Balothizer

Balothizer is a genre-blurring power trio from Crete, Greece, crashing traditional Mediterranean sounds into punk rock energy. Founded by multi-instrumentalist Nikos Velentzas (a veteran of Greece’s underground punk scene), the band electrifies centuries-old Cretan folk rhythms and lyra melodies with distorted guitars and primal drumming. Their tracks like "Cretan Smash" and "Jegaman" sound like a rebellious village celebration, blending hypnotic mantinadas (Cretan rhyming couplets) with mosh-pit-ready intensity. Since emerging in the 2010s, they’ve become notorious for high-voltage live shows that transform ancient traditions into a global mosh pit, earning them slots at festivals worldwide. Their releases, including the raw *Eleven63 Sessions*, act as a bridge between Crete’s musical legacy and modern DIY ethos, proving folk music can be both fiercely preserved and recklessly reinvented.