Evangelos Koukoularis (born 27 May 1994), known professionally as Evan K, is a German-Greek guitarist. He is the lead guitarist of the German

power metal Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contra ...

band Mystic Prophecy, former and lead guitarist of the German

dark rock Darkness, the direct opposite of lightness, is defined as a lack of lighting, illumination, an absence of visible spectrum, visible light, or a surface that absorbs light, such as black or brown. Human visual perception, vision is unable to di ...

band

Enemy Inside Enemy Inside is a German metal band formed in Aschaffenburg in 2017. Background The band was formed by singer Nastassja Giulia and guitar player Evan K (Mystic Prophecy, Exit Eden, ex- Cypecore) who have found their own sound, somewhere betw ...

and ex-guitarist of the industrial/

death metal Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep growling vocals; aggressive, powerful drumming, feat ...

band Cypecore. Evan K also performs with the female

symphonic metal Symphonic metal is a cross-generic style designation for the symphonic subsets of heavy metal music subgenres. It is used to denote any metal band that makes use of symphonic or orchestral elements. The style features the heavy drums and guitar ...

band

Exit Eden Exit Eden is an international symphonic metal supergroup (music), supergroup that performs cover versions of well-known pop and rock songs. Background The band was formed in 2017 by the American singer Amanda Somerville (Avantasia, Alice Cooper ...

and works as a producer, solo artist and session musician in a wide range of music genres, from pop to rock and metal.

Life and work

Evan K started playing guitar at the age of 11, inspired by famous

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

bands like Scorpions,

Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Ori ...

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

, and

Whitesnake Whitesnake are an English hard rock band formed in London in 1978. The group was originally put together as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. Though the band quickly developed into their own entit ...

. Five years later he completed the E-Guitar & Jazz Harmony program of

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

through authorized local conservatories in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

. At the age of 19, he left his German literature studies in Athens in order to study E-Guitar and popular music at the

Popakademie Baden-Württemberg The Popakademie Baden-Württemberg ''(University of Popular Music And Music Business)'' is a German public conservatory for popular music based in Mannheim, Germany. Established in 2003 by the state of Baden-Württemberg, it was the first institu ...

, University of Popular Music and Music Business in

Mannheim Mannheim (; Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (german: Universitätsstadt Mannheim), is the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after the state capital of Stuttgart, and Germany's 2 ...

, Germany. He was one out of the four guitarists chosen every year to study there. In 2015, Evan K joined the industrial/death metal band Cypecore. In January 2016, the band released its third studio album ''Identity'', with Evan K in the line-up. In July 2016, Evan K released his first studio solo album ''Blue Lightning'', where

Fabio Lione Fabio Tordiglione (born 9 October 1973), known professionally as Fabio Lione, is an Italian singer and lyricist who has worked with many bands in the metal genre. He was known for being the singer of Italian power metal band Rhapsody of Fire fo ...

(

Rhapsody of Fire Rhapsody of Fire (formerly known as Rhapsody) is an Italian symphonic power metal band formed by Luca Turilli and Alex Staropoli, widely seen as a pioneer of the symphonic power metal subgenre. Since forming in 1993 as Thundercross, the band h ...

, Angra,

Vision Divine Vision Divine is an Italian power/progressive metal band formed in 1998. History Originally a solo project from Olaf Thörsen (born Carlo Andrea Magnani). Soon, Fabio Lione rejoined him after the first Labyrinth period ("No Limits"), and the ...

) and Bob Katsionis ( Firewind, Serious Black, Outloud),

Markus Johansson Markus Johansson (born December 22, 1984) is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal guitarist and vocalist from Chicago. He is currently the lead guitarist for the international touring band THEM. Johansson is also the lead vocalist and guit ...

(4ARM,

Sylencer Sylencer is an American thrash metal group from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 2006 by Markus Johansson (vocals, guitar) and Johnny Rox (bass guitar). During recording of their debut album, '' A Lethal Dose of Truth'', the band recruited drummer Ke ...

, THEM), Jimmy Pitts (Marco Minnemann, Christian Münzner) appear as special guests. The album was released in Europe via FC Metal Recordings and in Japan via King Records (Japan), King Records. In 2017 Evan K recorded guitars and bass for the debut album Rhapsodies in Black (album), ''Rhapsodies in Black'' by Exit Eden, a female symphonic metal band formed by Amanda Somerville, Clémentine Delauney, Marina La Torraca and Anna Brunner. The album features metal covers of some very popular hits such as Madonna (entertainer), Madonna's "Frozen", Adele's "Skyfall" and Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi". Simone Simons (Epica (band), Epica) appears as guest vocalist in the album. In August 2017 Evan K was announced as the new lead guitarist of the German power metal band Mystic Prophecy. At the end of 2017 Evan K formed the dark rock and modern metal band Enemy Inside with singer Nastassja Giulia and announced the release of their debut album ''Phoenix'' in September 2018 with R.O.A. Records and in August 2021 their second album ''Seven''. Evan K is endorsed by ESP Guitars, ENGL Amplifiers, Two Notes Engineering and HESU Cables. He enjoys testing and experimenting with new music gear and is also demonstrating products in his personal-(Evan K) as well as in ENGL TV channels in YouTube.

Discography

EVAN

* ''Blue Lightning'', 2016

with
Enemy Inside Enemy Inside is a German metal band formed in Aschaffenburg in 2017. Background The band was formed by singer Nastassja Giulia and guitar player Evan K (Mystic Prophecy, Exit Eden, ex- Cypecore) who have found their own sound, somewhere betw ...

* ''Phoenix'', (2018) * ''Seven'', (2021)

with Mystic Prophecy

* ''Monuments Uncovered'', 2018 * ''Metal Division'', 2020

with
Exit Eden Exit Eden is an international symphonic metal supergroup (music), supergroup that performs cover versions of well-known pop and rock songs. Background The band was formed in 2017 by the American singer Amanda Somerville (Avantasia, Alice Cooper ...

* ''Rhapsodies in Black (album), Rhapsodies in Black'', 2017

with Cypecore

* ''Identity'', 2016

References

External links

Evan K – Official website

Mystic Prophecy

Fcmetal.com

Cypecore.com
{{authority control German heavy metal guitarists Progressive rock guitarists Progressive metal guitarists Experimental rock musicians Industrial metal musicians 1994 births Living people German people of Greek descent 21st-century guitarists