RHEINKAOS – All My Being is a Dark Verse
Artwork: Vadim Karasov
(Self-Released | October 28, 2024)
Genre: Avant-Garde Black Metal
It’s not every day a band comes back after more than a decade and delivers something this unexpected — and this good. Rheinkaos, from Greece, originally formed back in 2007. They had some momentum, a demo that got praise, and even worked on a full-length… but life got in the way. Now, in 2024, they’ve returned with All My Being is a Dark Verse — a two-song EP that feels like it was crafted from the pieces of old dreams, half-remembered fears, and whatever else crawls in when you close your eyes at night.
The first track, “Beta Religion”, is over ten minutes long and doesn’t waste any of it. It starts in this moody, kind of electronic space, like you're watching a sci-fi film unfold inside your skull. Then the guitars hit, and everything starts to feel heavier — not just musically, but emotionally. The vocals shift between whispers and full black metal growls, and somehow it all works. It doesn’t feel forced. It feels like this is just how the song had to be. There’s a real sense of movement — like you’re being pulled through something, not just listening passively. By the end, you’re not sure how to describe what you just heard, but you know it made you feel something. Rheinkaos is not interested in genre orthodoxy. Instead, they conjure an otherworldly hybrid of electronic textures, horror film atmospherics, industrial pulses, and crushing black metal riffage.
Then comes “The Commencement Fear,” which leans even more into this strange blend of black metal and electronica. It’s got a cold, synthetic edge but still manages to sound human and very well produced. The vocals are run through effects at times, like you're hearing them on an old radio or through static — it gives the song this eerie, disconnected feeling that really fits the theme. The rhythms shift constantly, the synths breathe in and out, and everything feels slightly alien, in a good way. At a few points it reminded me of video game soundtracks or experimental film scores — but with blast beats.
The whole EP flows like a single experience. It’s dark, dreamy, a little unnerving, but really well done. It doesn’t feel like Rheinkaos are trying to be “different” just for the sake of it — this is just genuinely how their music sounds. It’s thoughtful, layered, and full of moments that surprise you. Even though it’s avant-garde and abstract, it’s still very listenable. It draws you in.
Lyrically, there’s a lot to unpack — questions about reality, control, belief, and what it means to be human in a universe that may or may not care. Lines like “Reprogram your beta religion” and “We don’t need fake saviors anymore” hit harder than expected.
Bottom line?
This is a wild little release. If you’re into black metal that pushes boundaries — sonically, emotionally, even philosophically — All My Being is a Dark Verse is worth your time. It’s more than music; it’s an experience. Like staring into a void that answers back.
