Diamanda Galás
Diamanda Galás

Diamanda Galás is one of the most shocking artists of all time. Her self-titled album from 1984 perhaps represents the pinnacle of the first part of her career, managing to be even more disturbing and disturbed than its already incredible predecessor. It consists of only two pieces, "Panoptikon" and "Tragoutha Apo to Aima Exoun Fonos (Song from the Blood of Those Murdered)", which are true litanies for voice and electric scars, moving from glacial silences to desperate screams, from total darkness to the flames of hell. The recitation of the first piece is truly one of the most unsettling moments that "light" music has ever known, creating a direct connection between artist and listener, a flow of rants, screams, curses, and pleas. One gets the impression of listening to a Nico in the throes of convulsions and madness, translating her solemn tones from a black mass to Diamanda's theatrical tragedy. The second piece is an agonizing crescendo, achieving the impossible feat of surpassing the previous track in intensity. The tragedy expressed in the previous piece finds its ultimate expression here, resulting in a desperate scream against the madness of man, a piece that arises from the blood of the men killed by the Greek dictatorship.

If you haven't listened to it yet, give it a try: whether you like it or not, it will not leave you indifferent.