“Existence is oh so temporary.”
In the modern-day death metal scene, there are few bands as well-known and beloved as Rivers of Nihil. Starting as a purely tech-death act, Rivers of Nihil vigorously captivated listeners with their first two albums, Conscious Seed of Light and Monarchy. Following up with Where Owls Know My Name, Rivers of Nihil proved that they were unafraid of changing their formula, as this entry was more prog-tinged and proved to be their breakout record. Beautifully and introspectively ambient, Where Owls Know My Name gave contemporary death metal the shot in the arm that it needed. This trend would continue with their following album, The Work, which doubled down on much of the progressive structure that Where Owls Know My Name had, whilst also incorporating more frequently clean choruses. On the heels of The Work’s release, founding vocalist Jake Dieffenbach departed, leaving bassist Adam Biggs to take over primary vocal duty. Shortly thereafter, Rivers of Nihil recruited Andy Thomas, formerly of Black Crown Initiate, to permanently fill the backing vocal gap. Despite moderate shuffling in their lineup and an ambitious shift in sound, Rivers of Nihil have culminated all previous work into their latest, self-titled release.
Rivers of Nihil sees the band reintroducing many of the technical aspects of their first two albums and mixing them with the fresh prog sensibilities of their most recent tandem of LPs. Each song on the album contains a fascinating mix of blistering technical riffs, varying prog time signatures, and choruses that never become a chore to listen to despite the album’s fifty-minute runtime.
Our first example of melding segmental sounds comes almost immediately in the form of the first song, “The Sub Orbital Blues”. Following a brief, electronic a cappella introduction, we are treated to a melodically chunky set of prog riffs alongside Andy Thomas’ vocals that effectively transition to a speedy section filled with technical riffs that have largely been absent from the band’s previous two releases. With Adam Biggs’ savagely guttural vocals layered over top, the chaotic nature of the song’s instrumentals is complemented in a unique way that’s akin to Rivers of Nihil’s pre-Where Owls Know My Name material. This contrasting dichotomy of Thomas’ clean prog sections and Biggs’ savage technical bits forms a solid structure for the songs contained on the record.
Listeners that would prefer the contrasting sides of Rivers of Nihil’s sound staying separate from one another are left clamoring for both on this album. “Water and Time”, throughout its duration, displays a mostly progressive affair filled with brooding ambience and soaring choruses that are punctuated by a semi-djent structure of heavy bits. As these aforementioned elements were omnipresent on their last two albums, “Water and Time” is a particularly well-executed song that allows listeners to sit back and get a much-needed reprieve in their listening experience. Fittingly, “House of Light” follows and reprises the group’s now-famous saxophone sections that continue to complement the ethereal nature of their sonic build.
Another facet worth mentioning is how effortlessly each of the songs transitions into one another on the album. “Dustman” into “Criminals” is one such example of Rivers of Nihil finding an interesting means of incorporating elements of the proceeding track into the outro of the previous song. As this is consistent throughout the record, Rivers of Nihil display proficiency in allowing the record to flow as if it were one large, cohesive song rather than a collection of individual parts.
Overall, there’s not much in the way of critique for this album apart from the fact that it would have been preferable to get one more song comparable to “Evidence”, as this track shows off the techier death side of Rivers of Nihil’s sound compared to what’s traditionally been more proggy. However, the high level of execution and engaging mold of Rivers of Nihil provides solid grounds for which any overly noticeable flaws are practically non-existent.
Rivers of Nihil’s poignantly self-titled album is yet another utterly fascinating and enamoring record in the band’s already stellar discography. If this album proves anything, it’s that losing founding vocalist Jake Dieffenbach had little to no effect on their sound whatsoever. Should they continue down this road, Rivers of Nihil are primed to remain steadfastly relevant for years to come.
8/10
Rivers of Nihil releases May 30th via Metal Blade Records, and you can pre-order it here.