Photo by Mike Truehart
RIVERS OF NIHIL’s eponymous fifth full-length, released on May 30th via Metal Blade Records, reaped 2.8 million Spotify streams globally and toppled Billboard charts upon its first week of release earning the #2 position on the Current Hard Music Albums chart, #7 on the Current Rock Albums chart, #7 on the Independent Label Albums chart, and more! See additional chart positions below.
USA – Billboard:
#2 Current Hard Music Albums
#7 Current Rock Albums
#7 Independent Label Albums
#9 Current Digital Albums
#23 Current Album Sales
Canada – Billboard:
#1 Hard Music Albums
#7 Current Digital Albums
#8 Top Current Albums
#23 LP Vinyl Sales
“It’s not just album marketing speak to say that this genuinely feels like a new era for the band,” wrote Decibel Magazine. Blabbermouth concurred crowning the offering, “one of this year’s most unmissable metal (and prog) records… RIVERS OF NIHIL are beginning to sound unstoppable,” while Metal Injection lauded a record that’s, “sonically sound, emotionally poignant, experimental in the right places.”
Rivers Of Nihil was created in a very “rock n’ roll” manner. “On 2021’s The Work, I wrote a lot of the record on the piano and then the band filled in the gaps,” explains guitarist Brody Uttley. “On this new record, I wanted to make sure that this stuff would hit hard live with just the four of us before adding in all of the sparkly auxiliary ‘frosting’ on top.”
Rivers Of Nihil also showcases additional musicians, including Patrick Corona on alto saxophone, Stephan Lopez on banjo, McFarland on cello, and a slate of other guest vocalists. Despite the fresh approach on Rivers Of Nihil however, the album still fits neatly into the band’s discography. With Where Owls Know My Name (2018), RIVERS OF NIHIL transcended all labels applied to them, and with its 2021 follow-up, The Work, they forged further into new territory with Metal Injection calling the latter album “the group’s most cohesive, ambitious, meditative, and varied effort, with greater uses of philosophical significance and transcendental respites.”
Rivers Of Nihil is available on CD, LP, and digital formats. Preview and purchase the record at metalblade.com/riversofnihil.
Watch RIVERS OF NIHIL’s videos for “House Of Light,” “American Death,” and “Water & Time” HERE.
RIVERS OF NIHIL is currently wrapping up a month-long North American headlining tour with support provided by Holy Fawn, Inter Arma, and Glacial Tomb. Tickets and VIP packages are available now at https://ron.soundrink.com. See all remaining dates below.
RIVERS OF NIHIL w/ Holy Fawn, Inter Arma, Glacial Tomb [remaining dates]:
6/12/2025 Jake’s – Lubbock, TX
6/13/2025 The Rail – Ft. Worth, TX
6/14/2025 Come And Take It Live – Austin, TX
6/15/2025 Scout Bar – Houston, TX
6/17/2025 Basement East – Nashville, TN
6/18/2025 Eulogy – Asheville, NC
6/19/2025 The Canal Club – Richmond, VA
6/20/2025 The Meadows – Brooklyn, NY
6/21/2025 Fairmount Theatre – Montreal, QC
6/22/2025 Lees Palace – Toronto, ON
Sixteen years and five albums into the Pennsylvania band’s career, RIVERS OF NIHIL is upping the ante with Rivers Of Nihil. Traditionally, a self-titled record can signal a return to basics and/or a fresh beginning, and in ten powerful songs, it’s clear that both those factors are in play. Founding bassist Adam Biggs became the band’s new lead vocalist/bassist in 2023; the same year marked the appearance of additional guitarist Andy Thomas (ex-Black Crown Initiate), whose vocals also play prominently on Rivers Of Nihil. Producers Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland at Atrium Audio captured the new dynamics across more than fifty minutes of music.
On June 15th, 2023, the band released the single, “The Sub-Orbital Blues,” the first track with Biggs handling lead vocals following the 2022 departure of singer Jake Dieffenbach. It was also the first track to feature Thomas. A second single, “Hellbirds,” dropped on October 19th of that year. On April 29th, 2024, the band released the cut “Criminals” and an accompanying music video. Both “Criminals” and “The Sub-Orbital Blues” appear on Rivers Of Nihil.
“It’s not just album marketing speak to say that this genuinely feels like a new era for the band…” – Decibel Magazine
“…[Rivers Of Nihil] specializes in metronome-exploding kick work, riffs brawnier than a full-grown Kodiak, and a vocal tandem of soaring highs (guitarist Andy Thomas) and demonic lows (bassist Adam Biggs).” – Revolver
“Sonically sound, emotionally poignant, experimental in the right places… – Metal Injection
“…one of this year’s most unmissable metal (and prog) records… RIVERS OF NIHIL are beginning to sound unstoppable.” – Blabbermouth
“…their finest, most complete version of themselves to date. Asserting masterclass level musicianship, songwriting expertise that ropes in elements like cello, banjo and saxophone and a real sense of collaboration throughout, River of Nihil is transcendent of any category of extreme music.” – Knotfest
“…an absolute ass-beater that you may or may not be totally ready for. Right from the rip, it’s heavy and mean. Punishing rhythms, high octane guitar, and impeccable vocals really drive the whole thing together.” — MetalSucks on “American Death”
“…the foursome has revamped its concept: the vocals are more of a focus than on its direct predecessor, The Work. Biggs fires his brutal growls into the ether with even more power than Dieffenbach, but it is especially in the use of guitarist Andy Thomas’s clean vocals that Rivers Of Nihil surpasses all previous works… anthemic passages now form the highlights of the songs instead of being whispered timidly into the background… RIVERS OF NIHIL exchanges quiet moments for powerful sing-along elements, something rare in progressive music. The fifth album is therefore less complicated than its previous ones, even if the band by no means abandons technical death metal, but simply rethinks it – and successfully. — Metal Hammer Germany
“The songs hit the mark relatively straight, with the pleasantly natural production potentially making the quartet’s actually quite new-school sound palatable to more traditional minds for the first time ever.” – Rock Hard Germany
“…a masterful work that exemplifies the band’s growth and maturity as musicians. The production quality, thematic depth, and innovative musical elements come together to create a cohesive and compelling narrative. While it may challenge some listeners’ expectations, it is a rewarding and enriching experience for those willing to engage with its complexities. Overall, this album stands as a testament to Rivers Of Nihil’s artistry and their ability to push the boundaries of the genre.” – Lambgoat
“True to its name, there is an immediate and mesmerizing splendor to this song, with extravagant voices raised high and the sax seductively wailing away. But the music is ever-changing. The band also unchain their ferocity, with obliterating drums, cutting riffage, and barbaric growls, and they make the music dreamy, dauntingly dramatic, and instrumentally head-spinning too.” – No Clean Singing on “House Of Light”
“This album isn’t a rebrand. It’s a reaffirmation. Of purpose. Of evolution. Of sheer goddamned power.” – Joedaly.com
“Rivers Of Nihil serves as an effective re-introduction for this latest iteration of members and provides a showcase for where this band intends to go from their successful four-album seasons cycle. As the self-title would suggest, there’s a new feeling from this group, and while it’s still likened to experimentation and progression, they have once again bared their aggressive teeth. A fantastic record that is going to thrill for many listens as fans peel through its layers.” – Dead Rhetoric
“There really isn’t a weak moment on Rivers Of Nihil. In fact – and at the risk of sounding hyperbolic – it’s an almost immaculate journey that every fan of progressive death metal needs to hear. No matter what’s been lost or gained with the changing of members, Rivers Of Nihil haven’t sacrificed a modicum of quality in the process. On the contrary, they’ve returned with a stronger tenacity and ability to demonstrate why they’re at the forefront of the genre.” – Sonic Perspectives
“…one of, if not the best (progressive) death metal bands of the past decade.” – Heavy Blog Is Heavy
“The overall experience of this record will leave you breathless, and thinking ‘ah, it might be time to listen to that again’ as you probably missed something the first time. It’s an album that rewards re-listens. So you can tip your hats to the Rivers fellas, for once again they’ve produced something that not only elevates their own lofty standard, but ensures that the genre itself remains alive and kicking.” – Out Of Rage
RIVERS OF NIHIL:
Adam Biggs – bass guitar, vocals
Andy Thomas – guitar, vocals
Brody Uttley – guitar, piano, keys, programming
Jared Klein – drums, vocals
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