# New Rivers Of Nihil (Tech Death in F)



## MikeH (Aug 20, 2013)

Played a show with these guys with Cannibal Corpse and Napalm Death a bit ago. Became instant friends. They're super awesome guys, and super awesome musicians. They remind me of a mix between Decrepit Birth, Fallujah, and a slight tinge of Meshuggah (mostly because of the low tuning). Their new album, 'The Conscious Seed Of Light', will be out October 15th on Metal Blade Records. It was engineered and produced by Erik Rutan (Hate Eternal).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4Eya-2JfoU

RIVERS OF NIHIL | The Conscious Seed of Light


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## bhakan (Aug 20, 2013)

I saw them play the PA Deathbed Festival, and they stole the show for me. Absolutely awesome! I was wearing my "Rain Eater" shirt I got at the show the other day too .


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## spawnofthesith (Aug 20, 2013)

ALL OF MY YES.


Love this band, and this new track does not disappoint!


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## Rick (Aug 21, 2013)




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## Laytowaste (Aug 21, 2013)

Those guys are super sick!!!


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## shellbound (Aug 21, 2013)

Just saw these guys with Wretched last week. Hadn't heard of them before that show, but was pretty impressed (despite shitty venue sound). Totally agree on Fallujah, that's the side that immediately jumped out to me. We need more of these space-y technical death metal bands. Good shit.


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## sakeido (Aug 21, 2013)

Very cool stuff... loved the guy's vocals actually. Kind of got a Neurosis/old Mastodon vibe from em and it suited the music so well


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## guiurso (Aug 21, 2013)

wow! never heard this band before, REALLY liked them.


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## Rick (Aug 21, 2013)

Here's their tuning: F#, C#, F#, B, E, G#,&#65279; C#


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## MikeH (Aug 21, 2013)

Could've sworn Brody said F for the new stuff. Guess not.


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## sahaal (Aug 22, 2013)

i am really ....in enjoying everything ive heard from these dudes so far, looking forward to the full album for sure. reminds me of psycroptic in a way and for some reason cryptopsy too, which are both very good things.


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## BIG ND SWEATY (Aug 22, 2013)

the guitar work is pretty cool but the vocals completely kill it for me :/


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## NovaReaper (Aug 22, 2013)

born of osiris is better


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## BIG ND SWEATY (Aug 22, 2013)

how have you not been banned yet? you literally asked to be permad the other day


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## Rick (Aug 22, 2013)

NovaReaper said:


> born of osiris is better



Okay. 

And Danza's better than BOO, what's your point?


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## MikeH (Aug 22, 2013)

He's just being a cock to be a cock.


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## ChrisLangstrom (Aug 22, 2013)

....in' love it, gonna check out more of this!


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## Basti (Aug 22, 2013)

BIG ND SWEATY said:


> the guitar work is pretty cool but the vocals completely kill it for me :/



Same here, but vocals seem to be so hard for any band to get right nowadays. It's so easy to sound generic whatever you do.


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## SD83 (Aug 22, 2013)

Most of the time, the vocals totally ruin this kind of music for me. I can't stand those standard DM vocals, this sounds great to my ears


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## will_shred (Aug 22, 2013)

NovaReaper said:


> born of osiris is better


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## thrsher (Aug 22, 2013)

playing with these guys oct 4!


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## gunch (Aug 23, 2013)

_They remind me of a mix between Decrepit Birth, Fallujah, and a slight tinge of Meshuggah
__
It was engineered and produced by Erik Rutan (Hate Eternal)._







Also holy .... I've been wanting to use drop F# as a 7 tuning forever

HNNGDKH


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## monkeysuncle (Aug 23, 2013)

Saw these guys play a small venue in Lewisburg, PA like 2 years ago. Had no idea they got signed to Metal Blade! Sick song too btw


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## FrancescoFiligoi (Aug 24, 2013)

Can't wait for the album these guys are SICK!!!!


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## Gothic Headhunter (Aug 24, 2013)

Love it! I think I'll be getting their debut


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## Jlang (Aug 24, 2013)

This band is ....ing phenomenal ; the vocals remind me a tonne of old school hardcore ala 100 demons but with a modernish death flavor ala pyscroptic . They slay.


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## Konfyouzd (Aug 24, 2013)

Whoa... Me rikey...


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## _RH_ (Aug 24, 2013)

It's a nice blend of technicality and memorable parts, imo. And one of the riffs does remind me of Psycroptic's obServant.


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## isomorphic (Aug 24, 2013)

excellent riffin'


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## MikeH (Sep 10, 2013)

Vocal/Bass/Drum studio videos. Ron is a god damn machine behind the kit.


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## The Hiryuu (Sep 11, 2013)

Rick said:


> Here's their tuning: F#, C#, F#, B, E, G#,&#65279; C#




Same tuning I use. Neat. 

For the longest time I didn't listen to these guys because I mixed them up for some other band that really sucks. These guys are good, though.


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## MikeH (Oct 12, 2013)

Samples from every song. This album is going to be insane.


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## Esp Griffyn (Oct 12, 2013)

The music might be a grower, I do enjoy the vocals though. I don't know if I'll ever love the "bwooooooooong" of an open F# on it's own though. The album cover is ....ing sick though, best death metal album cover I've seen in years, harks back to the good old days of Morbid Angel, back when they used to be a credible band.


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## spawnofthesith (Oct 13, 2013)

Full stream on metalblade too RIVERS OF NIHIL | The Conscious Seed of Light

Just now getting a chance to check the whole thing out. ....ing loving it so far


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## MikeH (Oct 14, 2013)

I'm all the way up to 'Human Adaptation'. Definitely already one of my top albums this year.


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## TomAwesome (Oct 14, 2013)

Damn, that low string is downright unintelligible.


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## MikeH (Oct 16, 2013)

AOTY? Very possible. I love the low F# in a tech death setting. It just makes it that much more dark and ominous.


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## abandonist (Oct 16, 2013)

Listened through and this review hits my thoughts pretty well:

Rivers of Nihil - The Conscious Seed of Light Review | Angry Metal Guy


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## MikeH (Oct 16, 2013)

Literally anything that has anything lower than an A string will be referred to as djent by metal "veterans". Aka guys that find pride in listening to nothing but bands that were established pre-2002.


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## abandonist (Oct 16, 2013)

I mean, there's definitely a Meshuggah influence.

Whether you call that djent or not is up to you, but the sound is there.

Hell, the tag of the thread is "In F" as if that's something to strive for.


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## MikeH (Oct 16, 2013)

It's not something to strive for, but rather an observation that relates to ERG's, which this forum is based around. So I thought it was relevant.


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## Rick (Oct 16, 2013)

So because a band tunes to some tuning with a low F, that makes a band "djent?" I saw these guys live last month and I heard no "djent" whatsoever.


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## abandonist (Oct 16, 2013)

No, I'd imagine it's about syncopated low tunings.


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## Rick (Oct 16, 2013)

Okay.


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## gunch (Oct 17, 2013)

Old codgery death metal fans will be old codgery death metal fans, I think this is pretty good. Not AOTY but pretty good.


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## DarkWolfXV (Oct 17, 2013)

My opinion? They are meh. I agree with abandonist's rating. Nothing special really, but nothing bad. I dig sound of low tunings like drop E or F# or whatever, but you cant hear it here really. Little to no impact whatsoever. I dont think they are djent though. Probably more like djent influenced tech death, and the influence comes from syncopation and the mechanical feeling.


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## MikeH (Oct 17, 2013)

I will say that it could be more prominent. I think the reason for it is that Erik Rutan produced/engineered it, and he's used to recording traditional death metal bands.


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## Chuck (Oct 17, 2013)

Le dig


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## gunch (Oct 17, 2013)

MikeH said:


> I will say that it could be more prominent. I think the reason for it is that Erik Rutan produced/engineered it, and he's used to recording traditional death metal bands.



Love Rutan to death as a player but truth be told he should work on his sound engineering chops.

More careful listening tells me these guys have potential beyond "I like these guys because I like their direct influences"


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## no_dice (Oct 18, 2013)

abandonist said:


> Hell, the tag of the thread is "In F" as if that's something to strive for.



I feel it's fair to put that in the title, as it's unusual for a death metal band to use such a low tuning and it might interest people. It doesn't necessarily mean he's trying to sell the djerk-offs on this band.

I gave it a listen, and I just couldn't get into it. Maybe I wasn't in the right mood. I'll try again some other time.


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## Esp Griffyn (Oct 18, 2013)

silverabyss said:


> Love Rutan to death as a player but truth be told he should work on his sound engineering chops.



Hold on, are we now saying that Erik Rutan does not do some of the most jaw dropping death metal production we've ever been blessed (are the sick) to hear?





Rutan, to my ears, gets some of the best sounds out of bands in DM. Couple with the fact that he is an incredible writer, singer and guitarist in his own right, and I'd vote him as one of the most talented individuals in not just death metal, but the history of metal as a whole.

EDIT to add: Rivers of Nihil are ....ing sick. Like I said earlier in the thread, I thought they'd be a grower for me. The more I listen, the more I think "this is my shit right here".


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## DarkWolfXV (Oct 18, 2013)

Rutan is good as old school dm engineer, but not so much for modern styles.


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## Acrid (Oct 19, 2013)

Grabbed the Temporality Unbound Ep from Bandcamp the other day, really starts to grow on ya after a few listen throughs. Looking forward to picking up The Conscious Seed of Light album!


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## Floppystrings (Oct 19, 2013)

I guess this sounds pretty brutal.

Imagine playing this to some old folks in the 50's, they would clench their bibles so hard.


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## Nick4764 (Oct 19, 2013)

I dunno, I find these guys to be incredibly boring, almost nothing stands out about their writing other than how low they tune. Like Angry Metal Guy stated, these guys have a serious lack of identity, and considering how many incredible albums have been released this year, I doubt they are going to stand out among the likes of Defeated Sanity, Wormed, Bolzer and Gorguts.


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## CTID (Oct 19, 2013)

I'll start off this post with the preface that I only watched the studio video for drums, but:

As someone who's played drums for 8 1/2 years now, and is foremost a drummer more than a guitarist, I literally just cannot get into bands that the drummer does nothing but 16th triplet/32nd notes on bass, or blast beats the entire time. It just screams to me that he wasn't creative enough to do anything else. Yeah, the endurance is impressive, but meh. I guess I'm just not into tech death anymore like I used to be.

This, of course, is my opinion, not trying to offend anyone.


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## gunch (Oct 19, 2013)

Esp Griffyn said:


> Hold on, are *we* now saying that Erik Rutan does not do some of the most jaw dropping death metal production we've ever been blessed (are the sick) to hear?
> 
> Rutan, to my ears, gets some of the best sounds out of bands in DM. Couple with the fact that he is an incredible writer, singer and guitarist in his own right, and I'd vote him as one of the most talented individuals in not just death metal, but the history of metal as a whole.
> 
> EDIT to add: Rivers of Nihil are ....ing sick. Like I said earlier in the thread, I thought they'd be a grower for me. The more I listen, the more I think "this is my shit right here".



Just my opinion, keep in mind this is just what my ears tell me.

Alright maybe I shouldn't have gone that far but to me HE's productions aren't consistent. Conquering the Throne sounds amazing, King of all Kings sort of drops off, I, Monarch was good again and then The last two had incredibly bland productions (Guitar wise)

When I listen to Rutan's stuff I want that rusty bitey sound from Conquering the Throne ( also because based Doug Cerrito)

Rivers of Nihil could have used some of that bite.


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## MikeH (Oct 19, 2013)

Well, he also produced my cousin's album:


I feel like the mix here is much more fitting for the style, and he should have used some of the elements in this mix for Rivers' album.


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## Rick (Oct 19, 2013)

Is Justin your cousin?


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## MikeH (Oct 19, 2013)

Yezzur.


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## Chuck (Oct 23, 2013)

Been jamming this band all day


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## JTL (Oct 24, 2013)

Nick4764 said:


> I dunno, I find these guys to be incredibly boring, almost nothing stands out about their writing other than how low they tune. Like Angry Metal Guy stated, these guys have a serious lack of identity, and considering how many incredible albums have been released this year, I doubt they are going to stand out among the likes of Defeated Sanity, Wormed, Bolzer and Gorguts.



THIS! I agree they are talented but they do in fact lack an identity. Nothing really sets them apart from anyone else. I think what kills it for me is the bland vocals. I really want to like this band but i just cant get into it all the way. Its like when you get ready to blow your load but pull back so you last longer.... but it just keeps happening over and over


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## Arsenal12 (Feb 26, 2015)

Epic necro bumpage.

So I stumbled across this band a few months ago. I think they f-in destroy, just really into their record that came out in '13. Seems like alot has changed since their 1st record came out:

-guitarist Jon Kunz left, replaced by a guy named Jon Topore
-original drummer Ron Nelson left, replaced by Alan Balamut 
-I noticed that lead guitarist posts on SSO
-saw on their FB page yesterday that they just started work on their 2nd record. Not going to be engineered by Rutan this time around

If you missed them the first time around check these:








TCSOL is a great album, surprised more people on SSO aren't into them. Really looking forward to the next record


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## MAJ Meadows SF (Feb 26, 2015)

They completely destroy live. I can't wait for the next record either. 

Man that DC7X....


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## octatoan (Feb 27, 2015)

Which F?

(sorry, couldn't resist)


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## Arsenal12 (Feb 27, 2015)

octatoan said:


> Which F?
> 
> (sorry, couldn't resist)


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## JD27 (Apr 8, 2015)

They just finished recording their 2nd album. I loved TCSOL, can't wait to hear this one.

Rivers of Nihil Complete Recording Sophomore Album - MetalSucks


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## MikeH (Apr 8, 2015)

If you follow Brody on Instagram, you know this next one is going to be a ripper. He posted some clips of solo tracking. It was nuts.


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## JD27 (Apr 8, 2015)

Anything beyond Facebook outreaches my social media attention span.


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## JD27 (Jun 10, 2015)

First song "Perpetual Growth Machine", from the new album Monarchy is out! Album is out Aug 21 (this and new Ghost on the same day, may just do me in)!


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## Decipher (Jun 10, 2015)

Put my pre-order in. So stoked for this one. Easily my favorite new band out there.


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## KJGaruda (Jun 10, 2015)

Gracious. I almost can't handle all this new music coming out this year. It's all gonna f*ck our faces off. We still have yet to hear the new Nile, the rest of this new Rivers of Nihil album, Hate Eternal, Kronos, Obscura, Decrepit Birth I think... I can't recall the last time I've been so damn happy.


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## MikeH (Jun 10, 2015)

I want to pre-order, but not sure where I'll be at when it arrives. Might just go digital.


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## BIG ND SWEATY (Jun 10, 2015)

Wasn't really a huge fan a their first release, i might just need another listen through to fully appreciate it, but this track was sick as hell. if they release another track as good as this ill be pre ordering for sure.


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## mcsalty (Jun 11, 2015)

New track has everything i liked about Conscious Seed, and they really improved on the parts I wasn't crazy about. Stoked for this album


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## Arsenal12 (Jun 11, 2015)

Looking forward to this record. TCSOL was pretty great imho. Apparently there are a lot more solos.. which is good. I like Adams vocals.. I hope they incorporate them more and his bass playing is more forward in the mix. Dude is a great player.


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## PlumbTheDerps (Jun 11, 2015)

TCSOL was like a 7/10 for me- really solid but it dragged and felt repetitive. Every single piece of the new track sounds fresh, clever, and well-arranged. Sounds like they really stepped up their game. If all the other songs are this good it will easily fit onto my year-end top 10 list.


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## MikeH (Jun 12, 2015)

Also, am I the only one who thinks people use that artwork format of an island in the middle of a landscape waaaaaaaaay too much?

For example:


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## UnattendedGolfcart (Jun 12, 2015)

No you are not Mike. It's done a lot. The only reason I think it's cool is because I forget that there are hundreds of other bands that use the same picture concept style. When I remember that, it becomes more lame haha.

Anyway, really digging this song. I loved TCSOL, and I look forward to what these guys are gonna put out.


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## Glass Cloud (Jun 13, 2015)

I don't buy cds so I never notice/care.


Song sounds great though, I like when bands actually make the bass audible.


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## JD27 (Jul 8, 2015)

New song "Monarchy", very tasty.

Rivers of Nihil Take Their Place on the Throne with "Monarchy" - MetalSucks


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## Michael_Ten (Jul 9, 2015)

MikeH said:


> Also, am I the only one who thinks people use that artwork format of an island in the middle of a landscape waaaaaaaaay too much?
> 
> For example:



At least it tells you EXACTLY what kind of metal you're about to listen to...


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## Esp Griffyn (Jul 9, 2015)

I'd put £5 on to say both of those covers were done by the same artist anyway.


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## JD27 (Aug 3, 2015)

Another new one.


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## Arsenal12 (Aug 6, 2015)

I like it.


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## JD27 (Aug 17, 2015)

Full stream is out today!

RIVERS OF NIHIL | Monarchy


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## Decipher (Aug 18, 2015)

Man, I REALLY want to listen to the album stream but I'm just gonna hold out for my preorder to arrive.


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## JD27 (Aug 18, 2015)

Decipher said:


> Man, I REALLY want to listen to the album stream but I'm just gonna hold out for my preorder to arrive.



This album is awesome. Still trying to hold on the old days of popping open the cd case for a first listen?  I actually did get a shirt/cd bundle, but it was mostly just that I wanted a shirt. I rarely ever buy a physical copy anymore.


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## UnattendedGolfcart (Aug 18, 2015)

I'm listening to the stream now and I think that the drums have definitely kicked it up a notch. Alan is destroying that kit. I loved TCSOL but after a billion listens I've needed new music. This is great so far, I'll need to listen to it a lot and buy it because on the first listen for me it sounds a bit same and bleeds together, then again so does every album I listen to for the first time.

Brody's solos are dope though. Really stepped up his game.


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## Draceius (Aug 18, 2015)

JD27 said:


> Full stream is out today!
> 
> RIVERS OF NIHIL | Monarchy



This is the death metal album I've been waiting for, I don't know what it is, but their style is the kind of music I've wanted for so long.


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## bloc (Aug 18, 2015)

Yeah the new album is just fantastic. Much better than their previous one.


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## JD27 (Aug 18, 2015)

bloc said:


> Yeah the new album is just fantastic. Much better than their previous one.



I really liked the first one, but this one is better. I think I have listened to it all the way through about 5x now. It's even got my attention over the new Ghost album and I love Ghost.


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## Arsenal12 (Aug 19, 2015)

The burning question is... are they still tuning to F?


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## JD27 (Aug 19, 2015)

Arsenal12 said:


> The burning question is... are they still tuning to F?



I think so... Brody (also his username) is a member here, you could PM the dude and maybe he will be kind enough to answer if it is truly burning you.


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## Arsenal12 (Aug 19, 2015)

JD27 said:


> I think so... Brody (also his username) is a member here, you could PM the dude and maybe he will be kind enough to answer if it is truly burning you.



Haha.. not really that burning.. I always find the title of the thread somewhat humorous. 

The new record is pretty boss though. Looks like they're doing a record release party in Brooklyn tonight.


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## UnattendedGolfcart (Aug 19, 2015)

Arsenal12 said:


> The burning question is... are they still tuning to F?



Brody says they've been at Drop F# at least since TCSOL. Rain Eater is Drop F# I know that.


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## Arsenal12 (Aug 24, 2015)

Anyone else pick this up? Thoughts?


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## Ryan (Aug 24, 2015)

This album is so sick. The breakdown on Ancestral, I around 3:20? Beastly.

Love that guitar tone (Uberschall Kemper profile?) too, especially with that thick gritty bass under it.


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## gorthul (Aug 25, 2015)

This album is way better than The Conscious Seed Of Light (which wasn't bad either!).
Production is way better, the guitar solos are absolutely lovely, vocals are better, songs are more catchy and experimental at the same time....great album.


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## sakeido (Aug 25, 2015)

Just working my way through my first listen now. Holy .... these guys killed it this time around, some of these riffs are just  like Dehydrate? holy fvck that is heavy. 

Loving the overall tone of the mix too, in a time when so many bands are going for a MIDI-esque overly polished phony sound this is just so raw, gritty and heavy.


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## Rypac (Aug 26, 2015)

This album is really, really good. I enjoyed TCSOL but this brings it up to a whole new level. The raw sound of the production is very refreshing and so heavy.

I especially love the shift to a more atmospheric/progressive vibe in the tail end of the album. Probably one of my favourite releases of the year so far.


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## Smoked Porter (Aug 26, 2015)

I noticed that shift near the end too. So awesome, and it kept the album from getting redundant. I've only listened once all the way through, but on first impression there seems to be no filler at all on this one.


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## brett8388 (Aug 26, 2015)

It's a great CD.


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## JD27 (Sep 7, 2017)

Excellent news, I loved the last album. Still gets regular play.

http://www.metalsucks.net/2017/09/07/rivers-of-nihil-are-in-the-studio/


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## Decipher (Sep 7, 2017)

Same here. One of the best bands around right now IMO. This should be the Fall themed album too which is exciting.


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## bloc (Sep 12, 2017)

Last album was surprisingly impressive


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## squids (Sep 14, 2017)

new to these guys. i like them a lot, will be keeping an eye out for them, the direction tech death is moving lately is a great one.


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