ALBUM REVIEW: Where Owls Know My Name – Rivers Of Nihil
It’s no secret that within the progressive death metal scene, Philadelphia based quintet RIVERS OF NIHIL sit close to the top of the food chain. They turned heads with debut The Conscious Seed Of Light, and dropped jaws with follow-up Monarchy, establishing themselves as an act that had the flair and gusto to contend with scene-defining acts such as FALLUJAH, BEYOND CREATION, and many more. Through Monarchy in particular, their ultra-ambient, progressive approach to tech-death was given an outlet to be expressed and articulated on a much more profound level, evolving into a true staple of the RIVERS OF NIHIL sound as a result, and drawing in a stable, solid fan base. Three years on, and the time has come once again for this outfit, as they gear up for the unhanding of highly anticipated third attempt Where Owls Know My Name, a record that looks to be a apt continuation from what we saw last time.
Speaking from a neutral perspective, death metal and its various sub styles are often guilty of one thing: the positing of a conceivably indigestible approach, consisting of blisteringly fast pace and unparalleled aggression. Whilst many take great pleasure in this, RIVERS OF NIHIL continually prove their consummate ability to distance themselves from it by striking a rare balance in their sound. The very get go of Where Owls Know My Name displays no less than a tasteful continuation of this principle, with introductory track Cancer/Moonspeak serving to take a reserved, melodic, and atmospheric stance. This two minute affair very much acts as a prelude to the main body of the record, and whilst offering a somewhat dark, almost blackened vibe with it’s near monotony and almost off-key synths, the dominant clean vocals allow the track to maintain a calm, anticipatory trope, thus widening the potential for listeners of any disposition to be enticed into continuing. Not only are we describing the opening track itself here, but in a sense the sonic makeup of the entire record; what RIVERS OF NIHIL achieve here is the maintenance of an inclusive and far-reaching musical balance, and one that continually defies expectations.
This opening track bleeds seamlessly into lead single The Silent Life, and in doing so, we witness somewhat of a restoration of the core, death metal fabric that this band represent; a transition that signifies a microcosm of the record as a whole. This track provides healthy doses of the heavier aspects we come to expect from this band. Fast paced, riff-heavy complexity shines through across the board, with much harsher, traditional death metal vocals and an exceedingly tight, punchy mix to top things off. Despite this being the first track on the album in addition to being the lead single, our expectations are still ultimately defied. A significant change of pace towards the end of the song delivers us with a slower, more melodic section, laden with groove, grace, and a masterclass of instrumentation; saxophone and guitar solos follow one another, and bleed back into another pacy, heavy section to close out the song. This represents nothing short of a fantastic example of the diversity and increased instrumental expansiveness employed by RIVERS OF NIHIL on this record, and this is something that acts as a theme as the record progresses.
This balance in approach is something that doesn’t let up over the course of this hour long affair, with songs such as Old Nothing displaying some of the heaviest, rawest material from this band to date, in contrast to fifth track Subtle Change‘s eight-minute progressive masterclass of death metal elements mixed with acoustic sections, clean vocals, keyboard solos, guitar solos, more saxophone sections, and a general aura that portrays as no less than a musical nirvana. In drastic contrast once again, third instalment of the band’s running series Terrestria, is comprised almost solely of synthetic, electronic effects, with the addition of some dissonant guitar leads thrown in over the top, once again defying listener expectations in every possible way. It really is difficult to understate how diverse this record is across the board; whilst maintaining and adding to the brutality, complexity, and atmosphere that they made their name for, this band have also managed to change the complexion of their entire sound. In one instance, devilish brutality will take the forefront of the sound, and in the next, a display of progressive, instrumental mastery will be flooding your senses. Utterly unmerciful heaviness consistently bleeds into charming, debonair atmosphere, and this is something not to be taken for granted.
Rather than running you through this record track by track, we truly felt that it would be far more fitting to outline the overall achievement of this body of work, and what it represents for the scene within which it resides. Progressive death metal exists today in the musical world, and has done for a long time, but we feel that Where Owls Know My Name takes the notion to an entirely new level. What RIVERS OF NIHIL have done here with absolute ease, is fusing their brand of atmospheric death with sonic elements that in theory have no place in the composition, and they have done so in utterly seamless fashion. Aspects of jazz, electronica, folk, and black metal all sit snugly in the equation as if they were destined to collide from the beginning of time, and this conveys as phenomenally effective. Most importantly perhaps is the fact that the band have not significantly deviated from their style; this is not a directional change, but rather, a reshaping of an entire genre. That, ladies and gentleman, is a truly rare occurrence, and something to behold. Where Owls Know My Name being the masterpiece that it is, it’s almost inconceivable to imagine how RIVERS OF NIHIL can proceed and attempt to outdo it in the future, however a far more realistic aspiration is that death metal acts all over the world can take note, and further contribute to re-branding death metal into a truly eclectic, articulate, and expressive art-form.
Rating: 10/10
Where Owls Know My Name is set for release on March 16th via Metal Blade Records.
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