In March 2023, Rivers of Nihil wrapped up a recording session that saw the now four-piece band birth a considerable amount of new music featuring their previous bassist/backup vocalist Adam Biggs as the new lead vocalist/bassist. This recording session also marked the first appearance of new guitarist
Andy Thomas (ex-Black Crown Initiate), whose vocals also play prominently in the music, as a member of Rivers of Nihil. These new singles are the first to showcase the band’s new lineup in full-on collaboration, and demonstrates that while this is a new, brave sound with tons of potential, it also carries the band’s classic energy.
The first new single “The Sub-Orbital Blues” is available now on all digital platforms.
Here’s what Biggs had to say about the new song; “This song is about the dichotomy of living in a 21st century society rife with scientific and technological advancements such as artificial intelligence and ever more sophisticated space travel, while also dealing with the increasing threat of old world problems like out of control governments and the looming threat of world war.”
Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland of Atrium Audio engineered, mixed and mastered the new singles, with additional engineering by guitarist Brody Uttley.
The remaining three singles from the April 2023 recording session will be released leading up to the release of the band’s next full-length studio album, which the band is eager to begin work on.
About the band:
Pennsylvania progressive death metal band Rivers of Nihil has never fit neatly into a box, but with 2018‘s Where Owls Know My Name, they transcended all labels applied to them. Returning in 2021 with The Work released on September 24 via Metal Blade Records, they‘ve forged further into new territory, delivering an album that‘s as cerebral as it is visceral, and that covers a staggering sonic range, definitively placing them in a category of their own. Inarguably a dense, heavy collection, The Work is far too dynamic to be considered a solely metal record and there is a genuine warmth that shows through, particularly tracks like “Wait” and the gorgeous “Maybe One Day.” Additionally, the band had incorporated far more clean vocals alongside the screaming that tears through many of the record‘s heavier tracks. Courtesy of their friend Zach Strouse, saxophone once again adds extra layers of atmosphere to the collection, utilizing baritone, soprano, and alto saxes to great effect.
Towards the end of 2021, the Pennsylvania progressive death metalers Rivers of Nihil spent the majority of their time burning the candle at both ends with a frenzied tour schedule including headline runs of the U.S. and Europe and in support of The Contortionist in North America for a month in September/October of 2022, but once the latter tour wrapped up, they were short a band member.
For personal reasons, founding member and lead vocalist Jake Dieffenbach and the band went their separate ways. The split took place just three days after the recording of a live video and audio session for Audiotree‘s new ‘From Nothing’ series, which was released on April 20, 2023. And while initially the band wasn’t sure how to approach the release with the departure of a founding member and lead singer — or whether to release it at all — they decided to move forward with it to honor Dieffenbach’s contributions to the group over the years and mark the beginning of a new chapter.
Rivers of Nihil is:
Brody Uttley – guitars/keyboards
Adam Biggs – vocals/bass
Jared Klein – drums/vocals
Andy Thomas – guitar/vocals
Find Rivers of Nihil at:
http://www.facebook.com/riversofnihil
http://www.youtube.com/Riversofnihilpa
https://www.instagram.com/riversofnihil/
http://www.twitter.com/riversofnihil