RIVERS OF NIHIL ARE THE BEST NEW DEATH METAL BAND YOU’LL HEAR THIS YEAR

I know that’s a bold statement, but I’m so confident in it that I don’t feel the need to back it up — the band’s music will do that for me.

Towards the end of 2011 I saw Reading, PA’s Rivers of Nihil absolutely destroy the tiny basement of NYC’s Lit Lounge. PULVERISE THE FUCK OF THAT BASEMENT. We see a lot of unsigned bands, but it’s rare I see one as tight and as singularly focused as Rivers of Nihil. I was dumbfounded, staring their in awe at this phenomenal band steamroll through their set of brutal progressive death metal that actually has something new to offer the scene. No scene, no djent, no -core, no bullshit breakdowns… just pure, crushing modern death metal. Think: the best parts of Aborted, The Red Chord, Decrepit Birth, Nile and Gojira all rolled into one. Lots of bands attempt to do this, but none do it as well as Rivers of Nihil.

Stream some songs from Rivers of Nihil’s two EPs below; track 5, “Sea of Neurons,” if my favorite. The band gave me a copy of their latest EP, Temporality Unbound, and I haven’t been able to stop streaming it since.

-VN

Thanks to No Clean Singing for inspiring me to stop being lazy and finally write this post.