Doomed Confessionary: Dimitris Vardoulakis (Honeybadger)
Honeybadger is a stoner rock band hailing from Athens, Greece. Founded in 2015, Honeybadger consists of Dimitris Vardoulakis (vocals, rhythm guitar), Vaggelis Oikonomou (drums, percussion, backing vocals), Fogg (bass) and Dimitris Michailaras (lead guitar).
Honeybadger unleashed their second full-length album »Let There Be Light« on October 19th, 2025 via SODEH Records. An album dedicated to all the dark souls who, with clear eyes, seek hope and light, »Let There Be Light« marks a new creative peak for the band – blending massive riffs, melodic depth, and introspective lyrics.
With recognition both in Greece and abroad, Honeybadger have performed alongside major acts like Dozer or Nightstalker, and appeared at many prominent festivals.
Can you please say a few words about your band?
We, Honeybadger, are a desert/stoner rock band from Athens, Greece, active since 2015, blending heavy rock with indie/alternative and grunge influences. We have three releases, the EP »The Rain« (2017), the LP »Pleasure Delayer« (2020, Made Of Stone Recordings) and our latest album »Let There Be Light« (2025) via the Canadian label SODEH Records.
We have performed at notable venues and festivals across Greece, our most recent album received very positive reviews – including being featured as “Album of the Month” by Metal Hammer Greece and achieving a notable entry at #13 on the Doom Charts (October 2025).
At the moment, we are preparing for upcoming live shows while also working on new ideas for future material.
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
I could easily say that our biggest challenge still is getting our music out for a larger audience in a notable way. There is a heavy volume of information about music, especially online. Consequently it has become extremely challenging to have a distinctive musical presence and influence.
What can you be most proud of so far?
We are proud mostly about two things. The first is that we have released music we really enjoy listening and performing, that’s important for us. The second is that we have managed to perform here in Athens with bigger bands from our local scene as well as from abroad. For example we opened Dozer last October which was a great experience.
What was your biggest regret?
Our biggest regret could be that we didn’t realize soon enough in our lives the potential and the love we had for performing and working in a more professional way as musicians. It’s never too late but young age is also a big plus. We are trying to balance it with our life experiences and so far it works fine for us!
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
The best concert we performed was in March 2018, supporting Nightstalker in one of the main Athens’ venues, Gagarin 205. The place was packed with people, the vibe was explosive (in a good way) and it was our first gig facing a large crowd. We had a blast that night!
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
It was a rather big surprise for us that during the pandemic (when we released our first LP, »Pleasure Delayer«) there was a large wave of solidarity from all over the world for independent and underground musicians. Bandcamp had a large part in creating that. We managed to spread our music even through these strange circumstances and gained support and communication with a very warm network of music lovers. This was gold for us.
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
What comes to mind first is the big Greek bands from our scene, like 1000mods, Planet Of Zeus and Nightstalker. Also Die Spitz, Slomosa, Queens Of The Stone Age, Viagra Boys, Black Sabbath and Ozzy stuff. The list could go on forever!
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
I really don’t remember who was the one telling us but the best was the “make music for you and not for the others” line. We, as a band, align with that, it makes us feel full. We always have that in mind because we wanna have a good time when performing and writing music and connect that way with the fans.
What are your guilty pleasures?
Some of our guilty pleasures are really fatty food and chocolate, beer and booze (a lot of that), buying guitars without any reason, swearing a lot and geeky movies and merch.
Can you say something more about the current music scene in Greece?
Greece and especially Athens, where we live, has a rather big rock music scene in a population analogy without losing in quality. The audience for English speaking music is not so big though and that creates some existential problems for most bands. We hope this changes and we continue getting our music out globally!
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
For the moment it’s a gig in Athens the 25th of April supporting Misty Route, a tasteful local metal band. After that we have some plans about some Greek rock festivals, probably we will hit a couple of them or more. Autumn and winter 2026 there are plans for touring around Greece and maybe a bit of Central Europe.
What are your plans for the future as a band?
We wanna make more music we enjoy, play and tour in bigger audiences and discover new people and places through our music. Having a good time is the main target.
How can people best support your band?
Listen to our music through any platform that pleases you and share it. Also BUY STUFF from Bandcamp and come to our gigs. These are the only ways to show love for music and performing bands.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
We love hanging out with you and talking about music, communicating with us more. Also, don’t let anyone tell you what YOU like. Make your own choices and enjoy!
Links:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify | YouTube
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well