History
Still I'm Sad was formed in September 1999 in Piraeus, Greece, by Yannis "The Loner" on guitars and vocals and Jim Daco "The Rebel" on bass. What began as a small personal project soon became a long musical journey shaped by melodic rock, hard rock, melancholy, memory, and friendship.
The band's first self-titled demo tape was recorded at YTLn Studio and was released on April 23, 2000. It included an instrumental version of "Still I'm Sad" together with "Tears in the Hands of Time", two songs that would later become part of the band's identity.
2001: Memories and the First Full-Band Recordings
At the beginning of 2001, Still I'm Sad joined forces with Aris Rom on keyboards and vocals. Together they recorded the first full-band demo, Memories, at IRom Studio in Saronida. The demo consisted of six songs, including "Memories", "Still I'm Sad" with lyrics, and "So Much Left to Say". It was released on February 25, 2001, and was re-released on April 8, 2001, with two bonus tracks.
In September 2001, the band began recording its first studio album, Forever and Never, at R.P.N. Studio in Piraeus. Yannis and Jim were joined by Peter "RPN" on drums and backing vocals, and the single A Night's Dream was released on December 5, 2001.
2002–2004: Forever and Never, Live Shows, and Tears in the Hands of Time
In early 2002, keyboard player Alex "Red Carpet" joined the band. Still I'm Sad began recording the studio mini-album Forever and Never in September 2002. The album included six songs, among them "So Much Left to Say", "Night Falls", "Don't Ask", and "This Ain't Love". It was released in March 2003.
From 2002 to 2004, Still I'm Sad played many live shows in Athens, while the line-up continued to evolve. In October 2003, Pavlos "SnakEye" joined on drums and Sophia P. joined on keyboards. The band then started recording its second studio album, Tears in the Hands of Time, at Sound Machine Studio in Piraeus.
The album was released on April 19, 2004. It included new recordings of earlier songs such as "Memories", "Still I'm Sad", and "Tears in the Hands of Time". The band gave its final live show of that era at Hard Rock Cafe in Piraeus on February 1, 2004, a performance later released on DVD as part of the B' Sides archive.
2004–2007: The Main Studio Era
During the recordings of the third official studio album, A Song for a Dream, Pavlos "SnakEye" left the band, with Yannis taking over the drum recordings. The album was recorded at Sound Machine Studio and was released on August 4, 2004.
Soon after, Peter "Dark" joined Still I'm Sad on drums. The band returned to Sound Machine Studio and released Fantasy on March 11, 2005.
After a six-month break in 2005, Still I'm Sad returned with a clearer melodic rock direction and English lyrics. In 2006, the band released two studio albums: Forever After in March and Come Hell or High Water in November. Both albums were remastered and officially released in 2023.
In late 2006 and early 2007, Still I'm Sad recorded Falling in Deep, released in the summer of 2007. The album is often considered one of the band's strongest works, featuring songs such as "The Embers of Love", "Through the Infinite Waves of Life", "All We Are", "Running Away from You", "Embrace the Silence", and "Falling in Deep". It was remastered and officially released in February 2024.
2007: Live to Die in Nevermore and the End of the First Era
During the summer of 2007, Still I'm Sad recorded a compilation of songs from their latest three albums at I.E.K. Domi Studios. These recordings later appeared as bonus tracks on previously released albums.
That same summer, the band began recording its heaviest studio album, Live to Die in Nevermore, at Sound Machine Studio. During the recordings, in late August 2007, Still I'm Sad disbanded. The album was left unfinished, becoming one of the band's most important lost chapters.
In 2008, Still I'm Sad released two Best Of collections, including many unreleased tracks: one focused on songs with Greek lyrics and one on songs with English lyrics.
2008–2023: Silence, Side Projects, and the Road Back
In 2008, Yannis and Peter joined forces again and formed the cover band Shoot 'em Up, active from August 2008 until February 2009. The band also covered the Still I'm Sad song "Never Be the Same Again" from the 2006 album Forever After.
In 2010 and 2011, Yannis and Peter recorded several Still I'm Sad-flavoured songs in an attempt to resurrect the band. The idea of a new Still I'm Sad album remained unfinished, and Yannis continued working on solo albums under the name YTLn.
Albums such as Shadow of a Dream, released in March 2012, and WeatheReport, released in May 2013, became important representatives of YTLn's music. After almost ten years, YTLn returned with Homeward Bound in 2023, followed by Born to Run and Northern Skies Act I and Act II in 2024.
2024: The Reunion
During the recordings of Northern Skies, Yannis "The Loner" reconnected with Pavlos "SnakEye". On April 19, 2024, exactly twenty years after the release of Tears in the Hands of Time, they announced a new Still I'm Sad album titled Echoes from the Past.
Released on May 30, 2024, Echoes from the Past brought together songs the band had never released in the past, along with re-recorded songs spanning the band's discography.
On July 11, 2024, Still I'm Sad released Silence 17, the first studio album of completely new songs after the reunion. It was followed by Homeland, released on October 11, 2024.
2025–2026: The New Era
The next studio album, A Deep Scar of Blue, was released on January 11, 2025. Soon after, the long-unfinished Live to Die in Nevermore finally came to life. Originally conceived in 2007, the album was completed after seventeen years and became one of the darkest and most intense chapters in the band's story, exploring inner demons, lost battles, and redemption.
Still I'm Sad recorded a live performance at Sound Machine Studio in January 2025, released as Live at Sound Machine Studio on April 4, 2025. On May 3, 2025, the band released B' Sides Vol. 4, a continuation of the earlier B' Sides mini albums consisting of cover songs.
Bill "Sound Machine" officially joined Still I'm Sad on bass, bringing new energy and ideas to the band. Having served as the band's sound engineer since 2003, he had long been considered part of the Still I'm Sad family.
With Bill now officially in the line-up, Still I'm Sad released Tales from the Attic on July 24, 2025, followed by Alive & Acoustic from the Attic on October 15, 2025. In December 2025, the band revisited Σαν Φαντασία XX with old demos, live recordings from 2005, and new re-recordings of rare songs from that era.
On February 18, 2026, Still I'm Sad released Strings Attached, an acoustic album featuring songs from the reunion era. On June 1, 2026, the band released Lucky 13, a melodic hard rock album and the latest chapter in the band's ongoing story.
What Comes Next
Still I'm Sad are currently working on Sad Up!, planned for release in Fall 2026, followed by the single Back to Homeland in early 2027.
More than two decades after the first demo tape, Still I'm Sad continues to move between memory and renewal, carrying the emotional spirit of the early years into a new and active era.