When late rebetiko legend and bouzouki virtuoso Manolis Hiotis wrote and composed the music for his 1960s classic “Perasmenes Mou Agapes” (My Past Loves), he almost certainly never imagined his song being performed on an electric guitar.

In fact, according to writings by late journalist and Onassis biographer Dimitris Liberopoulos, Hiotis once said that “The strings of an electric guitar vibrate due to electricity, while the strings of a bouzouki vibrate through the heart.”

But alas, one of the most prominent musicians in his own realm — the world of rock and metal guitar — and a fellow Thessaloniki native has created his own virtuosic rendition of Hiotis’ beloved song.

The performance comes from none other than Konstantinos Karamitroudis, more widely known as Gus G, who starred as the lead guitarist in Ozzy Osbourne’s band from 2009 to 2017.

Gus said the cover was a “lost” track from an older album by his Greece-based band Firewind which they were not granted permission to release commercially and instead performed live on rare occasions.

The 40-year-old shredder has played large stages worldwide between his years of touring with Osbourne and his own band which has produced eight studio albums in its roughly 20-year history.

Gus has released three studio albums as a solo artist and remains the only Greek-born musician to have his own signature guitar model — currently the Jackson USA Signature Gus G. Star. — which he can be seen playing in the video below.

The original song by Manolis Hiotis with Mairi Linta on vocals can be heard here.

Video: Gus G Performs “Perasmenes Mou Agapes”