PLAYGROUNDED are a heavy progressive band formed in Chania, Greece in 2007, by Odysseas (bass) and Orestis ZAFEIRIOU (keys) and Michael KOTSIRAKIS (guitars). Their line-up was solidified in 2010 with the additions of Stavros MARKONIS (vocals, ENSTRO) and Vasilis PODARAS (drums, GEORGE KONTRAFOURIS BABY TRIO). They are currently based in both Athens and Crete. After a series of live gigs with such acts as ROTTING CHRIST and ARCHIVE?s Craig WALKER, PLAYGROUNDED was chosen by ANATHEMA to open their headline show in Crete and soon focused on recording their first album, ''Athens''.

Produced by PLAYGROUNDED and George Alamaras, ''Athens'' is a testimony of a country and its youth in crisis. It is sketches of a new balance between metal and electronica driven by endless talks on the dead-ends of modern Greece. Inviting the listener into the deepest details of their soundscapes, PLAYGROUNDED enlisted Grammy Award winning Ted Jensen (MUSE, DREAM THEATER, DEFTONES) to master ''Athens'',...