The Heavy Metal doctor of the Greek National Health System who chants in monasteries and for patients

His representation looks similar it came consecutive retired of a stone concert. A achromatic AC/DC T-shirt — the trademark of a set that sings astir the devil and hell, with millions of fans showing up astatine concerts throwing the horns. A garment that makes you expect to perceive Highway to Hell blasting astatine afloat volume, not church hymns. And yet, this garment wasn’t worn astatine a concert, but successful a monastery, surrounded by icons of saints and the scent of incense. The country is truthful unexpected it feels similar it carries wit connected its own: the AC/DC instrumentality “meets” Saint John the Theologian, and alternatively of Thunderstruck, you perceive Kyrie Eleison.

This is Christoforos Laskos, a doc successful the Greek NHS, Senior Registrar successful General Medicine astatine a Health Center successful cardinal Tzoumerka, and begetter of six children. A antheral who balances regular betwixt 2 seemingly incompatible worlds — Byzantine chanting and heavy metal music. For him, though, the opposition is lone superficial. In reality, helium sees a hidden kinship binding them together: power. The powerfulness of religion connected 1 hand, the powerfulness of dependable connected the other. His narration with euphony began precise early. In his schoolhouse years, helium was initiated into Byzantine music, learning hymns, scales, monophony. Later, during his assemblage years, heavy metal burst into his life, with guitars, drums, intensity, and energy.

“I recovered myself moving successful parallel worlds,” helium says. “In the creation of chanting and successful my metallic band, astatine the religion cantor’s basal and successful the basement studio.” That’s erstwhile helium started to consciousness that these 2 worlds don’t clash but converse. “The existent enslaved came virtually with the operation Kyrie Eleison. I would chant it silently, wrapping it successful a metallic dependable and rhythm.”

His nationalist representation caused a disturbance erstwhile helium uploaded a video from the monastery of Patmos. Christoforos chants with reverence, portion his wide quality — and particularly the AC/DC garment — attracts each eyes. Some were thrilled, others were shocked. He responds calmly: “I didn’t mean to scandalize. I wanted to provoke a tiny interior self-criticism astir being and seeming.” For him, that representation works similar a span betwixt 2 worlds that look unrelated but, successful essence, stock thing successful common: passion, power, and grandeur. In different video helium uploaded, helium chants unneurotic with a diligent the Apolytikion of Saint Demetrios.

A country that goes beyond the constrictive boundaries of medical practice. “I similar being nonstop with my patients. I dainty them arsenic my ain people. Chanting clears the mind, consoles the sorrowful, gives spot to those being tested. It’s not medicine, but it is therapy for psyche and body.” There, among medicines and tests, chanting functioned arsenic different signifier of healing — a reminder that wellness is some carnal and spiritual.

From this dual travel was calved his boldest task yet: the task ΔYNAMIS and the medium Byzantine Metal, released successful September 2025 by Symmetric Records successful collaboration with instrumentalist and shaper Bob Katsionis.

The thought was to instrumentality authentic verses from Orthodox hymnography, without translation, signifier them into songs, and “dress” them with metallic orchestration — without altering the chanting tradition. “The extremity was co-creation,” helium says. “The coexistence of Byzantine euphony with metal. Two worlds that stock communal elements: power, grandeur, intensity, unity.”

In his mind, determination already exists the representation of a majestic concert. He dreams of an evening with a symphonic orchestra, Byzantine and European choir, guitars and drums — a monumental blending of traditions. Not successful churches, since “we bash not privation to regenerate the ecclesiastical usage of chanting,” helium explains, but successful unfastened spaces, with an creator and communicative purpose: to bring this dependable to radical who person ne'er been exposed to chanting. At first, Christoforos had doubts. Such a fusion, helium thought, mightiness beryllium seen arsenic provocative. To find answers, helium turned to his spiritual father. “I shared my concerns with him. After helium listened to the songs, helium told me: ‘Go ahead! You person my blessing!’” From past on, helium continued without hesitation. “If it is from God, it volition flourish. If not, fto it slice away, starting with me.”

The reactions vindicated him. The young metallic assemblage embraced the task with enthusiasm, portion established artists, specified arsenic Stamatis Spanoudakis, besides spoke warmly astir it successful public. Reviews from planetary euphony portals were ecstatic. Everything showed that what for years had been conscionable an thought had yet recovered its path.

Raising six children

But his beingness is not lone astir stage, music, and chants. It is besides a regular daily filled with responsibilities, bills, expenses, and the effort of raising six children successful agrarian Greece. “We effort with patience and spot successful God, contempt the fiscal pressures we look arsenic a precise ample family,” helium says. “We are not entitled to a large-family allowance, our children are considered taxation burdens, taxation is high, the outgo of surviving unbearable. The indispensable van has exorbitant roadworthy taxes, rent is precocious adjacent though we unrecorded successful a distant village.” The household strives to beryllium self-sufficient, to separate the indispensable from the superfluous, to unrecorded simply. “I expect thing from the modern state. We bash not complain, we bash not fear.”

His children are blessed to spot him creative, calm, and devoted. They don’t spot him lone arsenic a doctor, oregon a musician, oregon a chanter. They spot him arsenic a begetter who stands by their side. “That’s wherefore they sometimes telephone maine ‘metal father,’” helium says with a smile. For Christoforos, euphony is not lone art. It is faith, expression, and healing each astatine once. “It is simply a acquisition from God,” helium emphasizes. “It tin assistance antheral up to God oregon thrust him away. Discernment is needed. Our music, done ΔYNAMIS, seeks to convey the spiritual powerfulness of Orthodox hymnography.”

In reality, everything helium does — medicine, music, household — comes unneurotic successful a azygous word: power. The powerfulness of tradition, the powerfulness of faith, the powerfulness of music. And possibly that is wherever the concealed of the dense metallic doc from Tzoumerka lies: successful uniting worlds that look foreign, yet talk the aforesaid language. A connection that brings broadside by broadside AC/DC and Saint John the Theologian, the psalm and the electrical guitar, the cantor’s basal and the studio, the doc and the father, antheral and God.