Review: Rivers of Nihil – Rivers of Nihil

Style: progressive death metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Fit For an Autopsy, Black Crown Initiate, Fallujah, Gojira
Country: Pennsylvania, United States
Release date: 30 May 2025

When Mastodon formed at the turn of the century, just as the dust from the Y2K non-apocalypse was settling, they had a revolutionary idea that drove the band’s first four albums. Themed around the classical elements of fire, water, earth, and air, Mastodon’s Remission, Leviathan, Blood Mountain, and Crack the Skye each defined tenets of modern metal that remain in place to this day. But when the time came for Mastodon to release their fifth album, the band found itself at an impasse, stuck between the monumental weight of their rise to success and the barrelling momentum of the conceptual opuses they had released. As a result, The Hunter feels stunted, and while it is still enjoyable, there’s no denying it’s a less inspired record than anything that came before it. 

After a few late-aughts deathcore-laden EPs that bore mere hints of their progressive tendencies to come, Rivers of Nihil chose to begin a conceptual album cycle of their own, themed around the four seasons. Spring came with The Conscious Seed of Light, and Monarchy reigned over the summer; Autumn brought the massively successful Where Owls Know My Name, the first album where the band’s progressive elements eclipsed the death metal elements. And finally came winter’s The Work, an album that may well have cost the band as many fans as it gained.

After lineup changes that inevitably altered the band’s core sound and following an album as divisive as The Work, Rivers of Nihil found themselves at an impasse. Like Mastodon before them, Rivers of Nihil’s conceptual cycle brought them acclaim, but also left them at a creative crossroads. With their backs seemingly against the wall, Rivers of Nihil boldly chose to release a self-titled album. So does Rivers of Nihil properly establish the band’s shiny, new identity? Let’s see.

Despite changes in the roster, Rivers of Nihil still sounds more or less like a Rivers of Nihil album; go figure. The band still plays their forward-thinking version of death metal replete with all of the bells and whistles that earn them the “progressive” moniker; along with the chuggy-as-ever riffage and ceaseless bits of synth/spacey guitar ambience that give the tracks their real melodic content, one can catch bits of electronic drum beats spliced in with the acoustic drums, layers of acoustic guitars and banjo, and of course the saxophone. Rivers of Nihil dramatically popularized the saxophone in death metal trend with Where Owls Know My Name, and they keep it up here, integrating sax into choruses on “The Sub-Orbital Blues,” employing it for transitional elements on “Despair Church,” or giving it outright solos on “House of Light.” The saxophone may be a gimmick, but it’s one the band has fully committed to, and it has become a genuine part of their sonic identity.

Rivers of Nihil has never been known to stay in one place for too long and has consistently evolved their sound across albums. There is no denying, however, that their evolutionary trend has steadily been arcing closer to the mainstream. Every track has a clean chorus, and while most flow smoothly, I can’t help but feel that the choruses in “Dustman” and “American Death” were shoehorned in to meet some sort of clean vocal quota and not because the tracks warranted a chorus. And “chorus” is certainly the right word as Rivers of Nihil abandons the unconventional structures that made their previous two albums so compelling, opting instead for more familiar verse-chorus patterns. This clear embracing of the mainstream in conjunction with a self-titled album almost makes me think that Rivers of Nihil saw the conflicted reception that came with the more progressive nature of The Work and chose to redefine themselves by moving in the opposite direction.

Rivers of Nihil remains a band primarily driven by its vocals, as chugs can only carry you so far; Adam Biggs and Andy Thomas have risen to the occasion. Biggs had performed backing vocals for the band since at least WOKMN, but really comes into his own on Rivers of Nihil. He’s expanded his repertoire beyond his signature blackened highs with a powerful and unhinged low end growl that calls to mind James Dorton or Frank Albanese of Hath, particularly on tracks like “Water & Time” or “Rivers of Nihil” where Biggs slips in and out of deep gutturals and a raw semi-clean bellow. Andy Thomas had already proven his vocal chops in his work with Black Crown Initiate, but his cleans on Rivers of Nihil may be his best outing yet. The choruses on “House of Light” and “Despair Church” especially are powerful anthems that I can’t help but sing along to.

Despite the career-defining performances on display from Biggs and Thomas during the sing-along choruses, I find myself reeling at the actual lyrical content when I stop singing and start reading. Overall, the lyrics are a lot more literal and topical than I tend to enjoy in my metal, and there are a few moments that dip into actual cringe. Don’t get me wrong. I agree that the partisan divide is an issue in America, but “Don’t believe a word you say / Do you think you’re better than me? / I’m Kaczynski, Capone and Kennedy / I’m the goddamn American dream // Who is right? / And what is left? / There’s only American death” is just too on the nose. Blessedly, the band chose to not include the single “Hellbirds” on the album, or I’d be lamenting lyrics about priests and pastors being “pricks that rape babies.” At times, Rivers comes off more like a left-wing Five Finger Death Punch, and the jury’s still out on the left-wing part.

There’s no denying that this is a new chapter for Rivers of Nihil; while the music still sounds like the band I know and love in most aspects, the new mainstream ethos of the band leaves the record feeling artistically hollow, despite how much I may enjoy singing along. Combined with the often cringy lyrics and occasional forced chorus, I fear that this shift in sound removes the dark and introspective aspects that I loved from previous albums. It’s a shame that Rivers of Nihil didn’t see the success that they may have hoped for with The Work, but I would have much preferred for this record to have been a refinement of that more progressive sound than a rejection of it.

Regardless, the message behind a self-titled album is clear: this is the shape of Rivers of Nihil to come, and I’m sure that the album will see the band climb to new heights of success. Still, I think of Mastodon, and I can only see this as Rivers of Nihil’s version of The Hunter, a valiant attempt at branching out after a conceptual album cycle but an album that ultimately pales in comparison to its predecessors. If this is truly to be Rivers of Nihil’s version of The Hunter, then I’ll be patiently waiting for a return to form a la Emperor of Sand.

Recommended tracks: Despair Church, Water & Time, House of Light
You may also like: new Warforged, Allegaeon, Subterranean Lava Dragon, Vermillion Dawn
Final verdict: 6/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives

Label: Metal Blade Records – Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Website

Rivers of Nihil is:
– Andy Thomas (guitars, vocals)
– Adam Biggs (bass, vocals)
– Jared Klein (drums)
– Brody Uttley (guitars)