Interview about Rheinkaos
The Greek band, more of a project Rheinkaos, is making itself known again. And not only with the latest track called All My Being is a Dark Verse. But they are working on other things.
Alan – Hi Rheinkaos. What does your band name mean? Pure chaos?
Dimitrios - Our name comes from the final album by Dissection. While I liked the title, I wanted to avoid any association with Jon Nödtveidt’s ideology, so I changed the spelling. Ideally, I’d like the name to reflect something more personal and unique, but truthfully, I chose it around 20 years ago simply because it sounded cool and pleasing to my ears.
Alan – Let me ask you straight away. Do you consider yourself a band or a project?
Dimitrios - That’s a good question. As listeners, we often place more value on what we perceive as a "real" band versus a project. Rheinkaos started as a four-piece, entered the studio as a trio, and released music as a duo. Today, it feels more like a personal project, as I’m the only one still fully committed to it.
Alan – Since when have you existed? And do you perform?
Dimitrios - We formed in 2007 and released our first demo in 2008. We haven’t played live much over the years, especially after I moved from Greece to the Netherlands in 2010 while the other members stayed back home. That’s made things complicated, but I’m currently looking for local musicians to support live performances.
Alan - Who is in Rheinkaos? And are you atmospheric black metal, just? You sound quite ambient to me. Try to describe it to us more.
Dimitrios - I started writing the first demo with 666 International by Dødheimsgard as my main inspiration. I was aiming for the same sense of dynamic range—both in intensity and stylistic variation. But other influences quickly surfaced, like Paradise Lost, Ulver, Fates Warning, and even artists like the composer Tomáš Dvořák and jazz-rockers The Reign of Kindo. So while "atmospheric black metal" captures the core of what I’m doing, it’s definitely blended with ambient and progressive elements.
Alan – Your latest EP album contains two songs lasting about 18 minutes. Can you explain it to us a little more? Describe it? Are they older songs that you have edited and ......? What are the songs about? Also musically?
Beta Religion - Carries a sense of epic scale and introspection that I really love. It started with a few simple riffs, but I later added an Ulver-inspired ambient intro and a final crescendo that I tried to model after Dream Theater’s Finally Free.
The Commencement Fear - Is more aggressive and up-tempo, with clear progressive metal influences from Fates Warning and Cynic that give it a unique character. I’m a big fan of ’90s progressive metal, as you can probably tell. Both songs were originally written around 2010. The guitars and bass were recorded at Fragile Studios in Greece at the time, but due to budget constraints, I had to handle the mixing and mastering myself many years later.
Alan – I have to admit, I don’t follow you except for music, so I don’t even know if you do concerts as a duo?
Dimitrios - No, we’re not performing at all currently. The distance between me and Savaoth, our vocalist, makes that very difficult. It’s unfortunate, especially since we’ve received quite a bit of positive attention from media and fans.
Alan – Our zine is for Czech and Slovak readers, do you know any bands or festivals from these two countries?
Dimitrios - Absolutely! Back in the early 2000s, my friends and I were obsessed with Krabathor. They were featured often in Metal Hammer Greece, and we thought their name was the most metal thing ever! I followed them for a while, though I haven’t checked out their recent material, to be honest.
Alan – In the future, will you be preparing any new work? Or will you stick with one EP album and one demo for now? Or how much have you actually recorded? I know about the EP and demo.
Dimitrios - This year, I’m planning to release a post-prog metal album that I’ve been working on with WE.OWN.THE.SKY, another Greek band. Next year, my focus will return to Rheinkaos. I’ve already written a few new songs, and I hope to finally record a full-length album. In my experience, LPs tend to gain more attention than EPs.
Alan – Years ago in Greece black metal was a very popular genre. Is it still so? What kind of metal and bands are currently the most popular in Greece? Varathron?
Dimitrios - Black metal still has a strong following worldwide, but Greek metalheads have definitely broadened their tastes. Bands like Mother of Millions (progressive metal) and Khirki (rock/folk-metal fusion) have gained real popularity within Greece. I'm also pleasantly surprised you know Varathron! If you enjoy their style, check out Katavasia, a fantastic side project featuring some of the same members.
Alan – Who does the electronics and computers for you?
Dimitrios - I do everything myself! I studied music technology, which certainly helps, but mastering electronics and production takes years of hands-on experience. In the end, I preferred to do it alone because I had a very specific sound in mind, and outsourcing it would have diluted that vision.
Alan – Thanks for the interview, I hope it’s not the last. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for your further work.
Dimitrios - Thank you for your questions and supporting our music! We sincerely appreciate it!
https://rheinkaos.com
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiE5CxGhSGa_um0ypJH4KwQ
