· FREEROCK SAINTS - ELECTRIC PASSION (GYR161) ·

::T R A C K S::

01. MADE FOR FREEDOM
02. REASON TO LIVE
03. ROCKING IN THE FAST LANE
04. PASSION CITY
05. SING CHILD
06. BEAUTIFUL DISSONANCE
07. SOUTHERN SKY
08. THE REASON WHY
09. BLIND
10. FUNKY MAMA
11. WHY LIE?
12. SOUL TRAIN RIDE
13. FIRST WATER


FORMAT: Audio CD / 4 PANEL WALLET
GYR161 - $13.99

Phenomenal 2nd sophomore studio disc by this outstanding female fronted hard rock band from Greece featuring 13 tracks (62 mins) of mega-awesome, powerful, dynamic, soul-powered, blues-based hard rock music that lands supreme and shines like the sun. On the incredible "Electric Passion" disc, Freerock Saints have created and produced a true, authentic Classic Hard Rock musical masterpiece that lands timeless with endless amounts of strength & power. This amazing band deserves all the credit they can get for their vast efforts at Keeping the Rock alive and need to be recognized and admired by serious hard rock music lovers worldwide who dig and appreciate genuine rock n' roll for your soul.

Freerock Saints are fronted by the awesome vocal talents of Areti Valavanopoulou who sings her ass off with heart, soul-power & passion on the "Electric Passion" disc. Our Good Musical Sister Areti is a true modern day rock vocal goddess with pure strength & clarity. Every word Areti sings is delivered with truth & conviction, landing supreme with style, class & authority. Freerock Saints also features the incredible musical talents of Stavros Papadopoulos landing as the guitarist, songwriter & producer. Brother Stavros is a prolific, gifted guitar rocker, a solid man of rock with true love and passion for the music that he creates. His musical vision runs deep & through the roof with vast amounts of power, focus & strength and on the "Electric Passion" disc, Stavros has created & produced his finest musical hour to date. Stavros Papadopoulos is also the creator, guitarist & producer of Super Vintage, Hard Driver & Universal Hippies. All equally as awesome and worth checking out if you heavily dig serious blues-based heavy guitar rock music. The man is a veritable walking six string riff:master supreme on a Mission to Keep the Rock alive. The combination of Stavros' guitar and Areti's vocals land strong & true to the musical core which equate to pure, excellent hard rock bliss. Freerock Saints also feature and are rounded out by the top-shelf musical talents of Dinos Maltezos on bass and Chris Lagios on drums, an amazing, powerful "rock:machine" drummer who also lands on the mega-awesome Hard Driver + Universal Hippies bands & discs. The man is a non-stop, hard rockin' musical force to be reckoned with on the drums. True to their band name, the Freerock Saints have landed timeless and forever as modern day hard rock n' roll saviours at the top of the New Breed Of Classic Rock on the "Electric Passion" disc.

The highlights on the Freerock Saints: "Electric Passion" disc are endless and many complete with an awesome, top-shelf, sonic delivery that speaks the hard rock truth. Of special note, we would like to mention the band has done an incredible professional job throughout their amazing new disc which includes a killer cover version of "Sing Child", an amazing, heavy, obscure, vintage Heart song that the Freerock Saints do serious justice to and nail down bad-ass to the core. Also of special note, guest lyricist Sami Romagnola contributes brilliant lyrics for two songs including a heart-stoppingly perfect tribute to Chris Cornell entitled "First Water." Incredible and deep, this remarkable dedication song closes the "Electric Passion" disc with serious depth, maturity and musical vision, speaking volumes about true honor & admiration for this epic, immortal, musical talent.

The Freerock Saints: "Electric Passion" disc is an essential, brilliant, modern day female fronted hard rock masterpiece of monumental musical proportions. Highly Recommended to fans of awesome, world-class, blues-based, soul-powered, heavy guitar hard rock music. For those About to Rock with Freerock Saints on the "Electric Passion" disc, We Salute You.


MP3 Sample Clips

01. MADE FOR FREEDOM
02. REASON TO LIVE
03. ROCKING IN THE FAST LANE
04. PASSION CITY
05. SING CHILD
06. BEAUTIFUL DISSONANCE
07. SOUTHERN SKY
08. THE REASON WHY
09. BLIND
10. FUNKY MAMA
11. WHY LIE?
12. SOUL TRAIN RIDE
13. FIRST WATER

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· RECOMMENDED GROOVEYARD DISCS ·

FREEROCK SAINTS
"BLUE PEARL UNION"
(GYR154)



HARD DRIVER
"FREEDOM MACHINE"
(GYR156)



SUPER VINTAGE
"...MOJO LAND"
(GYR153)



super vintage
"salvation road"
(GYR142)



super vintage
"rock n' roll"
(GYR143)



STONE MACHINE
"AMERICAN HONEY"
(GYR099)



FOUR STICKS
"ELEC CELEBRATION"
(GYR135)



UNIVERSAL HIPPIES
"MOTHER NAT BLUES"
(GYR159)



· VIDEO ·

 

FREEROCK SAINTS - "FIRST WATER" LYRIC VIDEO

“FIRST WATER” IS DEDICATED WITH GREAT LOVE AND ADMIRATION
TO THE SPIRIT OF CHRIS CORNELL IN THE TRUE HOPE
THAT HE HAS FOUND HIS FEATHER TRAIL.

 

FREEROCK SAINTS - "ELECTRIC PASSION" PRE-RELEASE TEASER

 

COOL INTERVIEW WITH ARETI AND STAVROS OF FREEROCK SAINTS!

 

 

· reviews ·

One of the many brainchildren of the great Stavros Papadopoulos (along with Super Vintage, Hard Driver & Universal Hippies), Freerock Saints is everything that a rock ‘n roll band should be…and then some. With all the members hailing from Greece (!), a country unlike America in so many ways, a strange dichotomy comes to light: they sound more like THE seminal, influential American rock band than ALL of the SUPPOSEDLY seminal, influential rock bands in America. How do they do it? I don’t know, BUT THEY DO.

The title is perfect: Electric Passion is just that: a lustful, electrified platter of steaming hot, hard rockin’ mojo that’s dripping with pulsing, syncopated greased lightning grooves and a backbeat that swings and stings, courtesy of Dinos Maltezos (bass) and Chris Lagios (Drums). The band commands a big boss swagger with their killer and innovative (yet totally relatable) progressions. The soulful crank of Blackberry Smoke comes to mind, but with the throttle completely wide open.

Stavros is without a doubt one of the most touch sensitive guitarists on the planet. He can caress smoothly or throttle mercilessly, and he does so with aplomb - sometimes in the same song. With original twists that’ll drop jaws and chord voicings that’ll raise eyebrows, his lead and rhythm work dominate the sonic landscape, squeezin’, squeakin’, squawkin’, screamin’ and burning his way through the tracks like a flame thrower in a fireworks factory.

Areti Valavanopoulou (vocals) is a force of nature throughout the proceedings. With a soul and fire reminiscent of Nikka Costa, she belts out her high energy, bluesy and full-bodied interpretations of the material with a smooth yet gutsy swagger all her own. She is simply fantastic. When she starts belting it out, her vocals take complete control, guiding this supercharged Ferrari of a band gracefully through tight hairpin turns while redlining on the straightaways. The lyrical content on every cut has maturity, depth and scope; the delivery pleasing to the ear and stirring to the soul. The closing track, First Water, is a particular gem, dedicated to the late, great Chris Cornell (the lyrics, written by Sami Romagnola [the human face of Nyxian:Drift and the brilliant mind behind Grooveyard’s layout & design work] is particularly haunting and heartfelt).

Bigness Is The Isness Of The Business and Freerock Saints have it all over the damn place. NO weak spots. NO second-tier songs. EVERY track has EVERY element focused and refined. Wow. There should be a warning label on this disc: “Light fuse and get away”. Get it, but be careful…this is explosive stuff that BURNS.

Jimmy Ryan - Truth Squad / Flyin' Ryan Brothers / Ryanetics Music (January 2018)
 


Electric Passion is the 2nd album of the Greek female fronted Hardrockband FREEROCK SAINTS and without a doubt, this is a sensational release! The band is formed around the amazing singer ARETI VALAVANOPOULOU and her brother STAVROS PAPADOPOULOS as the guitarist, songwriter, producer and creator, while the rhythm section consists of drummer LAZAROS SIMITSIS and bassist JIM MORALIS. Areti has an amazing soulful voice, perfectly suited for the melodic hardrock of FREEROCK SAINTS, while Stavros is an excellent guitarist, who is also known for his efforts with bands like SUPER VINTAGE, HARD DRIVER, UNIVERSAL HIPPIES... 13 songs are included on the album, and it is an absolut joy to listen to from start to finish, with as highlights Reason To Live (a superb midtempo classic 80s female fronted melodic rocker with a catchy chorus in the style of the classic days of LAOS, HEAT, WITNESS, IF ONLY, DANTE FOX, etc.), Rocking In The Fast Lane, Beautiful Dissonance (lovely uptempo Melodic Heavy Rocker a la early PHANTOM BLUE), The Reason Why, Blind, the sensational Why Lie? and the lovely BETH HART meets DARBY MILLS orientated groovy melodic rockers Funky Mama and Soul Train Ride. I can't believe this release went unnoticed when it was released back in 2017, because FREEROCK SAINTS is an absolute winner for fans of classic hard hitting melodic hard/heavy/bluesy hardrock with a focus on powerful female vocals, strong catchy choruses and biting classic 80s shredding guitarwork. (Points: 8.7 out of 10)

Gabor Kleinblosem / Strutter'zine (March 2021)
 


Our favorite classic rockers from Greece return with their sizzling sophomore release Electric Passion. Packed with a solid hard rock sound established on their debut, the band take it to the next level with gorgeous melody lines, foot-stomping anthems and shout-along choruses. Fans of Lee Aaron, Joanna Dean and Saraya will dig Areti Valavanopoulou’s voice as it’s rough and ready while still delivering the goods. Guitarist (and producer) Stavros Papadopoulos puts the kick behind the band’s whiskey-soaked blues while lighting fire to each solo. The group is anchored by the grinding rhythm section of bassist Dinos Maltezos and drummer Chris Lagios leaving a lasting impression on ‘Rocking in The Fast Lane’ and ‘Funky Mama’. Opening track ‘Made for Freedom’ sets the pace with a classic blues riff and a thumping bassline while Areti’s sultry vocals tell the tale of meeting the “Mojo man” who encourages her to “sing the sunshine of her soul”.

Covering Heart’s ‘Sing Child’ is the perfect move for the four-piece as they nail down the song’s original Zeppelin thrust while adding some streaming sex appeal of their own. The vintage ‘70s swagger makes its way into the chugging ‘Soul Train Ride’ with a nicely crafted Aerosmith vibe. Pulling from the band’s heavier side comes ‘Beautiful Dissonance’ with a near metal approach in the burning six-string lick and ‘Why Lie?’ with a spurned lover, dance with the devil sting. A couple tracks take a slightly different direction, like ‘The Reason Why’ with its Police-like rolling rhythm and the lovely power-ballads ‘Blind’ and ‘First Water’ that have a terrific pop rock sound. On the opposite side of the spectrum, the band occasionally lean toward Southern Rock. Biting down hard is the Country-tinged ‘Passion City’ with a two-step beat, a nasty guitar snarl a nd Areti’s take-no-prisoners sass. Easily one of the standout tracks is ‘Southern Sky’. A cross between Blackfoot and Skynyrd, it is 6-minutes of Florida moonshine kicking up dust with slide guitar and a loud raucous beat.

Todd K. Smith / The Electric Beard (February 2018)
 


Having ploughed his furrow for a long and lonely time on the Greek rock scene, it would appear that teaming up with Grooveyard Records really has set guitarist Stavros Papadopoulos's spirit free. Not content with ripping out authentic good times with Super Vintage and stamping his blues authority down hard with Universal Hippies, this ever inspired six-string man has also teamed up with fellow countrywoman Areti Valavanopoulou in Freerock Saints. Releasing their stunning Blue Pearl Union debut at the tail of 2016, twelve months down the line the four piece, rounded out by the rhythm juggernaut of bassist Dinos Maltezos and drummer Chris Lagios, are back and this time their veins are pumping with Electric Passion. And that's exactly what you'll find right across this thirteen track stunner of an album, huge guitar licks combined to mighty vocals, all underpinned by thunderous grooves and joyous hard rock expulsions. When you consider the amount of female fronted rock that is quite rightly turning heads right now and also that blues rich guitars are once more ruling the roost, then Freerock Saints really are perfectly positioned to go global. Don't believe me? Then sit back and feel your hairs stand on end as the guitar solo from "Reason To Live" washes over you – building slowly from a soothing swathe into a torrent of fret flexing fury.

The foot seldom lifts off the rip 'em up and shout 'em out pedal, "Rocking In The Fast Lane" adding a cleverly commercial edge that in a fair world would see it be known far and wide, while the hip shimmying vista of "Southern Sky" just refuses to let you go. However when this album does ease off the blues power ever so slightly a reimagining of the lesser know Heart classic "Sing Child" turns into the sort of blues-funk hybrid Glenn Hughes would sell his bouffant for. An already excellent number given a new outlook and coming out better than ever before. Add in the heart warming acoustic closer "First Water" and the pulsating guitar heart of this album is also matched by its inner strength and beauty.

Valavanopoulou is imperious throughout, tender and passionate, powerful and pulsating, her voice is not just a match for the six string talents on display. Instead this is a lady more than capable of leading from the front on songs like the mid-paced burner "Beautiful Dissonance" (which features some thought provoking lyrics from Sami Romagnola) and the self explanatory "Funky Mama", which comes with a 60s b-movie intro but really should come with a health warning, it's so damn potent. When you factor in the gargantuan grooves, raucous riffs and stupendous solos of Papadopoulos then it's no wonder that this Electric Passion is burning bright and digging in deep.

Steven Reid / Sea Of Tranquility (January 2018)
 


Much praise has been bestowed on this album and for good reason. The critics have listed it among the best rock albums of 2017 and in a good year for guitar-driven classic rock (among the greats who released some fantastic music were Black Country Communion and Kenny Wayne Shepherd) this one, Freerock Saints' second album, tops my list. There is not a single weak spot on it; brilliantly written and produced, outstanding musicianship with Stavros Papadopoulos' guitar second to none and then there is Areti, no small revelation! This may be only her second album with the band but she is already a seasoned veteran at the top of her game; a confident, strong and soulful singer with a great range, pushing aside better known performers like Lizzie Hale (Halestorm) and Beth Hart - no small feat that! Some people have defined the band's music as Southern Rock, up with the likes of the new Blackfoot and Black Stone Cherry, even the great country/folk based Blackberry Smoke. That is all good, Freerock Saints may come close to that but their sound is still different and their style unique; maybe because they are Greek and not American, their sound isn't a "typical" American one (if any such thing exists). Being different and in firm command of their own unique style brings freshness and excitement to the music, which is a thrill and a pleasant surprise for someone like me who, after following rock music for decades, have come to believe that there is nothing new under the sun, that I have heard it all. And then you have Freerock Saints turning up and the future looks bright and exciting again. I just hope the band will leave the Greek shores this summer to travel the European festival circuit with a few gigs in England. At the moment, and probably for a good time to be, Freerock Saints and Areti are undoubtedly among the most exciting new rock outfits to come out of Europe. They just need to get themselves on the road - they are a must see, offering something new to be experienced. And to look forward to.

Thor Indridason / Guitar Rock Appreciation Society (United Kingdom - January 2018)
 


Gold ground, what we have here. A helena band that has billed one of the best hard-rock-blues albums of the year that we left. Yes; you have read well: from FREEROCK SAINTS from Greece itself, which, captained by the interesting voice of Areti Valavanopoulou and the incredible guitar of Stavros Papadopoulos, gives us the impression that we are listening to a rockanrolero combo from the deep America, built solidly on the basis of of soul, blues, funk and a lot, but a lot of rock and roll.

Founded in the summer of 2016, they define their style as "Retro Ηard Rockin 'Blues Funk", and faith that one is perplexed just listen to a couple of songs for the quality they distill and the tremendous sound and style they achieve in every song Thirteen are the cuts that contains that disc, varied, with many perceptible influences ... ...and not one bad or negligible, I guarantee it.

"Electric Passion", very suitable title, is the second plastic of the Greeks, who already surprised with the first, although, to be honest, I have listened to it later, to be amazed by it. That first disc, which is called "Blue Pearl Union", is also tremendous, although the production of the rhythmic base is more raw and less "bombastic" than in its second long duration.

I would miss out on paragraphs and paragraphs praising the work of this group. I would tell you how fleshy Areti's voice is. I would also call attention to the great guitar work of Stavros, with his sharp solos, his use of sixteenths where he comes, not as an easy resource, his surprising and imaginative riffs, which drink directly from the sources of hard-blues.

Already the first song, "Made for Freedom" leaves you with your mouth open from the initial riff and the entrance of the voice, and the desire (WTF !!) to continue listening appears. "Reason to Live" enters with another guitarist whiplash and is one of my favorite tracks of the album, along with "Passion City", in the same line: impossible to stop nodding in the chorus. "Rocking in the Fast Lane" is another issue that does not make prisoners. Four direct hits to the jugular.

There is only one cover version: HEART, "Sing Child", which I would line up in the "funk" line with the great "Funky Mama", a wacky song with a great combination of "funky" and very successful blues; while "Beautiful Dissonance", with its initial piano, brings us certain echoes of the parts sung by women on the records of MEAT LOAF, always within that "bluesy" environment present throughout the album.

"Southern Sky" is another great song that begins "a capella" to introduce a killer riff immediately and an acoustic passage very accomplished before the return of the whistle. "The Reason Why" brings us back to the arms of hard rock, while "Blind" is a melodic half-time that turns into a chorus of pure rock energy.

The more traditional wah-wah introduces "Why Lie?", Which derives in a melodic riff and something commercial for another powerful and cantabile half-time. "Soul Train Ride" is another of the greats of the work, reminding us of the music of the 70s with good production and excellent melody. Finally, the memory of Chris Cornell is called "First Water", and it is an acoustic, slow song, with great work again in voices and guitars.

In short, and without exaggeration: essential and necessary for any blues guitarist lover, reminiscent of great bands of the genre, such as BLUES PILLS, SAINT JUDE or BLACK MARBLES ... and, incidentally, I also recommend the previous album that I have referred. They are two non commercial works, moved by the passion of rock for rock and that reach the listener in a few minutes. In Greece there is something more than ROTTING CHRIST and Gus G! A great and pleasant surprise this band, which we hope will give us many more good times. Spanish tour now!

Manuel Martínez Ferrándiz / Metalcry - Spain (January 2018)
 


Blues based rockers from Greece, Freerock Saints return with their energizing sophomore effort, 'Electric Passion'. Just like their smoking debut outing, 'Blue Pearl Union', the band serve up a premium blend of hard driving riffs and passion filled vocals that will hit you right between the eyes. It's, raw, energetic, soulful, imaginative and boundary-pushing. Fronted by the awesome vocal talents of Areti Valavanopoulou (whose vocals remind me of a hybrid mix of Lynne Jackman from Saint Jude and Dale Krantz from Rossington-Collins), along with from Super Vintage/Hard Driver/Universal Hippies, Stavros Papadopoulos on the guitars. This recording doesn't have a dull moment on it. You can play it straight from beginning to end without wanting to skip anything. From the second, "Made For Freedom" fires out of your speakers the band have your undivided attention and having you craving for more and they deliver the goods in spades. "Reason To Live", the adrenaline powered, "Rocking In The Fast Lane", "Sing Child" and the down dirty swagger of, "Blind" are all guaranteed to get your rock and roll adrenaline pumping in no time! Raw-bones rock music that is pack with swagger and passion. Influenced with a classic rock sound without rehashing someone else's back catalog. The bottom line here is, The Freerock Saints are the real deal, and they rock like a Mother!

Tony Sison / The Dedicated Rocker Society (January 2018)
 


Hard rock with genuine flashes of southern rock is not the first thing I think of when I think about Greek music. I am much more likely to think about Rotting Christ and what my favorite album by them is. Freerock Saints put me on notice though when I heard ‘Southern Sky’ which reminded me of a mix of the Mother Station (anyone remember their classic album?) and ‘Heartbreak Station’ era Cinderella with modern touches and some funk added to the mix. This is another album that proves 2017 was stuffed with great, quality music across many genres.

‘Made for Freedom’ kicks off the album with some vocal adlibbing by Areti Valavanopoulou over an assertive blues beat. The hooks are plenty in this rocker that would have been at home on Sass Jordan’s ‘Racine’ album back in the ‘90s. This song immediately pulled me into the album and let me know this was not going to be a passive listen. The guitar work by Stavros Papadopoulos is immediately showcased in this one. Where bands like Blackberry Smoke have gone a little more towards the country influence in their music, Freerock Saints have channeled some of the rocking blues bands of the past which provides an extra edge to the music. ‘Reason to Live’ reminds me of the much-missed St. Jude with its clean verse providing the perfect set up to a huge chorus. There is a slight bluesy rasp to the vocals here that just bleeds authenticity. In another decade, this song would have been all over the radio, and it really deserves to be played on every classic rock station around today. The solos again shine here.

The rocking continues with ‘Rockin in the Fast Lane’ which gives way to a great pre-chorus that gives the chorus more oomph. This song could easily be seen as a cliché rocker about the younger years but is so well done that it overcomes the title of the song. The guitar work is once again outstanding by Stavros and shows that this virtuoso knows how to write songs. ‘Passion City’ focuses on a slightly heavier groove. The backing vocals are tastefully done through the pre-chorus and give way to Areti taking over the vocals for the chorus. The solo section lends itself to an extended jam live. The band’s cover of ‘Sing Child’ is one that just doesn’t connect with me like the other material. The funkiness is well delivered, but this recording just loses me on the hook as Areti sounds so much better on the other songs here that this seems like a missed opportunity or would have been better served as a b-side for me. The drum and bass work is excellent here by Dinos Maltezos and Chris Lagios. ‘Beautiful Dissonance’ quickly rights the ship with a gorgeous piano intro giving way to a rocker with a killer riff and outstanding lead work by Stavros while Areti provides excellent vocals throughout and sings with more and more power as it builds. The high standard continues with ‘Southern Sky’ which I addressed at the beginning. This one makes perfect sense as a lead single as it showcases the diversity of the band while providing a killer hook. This song gets the adrenalin going and makes it easy to imagine a crowd in a large theater all singing along to the chorus.

‘The Reason Why’ turns up the tempo at the beginning of side two and provides a restrained verse and actually reminds me of an 80’s or early 90’s Great White rocker. I love the lead guitar work here and how the solo gains momentum before slowing back down and bringing on the final verse. ‘Blind’ is a slow moody number, and I really like how Areti uses inflections in her vocals here. The chorus is another powerful hook, and this is a song I would want to constantly hear in a live setting with the crowd helping sing the chorus. At nearly six minutes, this epic flows and will provoke spontaneous air guitar. This song has remained one of my favorites after many listens.

‘Funky Mama’ turns back on the funk as one might expect and makes me think of the Chris Robinson Brotherhood’s harder rocking moments with a dash of the Black Crowes as well. This is another song where an extended jam live would make sense so that Stavros, Dinos, and Chris can really spend more time with this groove. This is one of those songs that clocks in at almost four and a half minutes but feels like a three-minute radio edit. The scratchy guitar of ‘Why Lie’ leads into another powerful rocker with a refreshing cool riff. The half sung, half spoken verses are awesome here, and one band that keeps popping up in my head is the recently resurrected Tora Tora.

‘Soultrain Ride’ makes me think of riding on a tour bus in the ‘70s from city to city while listening to the best songs on the radio as this is just timeless music done very well. The production lends the whole album a 70’s feeling as well. This is another favorite of mine and just begs for a video that shows the band on the road and on stage while the crowds get larger and larger as the video progresses. ‘First Water’ closes the album in fine fashion as a tribute to the late Chris Cornell. This is perfectly placed as a slow acoustic number that features incredible vocals and tasteful guitar work.

Freerock Saints have made me take notice with this sophomore album, which is packed with quality song after quality song. They are not inventing a new genre but have hit the same sweet spot that Saint Jude did a few years ago for me. I will be checking out their first album in the future but cannot recommend this enough if you like any of the bands I have mentioned.

Gerald Stansbury / Uber Rock (January 2018)
 


Greek band Freerock Saints follow up their first album ”Blue Pearl Union” with yet another slab of bluesy hard rock with a steady seventies backbone. Female singer Areti Valavanopoulou sure has the voice of a black winged angel, sassy, bluesy, powerful and truly convincing, while her colleague Stavros Papadopoulos delivers the fat guitar licks with the same power and conviction. Try imagining Bad Company with Sass Jordan on vocals and you’re in the ballpark of what Freerock Saints sound like. The mix is fat and powerful, yet ambient and well separated. I am a big fan of the debut but still feel this one is a tad bit better and more even. It’s hard to pick any favorite track, but one that immediately grabbed me was the groove oriented ”Passion City”. A killer release well worth spending your hard earned cash on.

Janne Stark / Stark Music Reviews (January 2018)
 


When you mix together Areti Valavanopoulou and Stavros Papadopoulos — what do you get? Well, in addition to two very long names, you get a vocalist extraordinaire and a guitarist’s guitarist, respectively — and two players that can rock you into oblivion. They deliver the best hard rock, blues-inflected bliss you can possibly imagine! It’s like Hendrix and Joplin at their best, with new material that will knock your socks off! In fact, they and their band, Freerock Saints, show us how rock is meant to be played: with creativity, agility, taste, and passion. The last of those four characteristics is especially prominent on this disc, which is why it is titled ”Electric Passion.” Listeners will get a full helping of passionate aural dynamite, as the musicians on this CD delight them with heavy rock music that is familiar yet original. Complete with a cover version of Heart’s ‘Sing Child’ and a tribute to Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell, this is a musical masterpiece not to be missed.

Steven J. Rosen / Author + Journalist (December 2017)
 


These Greeks, with a beautiful Greek in front, remind us that in Greece not only is the sirtaki danced, they know how to rock at maximum power. Stunning guitars and a voice close to that of Pat Benatar for a record that hits the accelerator thoroughly with few brakings! Hard Rock of all life.

Rock The Best Music / Spain (December 2017)
 


Everyone apparently knows everyone in the Greek hard rock scene. We already reviewed two albums from the Greek hard rock band (around frontman, singer-songwriter / guitarist / producer Stravos Papoudopoulos) Super Vintage and there is already a second album from another Greek hard rock band (founded in 2016 around singer Areti Valavanopoulou), who can be heard, also with hard rock genes seems to have been born Freerock Saints. Papoudopoulos was the producer and guitarist of Areti's first album 'Blue Pearl Union' [2016].

Areti Valavanopoulou was a guest on Papadopoulos 'album' Welcome to Mojo Land [2016] and can again count on Stravos Papoudopoulos (guitar, keys), Dinos Maltezos (bass) & Chris Lagios (drums, percussion) on her new album 'Electric Passion' [2017]. It is an album with thirteen original Stavros Papadopoulos' tracks, which was also released at Grooveyard Records. Papadopoulos is again the producer of the album.

On 'Electric Passion' there are several hard rock "highlights", songs like "Rocking In the Fast Lane", "The Reason Why" and "Why Lie?", Which speak for themselves. There is one cover song: "Sing Child", a somewhat obscure song by the American rock band Heart. Heart was formed in Seattle in the mid-1970s, around sisters Wilson, with Nancy Wilson on guitar & vocals and Ann as lead vocalist.

Co-lyricist is Sami Romagnola. She did the lyrics of "First Water", the perfect Chris Cornell tribute song (Christopher John Cornell: 1964-2017, was the lead singer of Soundgarden and frontman of Audioslave.) He died after suicide by hanging, Solo brought Cornell four studio albums released ) and Sami also wrote the lyrics for "Beautiful Dissonance".

With Areti Valavanopoulou and Freerock Saints, the Greek hard rock scene with female elegance and power again plays one of her strong trump cards. 'Electric Passion' is for fans of: "Awesome, world-class, blues-based, soul-powered, female fronted heavy guitar hard rock music".

Eric Schuurmans / Rootstime (Belgium) (December 2017)
 


Love it...this CD rocks hard and has a real vintage classic punchy 70's heavy bluesy hard rock vibe to it...good vocals and killer guitar work...a good driving record that kicks serious ass from beginning to end loaded with blistering guitar solos and a lot of groove capped off with the beautiful classy epic acoustic song First Water that brings the disc to a close. Really cool and hard hitting cover version of Sing Child the obscure Heart classic that sits perfectly in between their own smokin' originals that they add their own personal touch to. Another solid CD put out by the Grooveyard who seem to have always been more interested in putting out quality heavy retro guitar music that's killer then just jumping on the latest trend just for the sake of it. 5 out of 5 stars.

Steve Albanese (Amazon - December-2017)
 


Freerock Saints second album is like their first cd, a great classic rock album. Every aspect from the amazing vocals, guitar playing, solid bass and drums and finally suburb song writing kick this one out of the park. There should be no one who is a fan of 70s style rock that won’t really really love this. Put this in a long and growing line of music generated by the underrated unknown Stavros Papadopoulis. If you stumble on this, you also need to check out his other bands/projects: Super Vintage, Hard Driver, Universal Hippies and his latest: Revolution Highway. And last but not least Areti Valavanopoulou is the centerpiece of this band. The music was made for her and she is made for the music. So all in all top notch classic style rock. Bluesy and soulful with just enough guitar bite.

Gary Milligan / Amazon Review (December 2018)
 



 


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