“…but alas, the Knight was nowhere to be found…”
It was high time “The Castle” opened its gates… and here it is! The Greek rockers The Magic Bus have just released their debut full length album titled “Το Κάστρο” (The Castle)! Come join the ride and prepare for a journey filled with rock essence, intriguing lyrics and interesting compositions! The album can be found and purchased digitally on the band’s Bandcamp page and soon enough in physical format, too. Alongside the album release, the band shares their first lyric video titled “Παραμύθι” (Fairytale)! A tale for the grown-ups that remain young at heart, which walks the narrow line between allegory and fiction!
The Magic Bus line-up
Lead & backing vocals – Valantis Dafkos (also in Redeye Caravan, peculiar three, Beyond this Earth)
Guitars & backing vocals – Ermis Soultanopoulos (also in Nox Die)
Bass – Dina Argiriou (also in Nox Die)
Drums – Paris Gatsios (also in Redeye Caravan, peculiar three, Beyond this Earth)
“The Castle” tracklist
- Κοντό Φιτίλι (Konto Fitili / Short Fuze)
- Ταξίδι Εντός (Taksidi Entos / Inner Journey)
- Το Σπίτι του Αστερίωνα (To Spiti tu Asteriona / The House of Asterion)
- Ψυχοστασία (Psichostasia / Weighing of Soul)
- Το Κάστρο (To Kastro / The Castle)
- Παραμύθι (Paramithi / Fairytale)
- Σκονισμένα Μυστικά (Skonismena Mistika / Dusty Secrets)
- Η Πράσινη Νεράιδα (I Prasini Neraida / The Green Fairy)
- Υφαντόκοσμος (Ifadokosmos / Weaveworld)
- Στη Γη της Επαγγελίας (Sti Gi tis Epagelias / At the Promised Land)
- Το Πλοίο των Τρελών (To Plio ton trelon / The Ship of Fools)
(All Music by Ermis Soultanopoulos, all Lyrics by Valantis Dafkos)
It’s all Greek to me! (aka all about the lyrics)
- Κοντό Φιτίλι (Konto Fitili / Short Fuze)
A song about all these times you’re feeling ready to explode. Throughout the song the protagonist’s feelings are mirrored by natural phenomena.
- Ταξίδι Εντός (Taksidi Entos / Inner Journey)
A retrospective on one self’s past. It is up to the listener to decide if the journey is metaphorical or literal.
- Το Σπίτι του Αστερίωνα (To Spiti tu Asteriona / The House of Asterion)
This song is based on J.L. Borges’ short story of the same title. The greek mythological creature Minotaur is addressing the audience and tries to narrate its life and explain its behavior.
- Ψυχοστασία (Psichostasia / Weighing of Soul)
Inspired by the ancient Egyptian’s customs regarding the afterlife, the lyrics follow the protagonist’s attempts to atone.
- Το Κάστρο (To Kastro / The Castle)
A song about the transition from childhood to manhood. The memories are represented by a tree castle which fades as the child grows, just to revive again when a new kid takes their place.
- Παραμύθι (Paramithi / Fairytale)
Just like the title suggests, this song is in fact a fairytale. An old king is desperate to find a knight champion to be the realm’s protector only to discover that the last one of them is fed up with fights and wants a peaceful life.
- Σκονισμένα Μυστικά (Skonismena Mistika / Dusty Secrets)
This one is about regrets. An old toy brings back memories and then life choices are called to question.
- Η Πράσινη Νεράιδα (I Prasini Neraida / The Green Fairy)
There’s a shebeen serving absinthe to shadowy characters. It’s on the listener to decide if they’re in fact wise people from the past, like philosophers, or just other drunks who think that they hold the answers about everything.
- Υφαντόκοσμος (Ifadokosmos / Weaveworld)
Despite living in a suppressing society, dare to hold your life together and dream, even if it’s all in vain, is what this song is all about. It’s vaguely inspired by Clive Barker’s book of the same title.
- Στη Γη της Επαγγελίας (Sti Gi tis Epagelias / At the Promised Land)
A tale about the land of milk and honey, a personal Ithaca and a lost wandering soul that ended up there as an outsider.
- Το Πλοίο των Τρελών (To Plio ton trelon / The Ship of Fools)
This one is inspired by Sebastian Brant’s “Das Narrenschiff”. As fools ourselves, we take the steer and guide our lives towards the open sea of possibilities.
Album credits
Recordings & Production: Locomotive Sound studio (Lamia, Greece)
Producer: Ektoras Sohos
Special Guest: Mantis Savvidis – Bouzouki (on “The Ship of Fools”)
Artwork: Dinos Adamopoulos
Logo & Layout: Sotiris Kotsonis
Photo: Tasos Palamidas
Short bio
The Magic Bus started its journey in 2017. Since then, it covered many miles and played live in many cities, sharing the stage with some of the greek scene’s most well-known bands. This year the Bus steered towards its first album recording, titled “To Kastro (The Castle)”.
