Over 15 years and half a dozen albums into their careers, Pennsylvania’s Rivers of Nihil – Metal Injection‘s Artist Of The Month – are removed from accomplished with their progy tech demise sorcery on their long-awaited self-titled report.
An amalgam of the modifications which have introduced the band to current day, Rivers of Nihil – available May 30 through Metal Blade – is tough, heavy and overwhelmingly epic in its scale and scope, a testomony to the maturation of founding members Brody Uttley and Adam Biggs, drummer Jared Klein and rhythm guitarist Andy Thomas.
Uttley sat down with Metallic Injection for a deep dive into the band’s discography, breaking down main ideas, themes and insights into every of the 5 Rivers of Nihil information.
The Acutely aware Seed Of Mild
Yeah, I believe that report, the primary report, The Acutely aware Seed of Mild, I believe that was form of simply us making an attempt to determine what sort of band we wished to be. Plenty of the songs that ended up being on that report had elements on it that had been written earlier than Rivers of Nihil even existed. Prefer it was stuff that was written in 2007 in our previous bands and stuff. And form of identical to piled every little thing that we had ever written as a band collectively to provide you with these 10 songs which are on that report. We had solely actually accomplished eps up till that time, so it was like what, 10 songs, that is insane. It appeared like an insane chore to us on the time, so loads of the stuff that is on that report, a few of it was written fairly near the time that it was recorded and that different stuff was written 5 or 6 years beforehand.
So there are songs on that report which are a lot stronger than others, in my view. Like, I believe “Rain Eater” is a robust one. That is one of many higher songs on the report, in my view. Identical factor with “Soil and Seed”. I imply, “Soil and Seed” is like the one tune from that report that we’ll nonetheless sometimes play dwell. So I believe that the primary report was actually simply an train in us determining what we wished to sound like. Did we need to be like a hyper-tech band? Did we need to be like a extra atmospheric form of post-mealty form of demise steel band? Did we wanna be like extra like Morbid Angel form of vein form of band? We did not know. There are such a lot of totally different influences on that report that it is a bit A.D.D at instances, I believe.
I have never listened to it in a very long time, however to me, now, I simply form of see it as the true experimentation part for the band. All the pieces was new, you already know? We simply signed with a label. We had by no means made a report, and we’re making a report with Erik Rutan. We used to observe the Cannibal Corpse DVDs and be like, man, that will be cool to love report an album with Erik someday, and right here we’re doing it. It was all so new, so we actually did not know what we had been doing throughout that point. We had been simply making an attempt to determine it out. So I believe that that first report was actually simply us making an attempt to determine what we had been going to do, actually.
Monarchy
Yeah, I believe that Monarchy is like the primary report of ours that I form of take into account the true begin of the present model of Rivers of Nihil. Our unique guitarist, Joh, founding member, you already know, me, Jon, Jake, Ron and Adam all began the band. Jon ended up leaving the band shortly earlier than we completed writing Monarchy, or I assume really in the direction of the start of writing Monarchy, he ended up leaving the band and beginning Outer Heaven.
Monarchy was an actual proving stage for me as a songwriter as a result of we misplaced Jon. He wrote so much, and I wrote so much. He wrote possibly like 4 songs on the primary report or one thing like that, and I wrote the remaining. He wrote a good quantity and dropping him, I used to be very nervous, like shit, can we nonetheless do that? And I used to be actually moving into recording, like residence recording on the time and studying so much about audio and stuff. That form of coincided at an ideal time with us having to write down a brand new report, minus a guitar participant actually.
So Monarchy is the report the place I believe I actually form of began to search out this sound that Rivers nonetheless carries with it into the trendy age of the band. That was the primary report that I recorded guitar and bass for. I simply recorded the bass. Biggs performed the bass clearly, however did it at my residence studio after which blended it with Carson and Grant at Atrium Audio, however that was like the primary report that we did that was form of like the trendy model of what we do now, as a result of we nonetheless do it that approach. I report guitar and bass right here.
Then we go to Atrium Audio and do mixing, drums, and vocals with Carson and Grant. And we have been doing that ever since Monarchy. However yeah, Monarchy was the primary report the place that large atmospheric sound that I believe is form of synonymous with Rivers of Nihil, the massive atmospheric progressive factor, actually form of like took form on that report.
That is the report that I take into account to be our truest type, like a tech demise album, you already know? It was very intentional. That was an album the place I used to be personally listening to loads of tech demise and loads of identical to actually heavy demise steel. And every little thing that I used to be listening to was inspiring me. And yeah, that report is a proggy tech demise report actually, it is bought a few of like essentially the most insanely technical stuff that we have ever accomplished. However that form of atmospheric, melodic progressive factor that we developed even additional on Owls actually form of first took form on Monarchy.
So yeah, I take into account Monarchy like the primary actual full from starting to finish album that was like a whole thought, you already know? Trigger we wrote all of that materials in a yr’s time, whereas like on the primary report, that report was written over like 5 or 6 years. So Monarchy was like principally one full thought, and the primary time that we had ever accomplished one thing like that. So I form of take into account that the true begin of issues for us as a band, at the least so far as issues being related to the trendy period of the band.
The place Owls Know My Title
Yeah, nicely, I can solely communicate for myself, however so far as the music goes, I believe I had an actual form of paradigm shift in between Monarchy and Owls. I began listening to much more prog, like I bought actually, actually into Steven Wilson‘s album Hand. Can not. Erase and that album like blew my fucking thoughts. Like I keep in mind that album got here out shortly after we completed recording Monarchy, I believe and like once I heard that album, I listened to it time and again, and I used to be identical to, man. There’s a lot stuff on this report that I want I had identified about after we had been writing Monarchy, as a result of we hadn’t even launched Monarchy at that time but, and that report for some motive simply blew my thoughts so arduous.
I do not know, it simply form of broke my mind open, and it like switched me from largely being like a demise steel man. I imply, I listened to prog my complete life, however not in an enormous, enormous approach. I like Pink Floyd and King Crimson and Rush and Sure, and stuff. However I by no means actually dove deep. And for no matter motive, that one Steven Wilson report was like, whoa, so we may do no matter we wished on a report. We may have a 260 beats per minute atmospheric demise steel tune subsequent to a like synth wave tune with a Miles Davis-esque trumpet solo subsequent to acoustic ballads. The entire prog mind-set, actually doing no matter you need. I do know it appears foolish to love not have thought like, oh, like I can simply do no matter I would like.
With the title monitor on Owls particularly, I bear in mind once I was writing that tune, I had like the entire intro of that tune up till when it will get heavy, the primary refrain, I had that complete intro and I believe I wrote, I used to be enjoying round with like a delay pedal or one thing. And I used to be making an attempt to write down like a post-rock tune, one thing that you’d hear Explosions within the Sky or This Will Destroy You or Caspian or some band like that. I used to be simply making an attempt to do one thing like that, and I assumed there is no approach that Rivers would ever use this. That is approach too fairly after which as soon as as soon as I got here up with that refrain, I used to be like oh shit.
That was an actual large second of realization for us as a band and for me as a songwriter as a result of that is one of many first songs that we ever wrote that like did not have any blast beats in it, I do know that sounds hilarious. The working title for that tune was “No Blast Beats” as a result of it was the primary tune that we ever wrote with no blast beats in it and we thought like man they’re gonna hate this, we’re simply gonna get shit on so arduous, they’re gonna assume that we suck and and it ended up being like the most important tune we have ever launched.
That complete album is such a wierd factor to me as a result of as soon as we put it out it simply form of occurred and abruptly individuals cared in regards to the band and abruptly we had been promoting reveals out and stuff. It is identical to we completely didn’t anticipate any of that as a result of we simply thought we’re making a report that we did not actually give a shit what anybody thought, which I assume is form of like a great factor to do. We completely simply did not take note of any expectations from ourselves or from anybody. And we’re identical to, let’s simply do regardless of the hell we would like. And we did. And it labored for some motive. And ever since then, yeah, that was form of the report that like tipped most individuals off to who we had been.
The Work
It is an album that might have solely been written when it was written. I imply, most of it was written throughout COVID, like throughout lockdowns and stuff. Had form of like infinite time to work on this report, which I am assuming a part of the rationale why it ended up being such an unlimited and lengthy album was simply because we simply had a lot time to identical to tweak stuff and maintain writing and all these things. However actually, I believe after we noticed how Owls went, I used to be saying how after we wrote Owls we form of simply ignored individuals’s expectations fully and simply did it for ourselves, completely. We checked out that and we had been like, nicely, let’s try this once more and take it even additional in a distinct course, you already know?
We form of checked out moments on Owls, the stranger moments on Owls, like say like “Terrestria III: Wither”, for instance, or just like the nearer “Capricorn/Agoratopia” on Owls. Among the deeper cuts on the report, and we wished to discover these sounds a bit extra. The Work, to me at the least, it isn’t an industrial album, industrial steel album, but it surely simply has this type of total industrial sheen to it, and I believe loads of that was due to, like I stated, wanting on the stranger moments on Owls like “Terrestria III”, which is a synth-wavy darkish industrial form of tune, and wanting to love discover that sound extra. We wished to simply make this an enormous prog album that was identical to bigger than life. I imply, among the songs on that album have like 90 tracks of like guitar and synth. At instances like that album, it feels prefer it simply ventures too far at instances.
It is actually an album … I do not know if I might suggest taking acid and listening to it in a darkish room, however should you wished to, you might. It is like a headphone report. It is an album to hearken to in headphones in a darkish room and simply journey out. It is a wonderful album at instances and like a extremely fucked up freaky album at different instances. It is identical to an actual true experimental album for us i feel, and like i stated you already know in hindsight like i feel there’s some songs on that report that they are too lengthy there’s some sections that there is simply an excessive amount of occurring you’ll be able to’t even inform what is going on on at sure factors and like there’s moments which are like what? This is sort of a Weapons N’ Roses tune or a giant nine-minute acoustic ballad. There’s a lot like what?! On that report, which, to be truthful, I believe scared lots of people off when it first got here out.
I believe lots of people had been form of anticipating like an Owls 2.0. We had been very conscious of that. We knew that is what individuals wished, and we did not need to give it to them. We simply wished to go in as far of a wierd course away from that as we probably may. And I believe there are some songs on The Work that sound like they may have been a part of a continuation of Owls. Like, I believe “The Void From Which No Sound Escapes” undoubtedly seems like a continuation of the Owls sound, however I imply, there are different songs in that report. The opener, “The Tower (Theme from ‘The Work’)”, it is like nearly like a 9 Inch Nails meets Muse form of tune. And “Dreaming Black Clockwork” is simply this fucked up like Strapping Younger Lad form of tune after which “Wait” is sort of a lo-fi Religion No Extra form of tune.
It is such a wierd mix of influences, The Work, however I imply, for that motive, although, that’s an album that I’ll all the time look again on as simply such an unimaginable inventive time as a result of it was throughout COVID. It was going out and simply experimenting with stuff that I by no means experimented with earlier than like subject recordings and making drum loops out of sounds that I recorded in industrial warehouses and the kitchen door slamming, stuff that you’d hear on like a Björk or a Radiohead album, however in a demise steel context, you already know what I imply? Simply actually fucking round with sound is a dumb method to say it, however that is actually what was occurring.
So yeah, it is an album that I believe shocked loads of our followers, scared a few of them off, however since we have put that album out, lots of people who initially had been form of greatly surprised by how totally different it was from Owls have form of come round to it. And I see Owls and The Work form of mentioned collectively so much. Form of like, if you’re speaking about Pink Floyd, more often than not individuals are speaking about like, Darkish Aspect of the Moon versus The Wall, and it is like an analogous form of duality.
I believe for a very long time, I assumed that they had been albums that had been actually not related in any respect. However now, the additional down the street I get, the extra I notice that Owls was form of the decision, and The Work was the response.
Rivers Of Nihil
It is cool to have a while and house to have form of seen these first 4 information and form of examined how they work together with each other. I believe that that had so much to do with, like I used to be discussing beforehand, how this new information turned out, simply form of these first 4 information and seeing how they interacted with one another and what the excessive factors had been and what actually labored and what we actually did not after which form of taking that data and enjoying to the strengths of us as a band and what we have accomplished to this point.
This report is form of like an amalgamation of every little thing that we have accomplished to date, plus one thing additional, I assume. On this report, at the least instrumentally, which is form of like my division, now that we have now 4 albums behind us, I discovered myself form of reflecting on the final 10 years or 12 years or no matter it has been. Taking a look at stuff on all of our information that I really feel has actually labored, what hasn’t labored, what songs actually click on dwell each with us as like a dwell band enjoying collectively and in addition to the viewers and form of like actually checked out our previous discography as a giant affect on this new report, greater than something, I might say.
I am all the time listening to music. In order that stuff all the time works its approach into no matter it’s that I am engaged on. However I actually really feel like inspecting what we have accomplished and what I believe we’re the perfect at, what our strengths are and actually form of enjoying to them and bringing them into this new period of the band and form of making an attempt to take what we’re already good at and push it even additional. That was actually form of like my purpose on this report, as a result of I believe that on the final report, The Work, it was actually an album that’s extra of like a movie rating than something. It is simply this enormous, enormous report, an hour and 10 minutes lengthy.
It is like form of like our The Wall or one thing like that. That was very intentional. You recognize we’re enormous Pink Floyd followers. Simply the massive like theatrical form of album factor has all the time been one thing that we have all the time wished to do, so doing that on The Work, it was vital that we made that report as a result of I believe we needed to show to ourselves that we may do one thing like that.
However on this report, it’s extremely like cliche to say, however we actually wished to form of get again to fundamentals in loads of methods and give attention to the core components of the band like guitar, bass, drums, vocals, get all that stuff actually cooking after which form of add within the additional stuff after the very fact; the saxophones and the synthesizers and any form of further orchestration that we wished to place in there after we had these songs that had been already actually heavy hitting simply with the form of core components of the dwell band.
Yeah, it was actually an album of reflection, I assume, and like I stated, having Andy alongside for the writing of these things and with the ability to bounce concepts off him and have him contribute concepts that will possibly encourage me and vice versa was actually superior. After which having Adam take over on lead vocals. Since Adam‘s all the time written the entire lyrics, it was cool to see him form of be capable to carry out the stuff that he was writing in a approach that he had by no means actually been capable of carry out them earlier than, as a result of earlier than he was like writing stuff, however form of via the lens of realizing that any person else was going to be performing it. So it simply has a distinct really feel, however now he is writing what he will be singing, and he undoubtedly introduced some strikes to the desk vocally that we did not have earlier than.
So yeah, it was a check of an album to write down as a result of it was such a giant shift, however I believe finally we had a blast making it, and I believe it is a few of our strongest materials thus far. And it is considerably of a retrospective on what we have accomplished, however not in a tragic approach. We’re simply going to do that once more. It is a refreshed form of perspective on stuff that we all know we’re actually good at as a band.
