Enemy of Reality is one of the finest bands in the Greek metal scene. With three excellent albums to their name, the band, led by Iliana Tsakiraki (vocals) and Steelianos Amoirides (guitars), is once again at the center of attention with their new music video for the cover of the Greek song “De Se Thelo Pia” and their upcoming headline show at Fuzz Club on March 29, 2025. Just days before this highly anticipated live event, Myth of Rock had an engaging conversation with the band, which you can read right below!
by Ira Bunia
Good evening guys, how are you doing?
Good evening Ira! We are fine, we are feverishly preparing for next Saturday!
First of all, I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the honor you give us to speak in Myth Of Rock magazine.
We thank you, our joy and honour.
Before we start talking about the band’s musical part, I would like you to introduce yourself as well as the role of each member in the band.
Of course, with joy. We are Iliana on vocals, Filippos on drums, Thanos on bass and Steelianos on guitars.
Enemy Of Reality …! Whose idea was the name of the band?
It was Iliana’s idea, it emerged in a rehearsal from our first ones, which we also talked about the style we want to follow, both for our ideas and for our influences, somehow Nevermore was also mentioned, I don’t know exactly how the click was made. It’s been twelve years since then!
We would like you to tell us a few words about when you started and how you got to today’s line-up?
Steelianos: We started in 2013. Iliana had just left her previous band along with Philippos, and they wanted to create something new and different. A mutual acquaintance recommended me for guitars, so he sent me a message, and we arranged to meet at a live show at Kyttaro, where we had a brief discussion. At the time, I had another band with our first keyboardist, Marianthi, so we immediately found a keyboard player. Very quickly, we made a post looking for a bass player, and fortunately, the first to respond was Thanos. The band’s lineup has remained constant throughout the years, with the only change being that after our first album, Marianthi left to study in the Netherlands, and we ended our collaboration. However, we have remained friends, and we see each other whenever we get the chance. Otherwise, the band remains the same.
You’ve released three albums, “Rejected Gods”, “Arakhne” and “Where Truth May Lie”. What is your favourite track from each album?
You understand that these may change from time to time, but at this moment we will say:
Iliana: “Rejected Gods”- “Torn Apart”, “Arakhne” – “Nouthetisis”, “Where Truth May Lie” – “Serenade of Death”,
Thanos: “Rejected Gods” – “Twist of Time”, “Arakhne”- “I spare”, “Where Truth May Lie”- “Long Forgotten”,
Philippos: “Rejected Gods”- “The Bargaining”, “Arakhne”- “In Hiding”, “Where Truth May Lie”- “Tears of Echo”,
Steelianos: “Rejected Gods”- “Needle Bites”, “Arakhne”- “Afraid No More”, “Where Truth May Lie”- “Deliverance”.
Is “Rejected Gods” your establishment on the domestic and global scene?
We can’t say that—we don’t know what consolidation means for everyone. It was our first album together, our first partnership and identity, and it laid some foundations for how we operate. It opened doors for us; we played with it at big festivals abroad and in Greece. But how others perceive it cannot be defined by us.
Regarding the single “Tin Patrida M’ Ehasa”, which came out on 19/05/2021. A song that personally makes me shiver when I hear it, a day of remembrance of the genocide. Whose was the idea and how much had to do with your origin, Steelianos?
We thank you, and we are very happy that it evokes strong emotions in you—just as it does in us. It was Iliana’s idea to make this adaptation, as well as the entire visual concept of the music video. She loves this aspect very much and believed in it deeply. I don’t think her decision and inspiration had anything to do with my origin, although, as a Pontian, I do have some stories from the narratives of my relatives. Iliana knew about my origins, but I never approached her to suggest doing something related to them. She took it upon herself. During a rehearsal, we jammed it out of curiosity to see how it might turn out, and we realized that it sounded great. So we sat down and worked on it to make it the best it could be.
Is there a consensus of opinion in the songs you write?
There are many things that happen automatically, and when we write something or present an idea, one knows what the other expects to do. Obviously, there are filters, but also personal tastes, which, although different in many cases, ultimately converge. From the very beginning, our sound was the result of many different influences, but over the years of playing together, we have seen that we share a common aesthetic. So, for the most part, yes, there is.
I’d like you to tell us about your influences.
Iliana listens to a wide range of music, from Judas Priest and Marilyn Manson to traditional and opera, and from Batushka to Lord of the Lost. Philip comes from a background influenced by bands like Slipknot, Machine Head, In Flames, and grindcore. Thanos leans towards classic bands like Iron Maiden, Rage, and Symphony X, as well as Mike Oldfield or newer bands like Nestor, for example. My own musical influences started with Metallica, Megadeth, Annihilator, Rage, and Dream Theater, along with pop, funk, jazz, soul music, and rebetika—plus a secret love for AOR.
Regarding the composition of the songs, do you all participate in the same way?
The lyrical part has been entirely undertaken by Thanos. To a large extent, I, as a musician, start by sending ideas to Philippos and Iliana—on the first album in collaboration with Marianthi and Iliana, on the second album with Leonidas, who helped us with the keyboards and contributed to the composition of several tracks. On the third album, we collaborated with producer Angelos Vafiadis, and from now on, after our last adaptation, I will probably undertake the biggest part myself.
Tell me a little bit about the kind of metal you play.
I can’t say that I like labels. They help with communication, but it’s best for everyone to listen for themselves and draw their own conclusions. It’s obviously metal. The first album leaned more towards prog-power with operatic elements and vocals. The second album was more heavy-power-symphonic. In the third, we moved quite a bit away from that—it is pure heavy with folk elements, which we have been flirting with quite a bit in recent years.
What are the themes of your songs and what messages do you want to convey to the world?
The topics are not fixed; they have changed over time. As we said, the lyrical part has been taken over entirely by Thanos. On the first album, there were various scattered themes and a tetralogy on the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. On the second album, we had our first concept throughout the album. As a general theme, we explored the ancient Greek myth of Arachne, with various Easter eggs from other ancient Greek myths, such as the myth of Europa and Narcissus. On the third album, we had another concept—a fictional story by Thanos set in Ancient Greece, with its central theme being the search for the meaning of human existence. As for messages, it is not easy to list them. We are certainly not “teaching.” We want people to have a good time listening to us and seeing us live.
Listening to you—and not only listening but also watching you—gives the clear impression of a complete symphonic metal band. In other words, you have both the explosiveness of metal and the intensity of lyricism, with Iliana’s voice leaving us in awe. Talk to us a little about that.
Look, I wouldn’t personally characterize us as symphonic at this moment—I think we have moved a little away from that path. We are certainly fortunate to have one of the best voices I have ever heard. As for the aesthetic aspect, our outfits serve the concept of each album, becoming part of our identity at any given time. Regarding explosiveness and intensity, that is the reason we play—we are metal, so those elements are almost a given!
Let’s move on a bit now to the live shows you’ve done. We’re talking about the fact that you’ve performed in many cities in Greece and abroad. How do you view the audience’s response, and what messages do you receive from the people?
Yes, what you say is true. We are fortunate that, even though we are an underground band, we have performed quite actively throughout our career and have managed to meet and create several new followers, given the circumstances. The support from the people is always tremendous, and it was also evident from the Indiegogo campaigns in our early years. The response to our concerts is excellent, their participation is moving, and the messages are very positive. There have been a few extreme cases (i.e., there are people abroad who have approached us with tattoos), but for the most part, our audience is close to us in terms of age and spirit—nice guys and gals who enjoy our sound!
Release Athens Festival 2022: Sabaton, Blind Guardian, Epica, Enemy Of Reality, The Silent Rage. And we all said wow. Tell me about this experience.
It was one of our best memories. After a decade of hard work and struggle, playing in our own country at one of the biggest events, with thousands of people below shouting our name rhythmically or clapping and participating, was a wonderful feeling. On the other hand, it was extremely hot, two of us had recently recovered from COVID, and we struggled, but it was a dream.
You have done many tours and participated in many festivals. I would like you to tell me what you’ve gained, how you feel, and what was the best live performance ever.
Iliana: Very strong moments, a lot of love from the people, and a lot of chatter between us during our trips. For me, I will say the MFVF in Belgium, our first time, which was a spectacular and unreal experience. Just a week before, we played our first shows in Trikala and Larissa on small stages, and then we went to such a big stage with 5,000 people underneath.
Philippos: I will agree in the first part with Iliana, plus some very special experiences with other bands. For me, the highlight was the Release Athens 2022.
Thanos: I agree, we have gained a lot of concert experience and we are very happy with that. My favourite was probably in MFVF the second time we played with Mike LePond from Symphony X on stage.
Steelianos: And for me, the feelings are the same. I will not forget many conversations that took place in unforgettable moments with people I admired, like Daniel Cavanagh, Snowy Shaw, and Christofer Johnsson. The top moment was definitely Release Athens, but there were also very dear moments for other reasons, such as our live show in Ilioupoli for the fire victims in 2021, or the support show in Kastoria with Septicflesh, or in Romania, where I met my idol, Jeff Waters.
Fuzz club, 29/03/2025 and we celebrate eleven years since the band’s formation. How do you feel about it?
Wonderful, and we can’t wait to celebrate it together with those who love us, giving the best of ourselves live. We have prepared various surprises that you will see, with many visuals and actors, and a lot of work has been put into this recently.
Is there any surprise cover to expect, or will you perform only tracks from your three albums?
Material from all three of our albums will be played. There will be adaptations, though I’m not sure if it’s a surprise. Of course, you mentioned one before, and it will definitely be played.
Is there any new material?
Yes, of course, we are in the pre-production stage at the moment! You will have our news soon, I hope!
Next concert?
After this Saturday, the only announcement we can make is the Laurus Nobilis Festival in Portugal in July!
Thank you guys very much for the time you have given me and we look forward to enjoy you on stage!!
Thank you Ira and Myth Of Rock! It was our pleasure! See you on Saturday in the pit!
