Rivers of Nihil – Rivers of Nihil
Rivers of Nihil – Rivers of Nihil
Metal Blade Records
30/05/2025
Review by Rory Bentley
7/10
After putting out two universally acclaimed Progressive Death Metal masterpieces and parting with a vocalist, Pennsylvania critical darlings Rivers of Nihil are back with a self-titled release that goes a litte lighter on the Prog but heavier on all other aspects of the RoN sound. The result is something of a step down from the lofty heights of “Where Owls Know My Name” and “The Work”, but not without bringing a lot of its own merits to the table
The vocal chemistry between bassist and now lead vocalist Adam Biggs and new recruit and axemaster Andy Thomas (of Black Crown Initiate fame) is the first thing that smacked me in the face when ‘The Sub-Orbital Blues’ kicks us off. The band have always had a good grasp on clean vocals, but things definitely go up a gear on this one, reaching soaring heights that wouldn’t be out of place in a more Metalcore setting, but not that shit BMTH copycat Metalcore that you probably thought of when I said that. Thankfully, Biggs has a good handle on the brutal guttural vocals as well, so things are still on the right side of extreme.
Speaking of Extreme, ‘Dustman’ fills the throat-ripping banger quota with a furious shift behind the kit from Jared Klein- excellent throughout the album- and Thomas and Brody Uttley bring the kind of guitar pyrotechnics that very few in the scene are capable of matching. The whole thing is pure savagery, and although it is a little route one for this most Progressive of entities, I’ve never met a dramatic, nasty Deathcore banger I didn’t like.
‘Criminals’ is where I feel the album’s shortcomings come to the fore. It crams in a fair few ideas across its sub-5 minute runtime with a weird jazzy intro, straight up Death Metal, and a little bit of Tech, along with a soaring chorus underpinned by blast beats, but it feels a little disjointed to me. The band make clear in their press notes that a deliberate attempt has been made to trim the fat on this album, but for once, I think I kind of want the fat. This along with the unnerving ‘Despair Church’ suffer from the issue of either needing a longer runtime to breathe, or tightening up further to give the whiplash-inducing transitions more impact. When that sexy sax kicks in on the aforementioned song it’s beautiful, but I almost feel like I haven’t done enough to earn the reprieve they bring, like I still have some energy left for brain-scrambling riffing and compositional twists.
Despite these criticisms and the inevitable, but unfavourable comparison to prior works, I still feel there’s a great deal to enjoy on the album, and I can see the more accessible nature of things bringing new fans on board. I just can’t forget the magical time I had with the last two records. This is still going to feature at the business end of many people’s AOTY lists, but as a self-titled album I don’t think it captures the full expansive brilliance the band is capable of.
‘Water and Time’ Official Audio
TRACKLISTING:
01. The Sub-Orbital Blues
02. Dustman
03. Criminals
04. Despair Church
05. Water & Time
06. House of Light
07. Evidence
08. American Death
09. The Logical End
10. Rivers of Nihil
LINKS:
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