Pennsylvania’s progressive death metal monoliths Rivers Of Nihil have returned with their self-titled fifth album. With a career spanning sixteen years, Rivers Of Nihil have carved themselves a niche within the underground. With each album, the group grew their sound & now with the fifth album, it seems to be either more personal & retrospective.
Opening with a glorious intro section, “The Sub-Orbital Blues” gets the pulse racing from the first few seconds. Its hypnotic bouncing riff, while echoing guitar leads, gives textural moments as a nice blanket of sound. Adam Biggs’ vocal & bass tone hit hard already. His deep guttural tones are fierce but meld perfectly with the soaring singing from guitarist Andy Thomas & drummer Jared Klein. It has a great pace & just gives you a taster of what is to come.
A real driving force track, “Criminals”, blurs that line between both sides of the RON sound. Blast beats, chunky riffs, but moments of clarity & sonic beauty. With a calm, jazzy feel intro with a few spooky ohhhs chunked in for good measure before the band unleashes. Bigg’s vocal performance is the most pissed I’ve heard him yet. This track has a very primal, aggressive feel, but when it hits the chorus gloriously, it opens to a superb clean vocal hook that grabs you straight away. This track has hits written all over it. The perfect moshpit moments as well & sing-alongs. Everything you could want.
“House of Light” highlights one of the reasons the self-titled monique feels perfect for this album. As its opener, ethereal sounds echo in the distance. Sounds of horns & birds fill our ears before the now perfect element of the band’s sound: the saxophone hits hard & soothes the soul. The band then unleashes into their brand of fury before bringing things down again, before smashing into a perfectly crafted chorus section. This track feels like pure past & present RON. Every moment of their early material and the elements of experimental jazz & patterns they brought into their sound on their last few albums.
In the last few years, Rivers Of Nihil have joined with a few select bands to create this wave of fantastic death metal. Soaking in progressive elements & pushing the boundaries of what extreme metal can be to a wider audience. Always pushing the envelope & with this self-titled album, they have firmly planted their feet on the ground & can show the world an introspective look at the band.
This album is their most raw & passionate sound while having some of the best modern production & songwriting of bands at their level. This album is phenomenal. If you’re a lover of early RON or love everything post “Where Owls Know My Name”, this album has something for you.
Review: Joseph Mitchell
Rivers of Nihil is out via Metal Blade Records on 30th May 2025
| The Sub-Orbital Blues | ||
| Dustman | ||
| Criminals | ||
| Despair Church | ||
| Water & Time | ||
| House of Light | ||
| Evidence | ||
| American Death | ||
| The Logical End | ||
| Rivers of Nihil |
Lineup:
Adam Biggs Bass Guitar, Vocals
Andy Thomas Guitar, Vocals
Brody Uttley Guitar, Piano, Keys, Programming
Jared Klein Drums, Vocals
Discography:
Rivers of Nihil, 2025 (Metal Blade Records)
The Work, 2021 (Metal Blade Records)
Where Owls Know My Name, 2018 (Metal Blade Records)
Monarchy, 2015 (Metal Blade Records)
The Conscious Seed of Light, 2013 (Metal Blade Records)