AmongRuins roars back in 2026.
For the release of their fourth album, Advent of Chaos, Sotiris “Sverd” Tsolakoglou (bass/vocals, ex-Bare Infinity, ex-Outloud), Alex Flouros (guitar, Diviner, Fragile Vastness, ex-Seduce the Heaven), Thanos (guitar, ex-IceCrown) and Scott Naylor (drums, Bardo Thodol, Reign of Erebus, ex-Atra Mors, ex-Forneus…) – assisted by Christos Mitros on keyboards – continue their journey with Theogonia Records.
Frozen the Core presents us with a rather disturbing introduction in which we take our first steps into the icy wind to encounter the first harmonics, followed by imposing riffs where Sverd‘s roars join us on our journey. The rather slow approach is immediately catchy, but also relatively theatrical, as Greek bands have a knack for doing, as on Advent of Chaos, which nevertheless picks up the pace to offer a more aggressive and even sometimes quite martial sound. Choirs reinforce the song’s warlike aspect, while guitars deliver more piercing touches before becoming almost hypnotic on Red Divine, where we find a fairly simple but very solid base to welcome the vocalist’s rage-filled screams, barely nuanced by more accessible choruses. However, the song is quite short and direct, unlike Into the Flame, which allows itself a few touches of softness in the introduction before returning to its jerky and catchy saturation, leaving Christiana Chatzimichali (Elysion, ex-Bare Infinity) to lend her spellbinding voice to a unique but very interesting duet with the vocalist. The final is also quite unique, but A Symphony of Loss quickly plunges us back into the usual energetic and belligerent Old School sounds, which sometimes transform into epic bursts before revealing a more melancholic side on Open Wounds, both in the haunting riffs and George Prokopiou‘s clean voice. The song clearly calls for calm, relegating the hoarse screams to a supporting role while the melodies speak for themselves, then we find a livelier pace on Chained, which is sure to make us bang our heads, barely leaving the offensive register to become heavy in certain passages. The album ends with Night Mother, the last composition, which once again skillfully mixes energetic choruses with effective patterns and more accessible refrains reinforced by choirs and keyboards that make them more majestic, creating a contrast that accentuates the two extremes and allows the band to unite its audience live before leaving them to cheer at the finale.
Although the name may not mean much to you at the moment, AmongRuins is consolidating its underground reputation with a handful of tracks that are varied in influence but perfectly complementary. Advent of Chaos may well be one of your pleasant surprises of the first 2026 quarter!
85/100
A few questions to Sotiris “Sverd” Tsolakoglou, vocalist, bass player and founding member of the Greek Melodic Death Metal band AmongRuins, for the release of their new album Advent of Chaos.
Hello and first of all, thank you very much for your time! Tough one to begin, how would you describe AmongRuins’s music without using the words “Death Metal”, “Melodic Death Metal” or any other subgenre?
Sotiris “Sverd” Tsolakoglou (bass/vocals): Hello to you, it’s awesome to be featured in Acta Infernalis! And truly, a very good question to begin with! I would say sincere, atmospheric, deep and heavy in lyrics, abridging contemporary sound with 90s compositions.
Where does the name AmongRuins come from, and how do you link it to the music you play after all those years?
Sverd: It comes from two main sources. First, is the era I formed the band, when we were starting to feel intensely the economic and political crisis here in Greece and everyone’s lives were in shambles. Second, is the antiquities and the actual ruins everywhere around us here in Athens. So, modern or old ruins, we definitely can’t escape them!
AmongRuins will release in a few months its fourth album Advent of Chaos, how do you feel about it? Do you already have any feedback ?
Sverd: We are beyond excited! We worked hard to match the level or even surpass Land of the Black Sun. We felt it as a duty to our fans and to the label to keep the bar high. The reactions so far come from friendly and confident sources and they truly love the new album. Also, the reactions and reception of our first single Red Divine were insane!
How would you sum Advent of Chaos’ identity up in only three words?
Sverd: Melodic, dark and heavy.
AmongRuins is slowly reaching its fifteenth anniversary,how does the creation process happen within the band? Did you notice some changes between now and the band’s very first steps?
Sverd: The process is always the same. Because the songs are very personal, each is working on his ideas or full song and then we present them to each other and start working them in demo levels.
AmongRuins’ sound is undeniably rooted to Melodic Death Metal, but which bands would you quote as your main influences? The Swedish scene is often one of the most influential root of Melodic Death Metal, but I also feel your majestic Greek roots and even Finnish coldness. How did you manage to combine all elements together to make them coherent?
Sverd: You got all those exactly right!!! In terms of compositions, we love early Swedish stuff, where the riffs where very distinct and important as were all individual melodies. Personally, I also draw inspiration from vocals of that period, i.e. At the Gates, Opeth, Hypocrisy, Dark Tranquility. There was a lot of raw and real emotion and that still is my favorite element. When it comes to melodies, harmonies and lyrics we are heavily influenced by the Finnish Metal scene. We need the coldness and melancholy to be in balance with the aggression and heaviness. Personally, again, i draw a lot of influence from the Greek and Norwegian black metal scenes. In terms of what inspires me, what i thouroughly enjoy but also, it is an important part in our sound, as those two scenes have a distinct blackness and rawness of their own. It makes me very happy that you spotted all of those!
What is your personal favorite song on Advent of Chaos, or maybe the hardest one to achieve?
Sverd: My personal favorite is Into the Flame because I am singing it with one of my best and oldest friends, Christianna from Elysion. It is packed with emotion and tons of emotional moments from all of us, and it was a very serious, creative, and enjoyable process. It was also the hardest because it took the longest studio time by far, but you will hear things in there that will make you understand why it took longer than the rest haha!
Where do you find your inspiration to create music and lyrics? Is there a concept on Advent of Chaos?
Sverd: Always real life. Always real emotions and things that have happened to me, or my bandmates or to all of us as a whole. The lyrics are as always open for interpretation, because we want everyone to find something from themselves in them and connect to a particular moment in their lives. This time it was a very chaotic period in our personal and our band lives, so as always, we give you the truth of the period we create something new.
Do you think you improved yourself as a musician with this new record?
Sverd: Definitely. Not so much playing-wise, but more in the ability to work better in the studio, work fast and with high results. Also, we got wiser in terms of production and approaching the record, and I hope this happens with every album.
Advent of Chaos is the second album you release with the support of Theogonia Records, how is this partnership going? How did you get in touch with the label’s team back in time?
Sverd: For us, it is a family. They support us with all they got and we couldn’t be happier! It is always thrilling and humbling to have someone believe in you so much and support you all the way. When we finished mixing Land of the Black Sun, my good friend Aggelos suggested I send them the songs and that he felt we would be a very good fit. And that is as true as it gets!
When looking at the internet, I found a few shows in Greece, including opening for Wolfheart and Sakis Tolis. How were those experiences? How did you manage to get people who maybe don’t know your band get hooked by your music?
Sverd: It is always amazing to play live with accomplished and good musicians. But even more, like in the cases you mentioned, with good friends. It is always an experience that helps the band evolve and to have some unforgettable moments! How we managed…. Well…We try to be the best on stage, be even better and even stronger than the albums and have a real connection with the audience, We have so many gigs on our backs now, but every time, the most important thing is to affect and respect the ones there and make them come again and bring more people. We try to be a real and active live band, playing with our hearts and souls on stage, and that is something that the audience always understands.
Earlier in 2025, AmongRuins toured a bit in Europe, how was this experience? How did you get prepared for this tour? Maybe you have some kind of habit before/after a concert?
Sverd: It was in October 2024, and it was our first headline European tour. It was a long one, lasting 3 weeks on the road covering 9 counties abroad and 16 shows in total. It was an amazing experience. I had so many hours with my bandmates who I love like hell and those were some precious moments. Also, we got to see that the dynamic of the band is much huger than we even realized and, in some cities especially, the crowds were absolutely insane!
The band also welcomed Scott Naylor on drums in 2025, how is it to have “new blood” in the band? How did you manage to permanently hire him?
Sverd: We were headlining a festival in March 2024, and he was also playing with his band at the time. We returned to Athens together and since it was a long drive, we got many hours to get to know each other and talk about many important things. We knew our drummer then wouldn’t continue, so we already started discussing this scenario. He immediately loved the band and the songs, maybe even more than us haha! He has been amazing and very into the songs and the material from the very first moment. We have reached the point where we are good friends now and we all are on the same page as bandmates. We are ready to support this album with full force.
What will come next for AmongRuins? About music, live, maybe other projects on the way?
Sverd: AmongRuins takes my full time in combination with daily life, and I don’t see any projects coming for now. Also, I need some time available for any gigs with Wolfheart that might come up, as I have been their session bass player for the last 4 years.
Have you ever heard of the French Metal scene? Are there any bands you know and like?
Sverd: Yes! I love so many bands, but I will tell you some favorite ones: Les Discrets, Alcest, Gojira, Fractal Gates, Nocturnal Depression.
Are there any bands you would love to play with? I let you create your dream poster with AmongRuins and three other bands, even unrealistic answers are accepted.
Sverd: It would be Cult of Luna, Behemoth and Metallica.
Last and funny question: which dish would you compare AmongRuins’ music with?
Sverd: Definitely the Greek souvlaki pita! You have everything in there in perfect combination and harmony. I like to think that our melodies and lyrics can create a full plate of dark flavors.
That was the last question for me, so thank you very much for your time and your music, last words are yours!
Sverd: Thank you for honouring us with your invitation and your awesome questions and I hope we will meet on the road next year!