Dol Ammad

Dol Ammad originated as the personal endeavor of Thanasis Lightbridge, a Greek composer and keyboardist whose unusual name belies his role in shaping an idiosyncratic style he terms "electronica art metal." The idea first emerged in 2000, yielded several demos over the following years, and ultimately crystallized in an atypical configuration that paired a standard rock-band core with a 12-piece classical choir. The full group made its formal debut in 2002 at the Music University of Thessaloniki before commencing work on its first album, Star Tales, which appeared in 2004 via Greece's Black Lotus Records. True to its hybrid premise, the release delivered an unprecedented fusion of progressive metal, electronica, and classical elements, captured in the studio by Lightbridge alongside guitarist Jimmy Wicked, bassist Nick Terry, drummer Alex Holzwarth (of Rhapsody fame), and choir members Vicky Alexaki, Maria Panagiotidou, Maria Stolaki, Kortessa Tsifodimou, Zoe Tsokanou, Alexandra Voulgari, Alexandros Barmpas, Kyriakos Chouvardas, Panos Iampoultakis, Petros Moraitis, Themis Mpasdekis, and Yiannis Tsalouhidis.