Magic De Spell

The reissue of Magic De Spell’s “A Body In A Snare” was one of Geheimnis Records’ desired objectives from the beginning of its existence. After many setbacks and problems, but with the always active and helping hands of Theodore Vlahakis and George Scarlatos, coupled with Geheimnis Records’ persistence, this very significant first album of the band will finally be reissued in December 2015.

 “A Body In A Snare” was actually the starting point of the band’s post punk “dark wave” era and followed the release of their first ever 7’’ single “Nightmare” in 1981. By late 1981 and early 1982, there were a number of changes in the band’s line-up. The core of the band, George Scarlatos (bass) and Theodore Vlahakis (drums), remained intact, while Alex Kyriakakis (vocals) and George Alahouzos (guitar) left to pursue different musical directions and occupations. Thanassis, the younger brother of George Scarlatos joined the band and after an extensive search, using magazine adverts and auditioning many people, Elias Aslanoglou became the band’s new lead singer. Thanassis brought his knowledge of synthesizers, while Elias with his cold, flat voice and his dark brooding style and attitude, was the living embodiment of the band’s new musical direction.

It is 1982-1983 and the “dark / synth” style is at its peak. Deadpan vocals, cold synthetic sounds, bass and drums. It is in this era that “A Body In A Snare” was created. 7 new songs + and a new arrangement of “Poor Johnny’s Lonely Blues” (which had previously been recorded as an aggressive punk song on the first 7’’) in line with the band’s new musical direction.

This record came to define Magic De Spell’s music style for almost the entire 1980’s and only about a decade later did the band change its music style yet again. It has a classic status nowadays, as it was one of the first albums (along with the early releases of Creep Records) that inspired and established the Greek new wave sound that dominated the music scene in the years that followed. 

Geheimnis Records’ 21^st release will come out as a 400 vinyl copies edition, half in black and half in transparent red, hand-numbered (as always), remastered by Chris Manolitsis from the original master tapes (courtesy of Music Box International). Each record will include an insert with the lyrics (an actual reproduction of the lyrics’ sheet that was included in very few copies of the original 1983 edition), credits and an alternative photograph from the photo session from which the picture sleeve’s photograph came from.