Nightfall is a Greek

extreme metal Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. It has been defined as a "cluster of metal subgenres characterized by sonic, verbal, and visual tran ...

band from

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

. Formed by vocalist/bassist/keyboardist Efthimis Karadimas in 1991, the group is currently signed to

Season of Mist Season of Mist is an independent record label and record distributor with subsidiaries in France and the United States. The record label was founded in 1996 by Michael S. Berberian in Marseille, France. From the start releasing black metal, pa ...

. They are widely considered the forerunners to a "mediterranean way to black metal" together with Inchiuvatu and

Moonspell Moonspell is a Portuguese gothic metal band formed in 1992. The group released their first EP, '' Under the Moonspell'', in 1994 and followed up with their debut album, '' Wolfheart'', a year later. They quickly became the most recognizable meta ...

History

Nightfall was formed in 1991 by frontman, bassist and keyboardist Efthimis Karadimas. Within a few months of existence, Karadimas had produced Nightfall's one-and-only demo tape, Vanity. The 4 track demo was noticed by

Holy Records Holy Records is a French metal label run by Misanthrope frontman Phillipe De L'Argilière. Aside from Misanthrope itself, the label has not signed many French bands, but also corresponds with several Greek bands. History Holy Records was founde ...

, a new French record label that was looking for an act to use to help introduce itself to the music business worldwide. A deal followed and gave birth to the debut release of Nightfall and Holy Records, '' Parade into Centuries'', in 1992. The release proved a successful pioneering step as time went on for both Nightfall and Holy Records. This paradigm was followed by many in both countries, establishing a tradition for French labels to release Greek metal albums. Nightfall stayed with Holy Records throughout the decade, resulting in 1994's '' Macabre Sunsets'', 1995's '' Athenian Echoes'', 1997's '' Lesbian Show'', and 1999's ''

Diva Futura Diva Futura (Italian for "Future Diva", i.e. "Future Star") is an Italian pornography and erotica film studio. When founded in 1983 by porn star Ilona Staller and photographer and talent scout Riccardo Schicchi, it was the first casting agency ...

'', backed by European tours. Line-up changes were effected in almost every release, with Karadimas remaining the only constant. The early days saw Chris Adamou on rhythm guitars and Costas Savvidis on drums, while later Jim Agelopoulos and Phil Anton would take the guitar spot;

Bob Katsionis Babis "Bob" Katsionis (; born February 17, 1977, in Athens, Greece) is a Greek guitarist and keyboardist and the lead guitarist and keyboard player for the heavy metal/power metal bands Stray Gods, Warrior Path, Outloud, and Serious Black; he was ...

would join on keys for their summer of 2001 Wacken appearance, with Mark Cross on drums, and Mike Galiatsos coming in on lead guitars. Katsionis would later handle guitar duties as well, and both himself and Cross would later go on to perform with Greek power metal outfit

Firewind Firewind is a Greek power metal band formed in Thessaloniki in 1998. The group is currently signed to AFM records and was originally a small project created by guitarist Gus G. to showcase his demo, '' Nocturnal Symphony'', in 1998. Firewind ...

(the main band of guitarist

Gus G Konstantinos Karamitroudis (born 12 September 1980), better known as Gus G, is a Greek heavy metal guitarist. He currently plays with his band Firewind. He has also played in Mystic Prophecy, Nightrage, Arch Enemy, Dream Evil and Ozzy ...

). The next few years saw the band changing direction and a new record deal was signed with Greek label

Black Lotus Records Black Lotus Records was an independent record label based in Greece that specialized in metal. After acquiring licenses for several new artists, Black Lotus Records has filed for bankruptcy, resulting in an indefinite hold on all announced titles. ...

with whom Nightfall released two albums: 2003's '' I Am Jesus'' and 2005's '' Lyssa: Rural Gods and Astonishing Punishments''. George Bokos appeared as a guitarist on Lyssa. In 2005 the band ceased its live performances for good and George Bokos joined fellow Greeks

Rotting Christ Rotting Christ is a Greek black metal band formed in 1987. They are noted for being one of the first black metal bands within this region, as well as a premier act within the European underground metal scene. They are also responsible for creat ...

. The same year drummer George Kollias, who had replaced Cross some years prior and appeared on both albums, ended up in the American death metal band

Nile The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the List of river sy ...

. The band had apparently split up (although no official announcement was ever made about it), yet in early 2009 Stathis Kassios (known to Efthimis Karadimas from his on stage keyboard services in the previous years) introduced American guitarist Evan Hensley to Karadimas in an effort to convince him to record some new compositions together. German drummer and producer Jörg Uken was already in touch with Efthimis Karadimas, and words became actions in early 2010 when this new line-up was announced. This new line-up and the new sound it delivered attracted American label

Metal Blade Records Metal Blade Records (often shortened to Metal Blade) is an American independent record label founded by Brian Slagel in 1982 based in the U.S. state of California. The label primarily focuses on heavy metal. History Metal Blade Records was ...

, who offered a record deal. Their 2010 release, ''Astron Black and the Thirty Tyrants'', was released on Metal Blade Records in August, 2010. The album was well-received, garnering high praise from numerous international critics, and included artwork by noted American cover artist Travis Smith. In 2011, the band added two new members to further round out their line-up: guitarist Constantine and bassist Stathis Ridis. After the release of their 2013 album, ''Cassiopeia'', Nightfall went on hiatus. In June 2020, the band announced their return to live performances through their official Facebook page. The band's current line up, apart from Efthimis Karadimas on vocals and bass, includes returning members Mike Galiatsos and Kostas Kyriakopoulos on guitars, as well as Fotis Bernardo of

Septicflesh Septicflesh (formerly known as Septic Flesh) are a Greek death metal band from Athens, founded in 1990. History Septicflesh were formed in Athens in March 1990 by Sotiris Vayenas (guitar), Spiros Antoniou (bass and vocals), and Christos Anto ...

fame on drums. In July 2020, Nightfall announced a record deal with French label

, as well as that they are working on a new album that will be released in early 2021. In addition, Season of Mist has announced that it has acquired distribution rights for the band's entire Holy Records release catalog. Eight years after their previous album, Nightfall released "''At Night We Prey''" on March 5, 2021.

Members

;Current members * Efthimis Karadimas - vocals (1991–present), keyboards (1991-1992, 1999–2004, 2020-present), bass (1991-1999, 2002–2004, 2005–2010, 2020–2021) * Kostas Kyriakopoulos - guitars (2020–present), bass (2004–2005, 2020–2021) * Fotis Benardo - drums (2020–present) * Vasiliki Biza - bass (2021–present) ;Former members * Chris Adamou - guitars (1991–1995) * Costas Savidis - drums (1991–1995) * Mike Galiatsos - guitars (1991–1999, 2020–2022) * George Aspiotis - keyboards, piano, effects (1992–1999) * Jim Agelopoulos - guitars (1996-1997) * Phil Anton - guitars (1998–2000, died in 2023) *

- guitar, keyboards (1999–2005) * Marc McKnight - bass (1999–2002) * Mark Cross - drums (1999-2000) * George Kollias - drums (2000–2005) * George Bokos - guitar (2002–2005) * Fotis Anagnostou - bass (1999, died in 2021) * Nikos Papadopoulos - bass (2010-2011) * Evan Hensley - guitars (2009–2020) * Constantine - guitars (2011–2020) * Stathis Ridis - bass (2011–2020) * Stathis Kassios - keyboards (2004–2020) * Jörg Uken - drums (2009–2020)

Timeline

Discography

* ''Parade into Centuries'' (1992) * ''Macabre Sunsets'' (1994) * ''Eons Aura'' EP (1995) * ''Athenian Echoes'' (1995) * ''Lesbian Show'' (1997) * ''Electronegative'' (1999) * ''Diva Futura'' (1999) * ''I Am Jesus'' (2003) * ''Lyssa: Rural Gods and Astonishing Punishments'' (2004) * ''Astron Black and the Thirty Tyrants'' (2010) * ''Cassiopeia'' (2013) * ''At Night We Prey'' (2021) * ''Children of Eve'' (2025)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nightfall Greek melodic death metal musical groups Greek gothic metal musical groups Greek black metal musical groups Symphonic black metal musical groups Greek heavy metal musical groups Musical groups established in 1991 Musical groups disestablished in 2006 Musical groups reestablished in 2010 Musical groups from Athens 1991 establishments in Greece Holy Records artists Metal Blade Records artists Season of Mist artists