Ex Humans appeared in the greek scene more or less somewhere around 1982. Their sound is heavily influenced from the punk and wave scene of the UK. Dark, menacing, aggressive against all authority and with a bleak, nihilist touch to their lyrics, Ex Humans marked the formation of the 80s greek underground scene with their own gifted manner.

Their legacy is their full lenght debut album ANOFELI EPIVIOSI, two songs in the collection DIATARAXI KOINIS ISIHIAS (both records were released in 1984) and various live tracks recorded across the 80s at several locations the group perfomed live.

The band balances perfectly between punk and darkwave. Either at their punkier moments, or at the wave-ish ones, there is a black depression coming through the speakers, a sickening feeling of resignation and disappointment. Ex Humans do not preach about any revolution; it's more like they mourn for it never came, and because the world around them seems ignorant, indifferent. Their only aim is to try and awaken someone, maybe the person that will get access to their music, with their violent, sharp scream. The black scream of destruction.

The title track enters slowly, then everything speeds up, but it's a tight balance, so you can't say if this is a call to revolution, or a tearing gasp of a man who gives up. The chaos described in the lyrics is painted over a lead bass, pounding drums and snarling guitars-- a crossover of Killing Joke and Sound (of the "Resistance"/"Heartland" vein).

"Stratodikeio" and "Se eida na klais" come next, taking everything down to a suicidal spiral. The first dealing with the issues of militant authority and the extensions of morality as to each man's question of doubt about the orders, the orders that cannnot be questioned, the punishment that follows every attempt at disobeying, the second obtaining a surprisingly personal encounter of melancholy and depression. The band here flirts strongly with darkwave, in both concept and musical delivery. Mid-slow tempo, throbbing bass lines, melodic guitar riffs. Low-key vocals that transmit the sadness...

"Meine makria" is the first straightforward punk attack of the album. Agressive, the turmoil and the fury here coded into words and notes of sheer violence, de-composing the structure of the modern societies, the complex pattern of relationships and dependencies torn to pieces.

Side A ends under the darkwave of "Agnoia kai misos", the near-drum machine beats preparing the way for the entrance of a truly killer riff, leading the pace through ignorance and hatred, two basic parameters of everyday life...

"Pote xana" opens Side B furiously, after a misleading slow intro, eerie and murky. Full attack now on the two super-powers of the time, anger aimed at both sides of the Berlin wall, a plea of revolt against all authority...unanswered until today, obviously. Killing Joke meets Dead Kennedys here, in a bizarre ritual of grey mayhem.

"Xehna" and "Horis noima" still turn on the dark side, the first being a drum-led anthem with echoing vocals and strong rhythm section in the background, the second a fantastic wave hymn, maybe the album's top moment, acoustic guitars and mood shifting through the various pace changes creating a really great song.

"Eklogikes autapates" and "Ex Humans" end the album violently, in heat and vertical attack. The first one being especially harsh in its delivery, a full punk/hardcore Biafra-esque attack on everyone and everything. Illusions being the first target. The second, named after the band, sums it all up: former humans. Former personalities. Or were they ever?

The band would, as written above, contribute two fantastic songs to the vinyl collection which featured distinguished names of the greek underground and then set on another round of live appearances before fading away into the late 80s, and re-appearing years later under the name of Velocity, in a more straightforward punk-hardcore style.

As far as this album here is concerned, its impact is very big on the greek scene. Twenty years later, there are musical and lyrical offerings that still burn. That still shout, through decades of lies and blackness. Ex Humans. Dead souls...

PS. This one's for Nikos, the "tape keeper". Cheers...