CHRISTOS ATHANASIAS
HAILS FROM MELBOURNE, VIC
PLAYS IN DEVIL ELECTRIC AND THE UGLY KINGS
SOUNDS LIKE FACE-PUNCHING ROCK ‘N’ ROLL
LATEST DROP GODLESS (devil electric lp out now independently)
What’s your current go-to guitar?
When it comes to Devil Electric live, I’ve been using the most excellent Guild Polara S-100. It plays brilliantly from the get-go and sounds unreal; it has excellent tone response and sounds fat and tight, especially when I’m playing heavy, chugging riffs. When it comes to The Ugly Kings, I’ve been religiously using a sunburst Hagstrom Viking Deluxe. This has been customised with gold hardware, TV Jones pickups and an original Bigsby. This was literally the first project where I created something unique, using what the makers intended but adding a Christos flavour. It’s a super versatile guitar, and the neck of the Hagstrom is a work of art – super smooth and super easy to play with.
How did you initially fall in love with the instrument?
Throughout my teen years I was a massive Metallica and Iron Maiden fan, and it was in high school in Greece that three friends and I decided to form a band – before any of us knew how to play any instruments. With inspiration from Sabbath, Metallica and Maiden, of course I said I wanted to be the guitarist. I believe I took about four guitar lessons before I said to myself, “I am now ready to write some riffs.”
