“Frets are necessary, like a baby walker that a small child uses to learn to walk. But after a certain point they can become restrictive”:How a Greek orthodox priest went viral by turning church hymns into fretless eight-string metal ragers

Father Dionysios Tabakis.

Tucked away in a parish in the coastal city of Nafplio, Greece, is the unassuming figure of Father Dionysios Tabakis: an Orthodox priest who, after performing his church and community duties, moonlights as a guitarist and viral musical sensation.

Described by Pitchfork as pinballing “between drone metal and techno Christmas carols, field recordings and hymns,” his debut album wasn’t meant to lead to any sort of virality or fervor among the left-field crate diggers inhabiting Reddit.