Over 15 years and half a dozen albums into their careers, Pennsylvania’s Rivers of Nihil – Steel Injection’s Artist Of The Month – are removed from executed with their progy tech demise sorcery on their long-awaited self-titled report.
An amalgam of the adjustments which have introduced the band to current day, Rivers of Nihil – obtainable Could 30 by way of Steel Blade – is difficult, 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 Steel 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 data.
The Acutely aware Seed Of Gentle
Yeah, I feel that report, the primary report, The Acutely aware Seed of Gentle, I feel that was sort of simply us making an attempt to determine what sort of band we wished to be. Quite a lot of the songs that ended up being on that report had components on it that have been written earlier than Rivers of Nihil even existed. Prefer it was stuff that was written in 2007 in our outdated bands and stuff. And sort of similar to piled every little thing that we had ever written as a band collectively to provide you with these 10 songs which can be on that report. We had solely actually executed 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 – 6 years beforehand.
So there are songs on that report which can be a lot stronger than others, in my view. Like, I feel “Rain Eater” is a powerful one. That is one of many higher songs on the report, in my view. Similar factor with “Soil and Seed”. I imply, “Soil and Seed” is like the one track from that report that we’ll nonetheless often play dwell. So I feel that the primary report was actually simply an train in us determining what we wished to sound like. Did we wish to be like a hyper-tech band? Did we wish to be like a extra atmospheric sort of post-mealty type of demise metallic band? Did we wanna be like extra like Morbid Angel sort of vein type of band? We did not know. There are such a lot of completely different influences on that report that it is a little bit A.D.D at instances, I feel.
I have never listened to it in a very long time, however to me, now, I simply sort of see it as the actual experimentation section for the band. The whole lot was new, you recognize? 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 look at the Cannibal Corpse DVDs and be like, man, that may be cool to love report an album with Erik in the future, and right here we’re doing it. It was all so new, so we actually did not know what we have been doing throughout that point. We have been simply making an attempt to determine it out. So I feel that that first report was actually simply us making an attempt to determine what we have been going to do, actually.
Monarchy
Yeah, I feel that Monarchy is like the primary report of ours that I sort of take into account the actual begin of the present model of Rivers of Nihil. Our authentic guitarist, Joh, founding member, you recognize, 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 suppose truly 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 lots, and I wrote lots. 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 shedding him, I used to be very nervous, like shit, can we nonetheless do that? And I used to be actually entering into recording, like residence recording on the time and studying lots about audio and stuff. That sort of coincided at an ideal time with us having to jot down a brand new report, minus a guitar participant actually.
So Monarchy is the report the place I feel I actually sort of began to seek out this sound that Rivers nonetheless carries with it into the fashionable 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 sort of like the fashionable model of what we do now, as a result of we nonetheless do it that method. 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 huge atmospheric sound that I feel is sort of synonymous with Rivers of Nihil, the massive atmospheric progressive factor, actually sort 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 recognize? It was very intentional. That was an album the place I used to be personally listening to loads of tech demise and loads of similar to actually heavy demise metallic. 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 received a few of like probably the most insanely technical stuff that we have ever executed. However that sort of atmospheric, melodic progressive factor that we developed even additional on Owls actually sort 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 recognize? Trigger we wrote all of that materials in a 12 months’s time, whereas like on the primary report, that report was written over like 5 – 6 years. So Monarchy was like principally one full thought, and the primary time that we had ever executed one thing like that. So I sort of take into account that the true begin of issues for us as a band, at the very least so far as issues being linked to the fashionable period of the band.
The place Owls Know My Identify
Yeah, effectively, I can solely converse for myself, however so far as the music goes, I feel I had an actual sort of paradigm shift in between Monarchy and Owls. I began listening to much more prog, like I received actually, actually into Steven Wilson’s album Hand. Can’t. Erase and that album like blew my fucking thoughts. Like I do not forget that album got here out shortly after we completed recording Monarchy, I feel and like after I heard that album, I listened to it time and again, and I used to be similar to, man. There’s a lot stuff on this report that I want I had recognized about once we have been writing Monarchy, as a result of we hadn’t even launched Monarchy at that time but, and that report for some cause simply blew my thoughts so exhausting.
I do not know, it simply sort of broke my mind open, and it like switched me from largely being like a demise metallic man. I imply, I listened to prog my entire life, however not in an enormous, enormous method. 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 cause, that one Steven Wilson report was like, whoa, so we might do no matter we wished on a report. We might have a 260 beats per minute atmospheric demise metallic track subsequent to a like synth wave track 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 observe on Owls specifically, I bear in mind after I was writing that track, I had like the entire intro of that track up till when it will get heavy, the primary refrain, I had that entire intro and I feel 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 jot down like a post-rock track, 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 method that Rivers would ever use this. That is method 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 huge 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 track was “No Blast Beats” as a result of it was the primary track 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 exhausting, they’re gonna assume that we suck and and it ended up being like the largest track we have ever launched.
That entire album is such a wierd factor to me as a result of as soon as we put it out it simply sort of occurred and impulsively individuals cared concerning the band and impulsively we have been promoting exhibits out and stuff. It is similar 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 suppose is sort of like a superb factor to do. We completely simply did not take note of any expectations from ourselves or from anybody. And we’re similar to, let’s simply do regardless of the hell we wish. And we did. And it labored for some cause. And ever since then, yeah, that was sort of the report that like tipped most individuals off to who we have 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 sort of like limitless time to work on this report, which I am assuming a part of the rationale why it ended up being such an infinite and lengthy album was simply because we simply had a lot time to similar to tweak stuff and hold writing and all these items. However actually, I feel once we noticed how Owls went, I used to be saying how once we wrote Owls we sort of simply ignored individuals’s expectations fully and simply did it for ourselves, completely. We checked out that and we have been like, effectively, let’s try this once more and take it even additional in a distinct path, you recognize?
We sort 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. A few of the deeper cuts on the report, and we wished to discover these sounds a little bit extra. The Work, to me at the very least, it isn’t an industrial album, industrial metallic album, nevertheless it simply has this sort of total industrial sheen to it, and I feel loads of that was due to, like I stated, trying on the stranger moments on Owls like “Terrestria III”, which is a synth-wavy darkish industrial sort of tune, and wanting to love discover that sound extra. We wished to simply make this a large prog album that was similar 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 may. It is like a headphone report. It is an album to take heed to in headphones in a darkish room and simply journey out. It is an exquisite album at instances and like a very fucked up freaky album at different instances. It is similar to an actual true experimental album for us i believe, and like i stated you recognize in hindsight like i believe 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 can be like what? This is sort of a Weapons N’ Roses track or an enormous nine-minute acoustic ballad. There’s a lot like what?! On that report, which, to be honest, I feel scared lots of people off when it first got here out.
I feel lots of people have been sort of anticipating like an Owls 2.0. We have been very conscious of that. We knew that is what individuals wished, and we did not wish to give it to them. We simply wished to go in as far of a wierd path away from that as we probably might. And I feel there are some songs on The Work that sound like they might have been a part of a continuation of Owls. Like, I feel “The Void From Which No Sound Escapes” positively feels 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 virtually like a 9 Inch Nails meets Muse sort of track. And “Dreaming Black Clockwork” is simply this fucked up like Strapping Younger Lad sort of tune after which “Wait” is sort of a lo-fi Religion No Extra sort of track.
It is such a wierd mix of influences, The Work, however I imply, for that cause, although, that’s an album that I’ll at all times look again on as simply such an unbelievable artistic 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 area 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 metallic context, you recognize what I imply? Simply actually fucking round with sound is a dumb solution to say it, however that is actually what was occurring.
So yeah, it is an album that I feel shocked loads of our followers, scared a few of them off, however since we have put that album out, lots of people who initially have been sort of stunned by how completely different it was from Owls have sort of come round to it. And I see Owls and The Work sort of mentioned collectively lots. Type of like, once you’re speaking about Pink Floyd, more often than not persons are speaking about like, Darkish Aspect of the Moon versus The Wall, and it is like the same sort of duality.
I feel for a very long time, I assumed that they have been albums that have been actually not linked in any respect. However now, the additional down the street I get, the extra I notice that Owls was sort of the decision, and The Work was the response.
Rivers Of Nihil
It is cool to have a while and house to have sort of seen these first 4 data and sort of examined how they work together with each other. I feel that that had lots to do with, like I used to be discussing beforehand, how this new data turned out, simply sort of these first 4 data and seeing how they interacted with one another and what the excessive factors have been and what actually labored and what we actually did not after which sort of taking that data and enjoying to the strengths of us as a band and what we have executed thus far.
This report is sort of like an amalgamation of every little thing that we have executed to this point, plus one thing additional, I suppose. On this report, at the very least instrumentally, which is sort of like my division, now that now we have 4 albums behind us, I discovered myself sort of reflecting on the final 10 years or 12 years or no matter it has been. stuff on all of our data 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 sort of like actually checked out our previous discography as an enormous affect on this new report, greater than something, I might say.
I am at all times listening to music. In order that stuff at all times works its method into no matter it’s that I am engaged on. However I actually really feel like inspecting what we have executed and what I feel we’re one of the best at, what our strengths are and actually sort of enjoying to them and bringing them into this new period of the band and sort of making an attempt to take what we’re already good at and push it even additional. That was actually sort of like my purpose on this report, as a result of I feel 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 sort of like our The Wall or one thing like that. That was very intentional. we’re enormous Pink Floyd followers. Simply the massive like theatrical sort of album factor has at all times been one thing that we have at all times wished to do, so doing that on The Work, it was essential that we made that report as a result of I feel we needed to show to ourselves that we might do one thing like that.
However on this report, it is very like cliche to say, however we actually wished to sort of get again to fundamentals in loads of methods and deal with the core parts of the band like guitar, bass, drums, vocals, get all that stuff actually cooking after which sort of add within the additional stuff after the very fact; the saxophones and the synthesizers and any sort of extra orchestration that we wished to place in there after we had these songs that have been already actually heavy hitting simply with the sort of core parts of the dwell band.
Yeah, it was actually an album of reflection, I suppose, and like I stated, having Andy alongside for the writing of these items and with the ability to bounce concepts off him and have him contribute concepts that may possibly encourage me and vice versa was actually superior. After which having Adam take over on lead vocals. Since Adam’s at all times written the entire lyrics, it was cool to see him sort of be capable to carry out the stuff that he was writing in a method that he had by no means actually been in a position to carry out them earlier than, as a result of earlier than he was like writing stuff, however sort of by way of the lens of realizing that any individual 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 positively introduced some strikes to the desk vocally that we did not have earlier than.
So yeah, it was a take a look at of an album to jot down as a result of it was such an enormous shift, however I feel finally we had a blast making it, and I feel it is a few of our strongest materials to this point. And it is considerably of a retrospective on what we have executed, however not in a tragic method. We’re simply going to do that once more. It is a refreshed sort of perspective on stuff that we all know we’re actually good at as a band.
