also comes a band called SUPER VINTAGE. The most striking thing here is that Stavros is also a singer besides a shredding guitarist, and we can hear this on the band's 5th album Shining Light. He doesn't have the incredible Rock God voice of REVOLUTION HIGHWAY's David, but thankfully still sounds good enough for this kind of bluesy Hardrock, and he sings without an accent! The band is based in Greece and also features guitarist PANAGIOTIS ZABOURLIS, bassist JIM MORALIS and drummer CHRIS LAGIUS. Shining Light from the corona year 2020 contains 11 strong songs with a clear Bluesy Melodic Hardrock approach, a little bit WHITESNAKE ish and sometimes very close to classic BADLANDS and PAUL RODGERS' BAD COMPANY, especially during the superb semi melodic rocker Birds on a wire, which is definitely the best song on the album! On this song Stavros shines as a soulful singer and makes his guitar soar at his very best! The material is a little lighter than REVOLUTION HIGHWAY, and very close to classic bluesy hard rock with quite a lot of Southern Rock influences throughout the album, such as the BLACKFOOT/LYNYRD SKYNYRD ish Southern Son and Take A Ride, both sensational pieces of pure Classic Rock! Another highlight is the beautiful calmer bluesy melodic semi rock ballad Shining Light (WHITESNAKE ish) and how about the sensational calmer and extremely melodic Too Long that even has a touch of VAN ZANT, and is acoustic guitar/harmony vocal driven with an almost 1970s kinda feeling a la AMERICA as well. This album surely surprised me a lot, as it is very diverse and ticks a lot of boxes (Bluesy Hardrock, Classic Rock with a soul, Southern Rock and Melodic Rock), so I would say check out this excellent Greek band.

Gabor Kleinbloesem / Strutter'zines (February 2021)
 

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Super Vintage is a project by the Greek guitarist Stavros Papadopulos, you wonder if a Greek man with that surname plays the guitar with skill and I answer that he does it impeccably. Stavros is an exceptional guitar, he sings very well and is a true master with the guitar, dominating all the styles of the style more than enough. Blues rock with southern airs from Greece, something unthinkable years ago, but although it is true that the Hellenic country has been offering us very interesting bands and artists for a long time, not only Vangelis or Demis Roussos come from there, there are also very interesting artists such as the case of Elias Zaikos, Socrates Drank The Conium or more current bands like Wild Rose and Sakis Dovolis Trio to name a few.

Papadopoulos signed with Grooveyard and has published several projects with the label among which are Revolution Highway, Freerock Saints, a tribute to Rory Gallagher or his mother band Super Vintage that comes from their first project called Hush'n Rush.

Let's get down to business, let's talk about Shining Light, looking at the cover you can't help but remember the logo of Lone Wolf Productions, the ZZ Top production company. Listening to the songs it is clear to you that if it were an American band it would not be surprising. A forceful sound with a bluesy rhythmic base, sharp guitars, good sliders, a cazallosa voice and that powerful but melodic air interpreted with great taste and mastery. Chris Lagios on drums, Jim Moralis on bass and Panagiotis Zabourlis on rhythm guitar accompany Papadopoulos who takes care of everything else including the production of the album, the result is more than remarkable, achieving an excellent sound.

Among the songs it is difficult to choose any one in particular, sometimes we find moments reminiscent of Outlaws such as "Take A Ride" with a beautiful entry with backing vocals and a catchy chorus adored by an excellent guitar work. "Southern Son" could be included in any Lynyrd Skynyrd album because of the way he treats the composition and even because of Stavros' way of singing. "Birds On A Wire" has a very strong riff and is really one of those songs that you would like to enjoy traveling one of those endless American highways. Very beautiful is "Shining Light" with an acoustic sound that is intertwined with fierce electric guitars. On "Too Long" the voice has nuances reminiscent of the late Charlie Daniels, a more country rock track with a fantastic acoustic solo. "Lone Star Rider" is a very direct track with a powerful riff, fast and well driven by the guitars. The final "Brothers" is again more country rock than southern but it has an aftertaste that reminds me a lot of what Poco did. In short, the album has very varied and interesting songs that if you are followers of the southern style you will love them, forget they are not American, listen to it with an open mind and enjoy this magnificent band led by one of the best guitars of the Grooveyard team .

Alex Lee Rush / Rock Angels (December 2020)
 

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A band called Super Vintage is already telling you clearly what the music is about. Few groups clearly define their attitude towards life and this is one of them. Furthermore, 'Shining Light' was created and produced by Stavros Papadopoulos during the Corona with the deep conviction that music has a healing power and this is the positive message that surrounds the songs on this album. The idea that we all need a 'Shining Light' to help us heal and repair our minds and hearts during difficult times.

But it's not about hippy or flower power style music, no. It's a full of energy blues rock and southern rock album, wow! The songs have a powerful force that you capture with the entry of "Down The Road", it is reaffirmed during "Birds On A Wire" and already for "Southern Son" it gives you the assurance that everything will end well, and I'm not just talking about music. The power of the guitars is sublime and the vocal timbre is typical southern. Sometimes I feel that one of the Van Zant brothers has flown over the studios where this album was recorded.

If the CD only had these three songs, I would have already felt well paid, but the magic continues with “Take A Ride” heir to ABB's music. New music born with experience. Papadopoulos wasn't born in Jacksonville, but he has his mind there. Panagiotis Zabourlis supports the rhythm guitars adding a force that is much more evident in the title track while the rhythm section composed by Jim Moralis and Chris Lagios on bass and drums respectively works to emphasize the slow and heavy rhythm most of the time, although Lagios runs when we least expect it.

As the album progresses, the songs become more southern, inserting typical vocal harmonies of the style and playing with the acoustic guitars to achieve pleasant notes in intimate songs like “Too Long” or the electric ones to create a rhythmic cadence that makes you feel that you ride slowly under the desert sun of Texas until you reach the madness of "Lone Star Rider" which is a guitar delight, then your horse will be the duel of your destiny.

The album was produced by Stavros Papadopoulos, who also recorded and mixed it at the Freerock Recording Studio (Kavala City, Greece). If they told me this is a forgotten gem of a band from the seventies, I would have believed it. If Papadopoulos reads this review, I want him to know that he did it, at least with me: I feel much better, more relaxed and calm, "The Healing Power."

Tony González / Made In Metal (November 2020)
 

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Three song titles probably give you a huge clue in terms of the musical style: ‘Southern Son’, ‘Bourbon Man’ and ‘Sweet Rocking’ Mama’. This is a cross between Van Zandt (80%), Little Caesar (10%) and assorted (10% Blackberry Smoke, Sambora, etc). However, the songs on ‘Shining Light’ would be those that made their albums but were more supportive than standout for the listened bands. If you like hard southern rock then this should be investigated, although the biggest surprise is that the band is Greek, as it has the authenticity of those raised in the south of the USA on moonshine and music, and there is no discernible accent in the vocals. There are plenty of guitar breaks in the Skynyrd fashion. ‘Birds On A Wire’, ‘Southern Son’, and ‘Too Long’ are my favourite tracks.

Matt Stevenson / Powerplay Magazine UK (November 2020)
 

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A Greek band that deserves international exposure. This power quartet featuring guitar slinger Stavros Papadopoulos were known only by name to me. After listening to their latest (fifth) album I feel ashamed calling myself a Southern rock fan. These guys have a great equilibrium of classic Southern rock, blues and early 70's hard rock. Great guitars reminding a lot of Allman Brothers. Leslie West and Jimi Hendrix of course, vocal harmonies in the style of Allman and Skynyrd and some tight, vivid hard rock with tunes lenght usually over 5 minutes.

The opener "Down the road" has all the elements to be in an album by ALLMAN BROTHERS, MOUNTAIN, BLACKFOOT and you can always listen to some FREE influences in their sound. "Southern son" is a song that could easily be at "God and Guns" and make LYNYRD SKYNYRD fans proud.. But the free/jam form is submιtted to the song form and the album is a delight for the listener.

In our days of vintage, retro rock trend such albums are an example of the help by the internet to look out for artists who live and perform outside the formulas and the corporate music. Traditional yes but also inspired, up-to-date Southern rock with balls.

Stelios Basbayiannis / Book & Music Tales Blogspot (November 2020)
 

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Two years ago, Super Vintage released a decent hard rock record with “Destiny”. Now the Greek band is back with “Shining Light”. The new album takes a huge step forward towards Southern Rock. While the introduction to the CD with the guitar runs on “Down The Road” or the singing style on “Birds On A Wire” clearly shows the musical corner from which the Greeks come, the work then takes a turn towards Southern. The intros in particular are dusty and evocative of the American south. In this respect, “Southern Son” is first class, which also offers a catchy refrain. The polyphonic vocal passages on “Take A Ride” and the slower “Too Long” also testify to the new direction of Super Vintage. The latter song, like the strong title track "Shining Light", is carried by an acoustic guitar. Super Vintage plays a kind of desert blues rock on "Keep It Up" and "Bourbon Man". The emphasis in the first song is on rock and the second on blues. In between, the quartet sprinkles another number of the harder pace ("Lone Star Rider"). At the end of the long player there is finally Southern Rock, which is equal to the American predecessors of this genre. With “Sweet Rockin‘ Mama ”, Super Vintage indulges in a stronger variety and with the concluding ballad“ Brothers ”there is a calmer contribution to the disc.

Super Vintage continues to develop its strengths, which include the atmospheric intros in particular. With a few exceptions, the pieces end with a gradual fade out, which doesn't seem so elegant. There is therefore still room for optimization in the details. Bandleader Stavros Papadopoulos is currently in an extremely productive phase. In addition to his solo debut "Spirits On The Rise" this year, he is exploring new musical regions with his band Super Vintage. The affinity to hard rock shines through on “Shining Light”, but the earthier sound represents a step forward compared to the previous work. The group gains profile by turning to roots rock. “Shining Light” is one of the positive surprises for 2020. When it comes to the quality of the songwriting, Stavros Papadopoulos has gone one better and the album appears to be much more varied than its predecessor. Few bands on the European mainland are dedicated to the Southern. If Super Vintage stays in the current direction, the quartet can develop into a reference point for Southern Rock on the old continent.

Michael Segets / Sounds Of The South (Germany) (October 2020)
 

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If I did not know any better I would tell you that Super Vintage comes from a place like Jacksonville in Florida, the home town of great southern rock bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet and Blackfoot. But it turns out that this band comes from Greece with guitarist/song writer, singer and producer Stavros Papadopoulos as their main man. Stavros has been active for quite a while, has recorded four earlier albums with Super Vintage, recorded and released a solo-album (‘Spirits On The Rise’) and is also involved with a handful of other bands.

Listening to the eleven tracks I really feel that this is too good to be true. Stavros and his band mates have managed to create a warm blues and southern rock based record where all the southern rock ingredients are showcased in fine songs like "Southern Son’’, "Bourbon Man’’, the classic rocking "Too Long’’ and the semi-ballad "Shining Light’’. His vocals are also quite astonishing and at times very tasteful. The music is a mix between blues rock, southern rock and a bit of heavy rock can be detected as well. And above all the record has a super melodic character. The only typical ingredient that is missing would be the typical guitar duels that is so characteristic for the above mentioned bands and a group like Outlaws. But Stavros does a good job by himself as his songs are very mature and the execution pretty immaculate. The production is kept pretty basic I guess but all in all the whole record sounds very genuine and honest. A bit more fire in the hole on the production side would have been nice but in this case there is enough bite and grit there, so Super Vintage can look back and be proud of an honest sounding bluesy/southern rock record from European soil. Stavros and his team have used the lockdown for COVID-19 to their advantage as they managed to record the album. A pleasant discovery I might say.

Michel van de Moosdijk / Headbangers Lifestyle (October 2020)
 

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Does Stavros Papadopoulos ever sleep? I mean I’ve literally lost count of the amount of bands and projects he helms for the ever fruitful Grooveyards Records, never mind the cornucopia of albums those outfits have released. However, it’s maybe with Super Vintage that Big Papa makes his mightiest mark and with his hard rockin’ blues band’s fifth offering he might just have made their strongest contribution. In all honesty, the six string master ain’t pulling the screens back on anything dazzlingly new on Shining Light and yet for all that this is groove infested rock from start to finish, not once does this set of songs feel anything less than fresh, invigorating and vital. Cleverly, however, there are a few little tweaks here and there for Shining Light, the band rounded out by drummer Chris Lagios, bassist Jim Moralis and rhythm fret pounder Panagiotis Zabourlis adding a few less expected moments.

“Down The Road” gets the journey started by gouging out a deep rocker that pulls in elements of Foghat, Zeppelin, Bonamassa and Whitesnake as it fires an arrow right through the bull’s eye of boogie, blues, hard rock and something altogether more melodic. Stavros has always been a decent singer but the growth in his vocal style is marked here when compared to this band’s debut - 2015’s Salvation Road - with the singing now a perfect marriage to the energetic rifftabular outbursts. From the mid-paced but fiery “Bird On A Wire” to the unsurprisingly Southern rock tinged “Southern Son” and from the beautiful clean guitars and infectious beats of the heartfelt “Too Long” to the considered “Sweet Rockin’ Mama”, the impact never once lessens and yet a lot of these tracks are cut from a more considered cloth where the intention isn’t to burn a trail of fret-fury but instead to pull at the heartstrings - albeit with vim and vigour. It’s an approach that really suits Super Vintage and when they have simply stunning numbers like “Brothers” up their sleeves to close this album out, then no wonder.

It would be unfair to call Shining Light an album that finds Super Vintage coming of age, after all, they’ve been an accomplished act since their inception. And yet, I can’t quite shake off the welcome feel that this band have matured here and in a most engaging fashion. Either way, Shining Light and Super Vintage are classic heavy - but maybe not as heavy as we might have expected - blues rock at its very best.

Steven Reid / Sea Of Tranquility (October 2020)
 

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Earthy rock that has a healing effect.

This company has now reached the fifth album and that although mastermind Stavros Papadopoulos only launched this formation less than ten years ago and is known to be active in dozens of other bands as well, and seems to be busy as a producer.

The good man is definitely not lacking in inspiration, nobody has doubts about his class as songwriter, guitarist and singer for years anyway. Therefore, the expectations of "Shining Light" are not exactly low, but the guy manages once more to easily pull the listener to his side. Provided, logically, that you have just as much for shirt-sleeved skirt of the dignified pace as for an unpretentious manner of presentation.

That's exactly what you can hear on "Shining Light". As was to be expected, the disc is shaped by the boss's casually plucked lead guitar and stylistically settled in almost all sub-genres of traditional rock. From earthy blues rock to the easy-going, fat southern groove in the tried and tested manner, Stavros once again has pretty much everything that the listener expects from him.

Compared to previous SUPER VINTAGE albums, however, some of the lyrics are a little more thoughtful this time. Since he wrote and recorded all of the numbers during the worldwide rampant Covid-19 pandemic, that should not necessarily cause surprise. On the contrary, one can only agree with his message of using the healing power of music in times like these. Tracks like 'Birds On A Wire', 'Southern Son', 'Lone Star Rider' or 'Bourbon Man' prove that without any ifs or buts!

Walter Scheurer / Power Metal Germany (September 2020)
 

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Blues is the basis for earthy heavy rock and Super Vintage is heavy southern rock with blues in its veins. Typically American one would think. Far from it, the band comes from Greece. It may be that the Greeks are bon vivants, but at least they have a soul, just like the American South. The head of the band on guitar and mic has a name that I would give a Greek if I were to dig deep into the cliché box: Stavros Papadopoulos. But I am careful not to ridicule this awesome record. It's just too well made for that. If you were to draw heavy classic rock heaven in its most beautiful tones, it would sound like SHINING LIGHT. And that's meant as a compliment! With songs like “Take A Ride” or the stylistically completely different “Shining Light” you can hear the genes of a varied record, on which there is actually nothing to improve.

Ewald Funk / Classic Rock - Germany (September 2020)
 

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The Greek band Super Vintage from Kavala was formed in 2012 under the name Hush 'N Rush. After the name change in 2014, the band consists since 2016, after several line-up changes, of: Stavros Papadopoulos - vocals, solo and acoustic guitar, slide guitar and keyboards, Panagiotis Zabourlis - rhythm guitar, Panagiotis Zabourlis - bass guitar and Chris Lagios - drums. Under the name Hush 'N Rush, the band self-released the mp3 albums "Kick Over The Traces" (2013) and the acoustic "Tales Never Told" (2014). After the name change followed the CDs "Salvation Road" (2015), "Rock N 'Roll For Your Soul" (Hush' N Rush compilation album, 2015), "Welcome To Mojo Land" (2016), "Destiny" (2018) and "Shining Light" (2020), all of which were released through Grooveyard Records.

Their latest album "Shining Light" contains 11 songs and starts with "Down The Road", in which the band plays a great mix of hard and blues rock, which has tempo changes and an infectious rhythm and this song is followed by "Birds On A Wire", a beautiful quiet rock song, which has a recurring rhythm and" Southern Son ", a wonderful mix of blues and hard rock in an average tempo, which has an infectious rhythm that encourages movement. This is followed by "Take A Ride", a fantastic swinging up-tempo Southern rock song with a recurring rhythm, where sitting still is not an option, the title song "Shining Light", a beautiful, quite calm, rock song with various tempo changes (listen to this song via the youtube link below the review) and "Too Long", an excellent Southern rock song, which is played at a not too fast tempo, which has an infectious danceable rhythm. In "Keep It Up" Super Vintage presents me with a delightful mix of hard and progressive blues rock, which swings like a train and sitting still is not possible, in "Lone Star Rider" I get a great up-tempo rock song. which has an infectious danceable rhythm and great guitar playing and in "Bourbon Man" the band lets me enjoy a great blues rock song, which is played at an average tempo and has a recurring rhythm, where it is difficult not to get moving. Further follow "Sweet Rockin 'Mama", also a nice song with Southern rock influences and "Brothers", a nice quiet song, which again has influences from the American Southern rock bands.

Super Vintage's "Shining Light" contains excellent varied songs, which sound nice and encourage you to dance, shuffle and swing like a train from time to time and I can heartily recommend this disc to fans of hard and blues rock, as well as Southern rock.

Carry Munter / New Underground Music Blog (Holland) (October 2020)
 

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Hopefully, fans of old school hard rock have better track on suitable bands than I have. You see, in spite of this being the fifth album by Greek band SUPER VINTAGE, I did not know about them!

Sometimes they’re a cool mix of early albums by WHITESNAKE and DEEP PURPLE! The title track ”Shining Light” is one example. In other songs there are clear vibes of ZZ TOP, although maybe a hunch more hard rock. They also have a groove that I really like – check out ”Birds On A Wire” for example.

Lead vocalist STAVROS PAPADOPOULOS, also on excellent guitar, has a great voice for this type of music. Charismatic and slightly rusty, he fits right into the (sound) picture. Good stuff indeed!

Ola Gränshagen / Melodic Net (October 2020)
 

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If there is one thing that can be said for sure, it is that the guitarist, keyboardist and singer Stavros Papadopoulos is the clear boss in the ring for the band Super Vintage. For their meanwhile fifth album, "Shining Light", he not only took over the positions mentioned above, but also the production and mixing. In other words, he was responsible for the entire recording process as well as the end product, and only the three other band members were involved in the project with regard to recording their instruments. Respect! Now the Greek hard rock band has taken a dangerous path, because when a person is so involved in an album, it can very quickly happen that they no longer see the forest for the trees. But no, not Stavros Papadopoulos, because what is presented with these eleven tracks is powerful, handmade, melodic and very good hard rock, which also drifts into southern rock.

This becomes particularly clear with (the title already suggests) "Southern Son", during which the Greeks sound very much like Lynyrd Skynyrd with Johnny Van Zant on the microphone and at the time of "The Last Rebel". So that's it, because on the one hand there are much worse reference bands, on the other hand, apart from the sound and vocals, the number comes across very independent and good. Funnily enough, the reviewer thinks he can make out clear allusions to the Allman Brothers Band in some guitar parts and (vocally) their "Midnight Rider" in the track "Take A Ride" that follows immediately. And yet the quartet manages to keep these tracks interesting and thus keep the listener interested. Papadopoulos has his instruments 100% under control and the other three musicians also deliver rock-solid rhythm work. For the title song, the acoustic is first unpacked until the lead parts and finally the entire band join in.

Sure, the southern Europeans already have it in their name. It's all very vintage, you've all heard the song structures and arrangements of combos from around the mid-seventies to the end of the nineties. So the wheel doesn't want to be reinvented in the first place, a fact that every listener can evaluate for himself. With "Too Long" it stays with the acoustic guitar and this piece also has a slight country touch. But whatever Super Vintage do, they do it well. Now one more thing for the ladies: "Sweet Rockin 'Mama" begins slowly, before shifting up two gears again and rocking hard. Very nice. The "Bourbon Man" drifts around the corner with fine slide guitar playing and remains relaxed on the one hand, and standing under a certain internal tension in the ring on the other until the last gong has sounded.

Anyone who likes hard and southern rock from the mid-seventies to the mid-nineties and doesn't mind the fact that the old structures are held firmly to the fore will really enjoy "Shining Light" by Super Vintage. I would like to recommend the opening "Down The Road", "Sweet Rockin 'Mama", the hard-hitting "Lone Star Rider" and the very cool, groovy "Keep It Up" as a play. But actually it doesn't matter, as there is no filling material or emergency nail to be found here. So one can attest to Stavros Papadopoulos and his band a very good job and a top album that only has to deal with the already mentioned deductions in the B-note. Overall, the second half of the record is a lot quieter than the first, but that shouldn't be understood as a point of criticism. The pluses clearly predominate and there is actually hardly anything to complain about. Thumbs up!

Markus Kerren / Rock Times (Germany) (September 2020)
 

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‘Shining Light’ by Super Vintage is the latest offering by Stavros Papadopoulos and Company. Truth be told, I have been following this guitar slinger from the beginning of his career, and so I’ve come to always expect excellence from him — he has delivered nothing short of guitar perfection from his earliest recordings. Each time I sit down to listen to him, he amazingly surpasses his prior effort. This CD is no exception (though it IS exceptional). I must say, these songs feel like they’ve been with me my entire life. They are familiar but unique: Varied blues-rock — both raunchy and delicate — with haunting melodies and profound lyrics, and of course incomparable guitar playing. All original, no filler, and not to be missed. Papadopoulos — You da man!

Steven J. Rosen / Author + Journalist (September 2020)
 

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