Label: Metal Blade
Runtime: 56 Minutes
Released: March 16th, 2018
“Where Owls Know My Name” is the third in a series
of albums representing the four seasons, with the summer of ‘Monarchy’ falling
to the inevitable decay of Autumn. Themes of longing, change, and regret
permeate the album from the lyrics to the band’s experimental take on the classic
‘Rivers’ formula. New elements have been added to form an unlikely mix: Mellotron,
Moog synths, trumpet, saxophone, and clean vocals are all very present, added
to Rivers of Nihil’s already proggy take on technical death metal. One would
think that this would result in a heaping mess of clashing ideas and vibes, but
somehow it all pulls together into one cohesive whole that, while not without
flaw, is much greater than merely the sum of its parts.
My first sit-down with the album came in the wake
of learning about the death of an old friend. Not just any friend—the friend
who exposed me to extreme underground metal. Without him I wouldn’t be writing
this blog, listening to this album, or have had some of the most transcendental
experiences of my life. I sat alone in a dark room, turned up the speakers, and
let the album wash over me, and like experiences that now seem so long ago I
felt myself transported, soaking up the ascendancy of something pure, neither
good nor evil, organic or spiritual, simply BEING. And for that moment in time,
it was enough. “Where Owls Know My Name” is that kind of record. If you let it
in.
‘Cancer/Moonspeak’ opens with the subdued tones of
slow moving atmospherics, spoken word, and the chatter of an echoing conversation
buried deep in the background—present, but almost indistinguishable. It sets
the mood for the rest of the album to come, chilling yet bespeaking the
explosion of violence in ‘The Silent Life’, the album’s first proper cut. One
would be forgiven at this point for expecting the opening to suffer from an
all-too-standard disconnection of intro/album, but less than three minutes in,
the track takes a turn with a progressive bridge that conjures Pink Floyd more
than any of ‘Rivers’ tech death brethren. Tasteful saxophone trades off with
lead guitars, pulling the listener back and forth in a shifting tide of peaceful
contemplation and bursts of anger before falling back into the verse without
missing a beat.
Every track on the album is utterly unique and
distinguishable, pulsing with mood and vibe. ‘A Home’ opens with a riff that
would feel at home on a pop rock record before almost immediately transitioning
into a brutal onslaught dripping in tremolo-picked atmospherics. ‘Old Nothing’ invokes
mid-career Decapitated with its rhythmic focus on complex chugging and churning
double-bass. ‘Death is Real’ features a standout guitar solo that’s as
blistering as it is beautiful.
Of course, no review of this album would be
complete without a mention of mid-album standout—and perhaps overlong titled—‘Subtle
Change Including the Forest of Transition and Dissatisfaction Dance’. (Hey, if
Nile can name songs this long, so can Rivers of Nihil.) ‘Subtle Change’ is an
eight-and-a-half minute prog metal song that throws everything but the
proverbial kitchen sink at the listener. Clean guitars, spoken words, saxophone,
atmospheric keys, Moog synths… it all feels a little disconnected from time to
time, but for all of its over-reaching grandiosity, it’s not without its charm.
It’s a song that few bands would even attempt to write, and even fewer would be
able to pull off with such aplomb. Even more unexpected is ‘Subtle Change’s
immediate descent into ‘Terrestria III: Wither’, a pulsing, electronic mood
piece of synths, crushing drums, and muted trumpet.
“Where Owls Know My Name” is a change of gears for
Rivers of Nihil that still somehow manages to feel like the same band while
being something else entirely. Guitarist Brody Uttley wrote the majority of the
songs apart from the band, resulting in a wildly different feel from their
debut album ‘The Conscious Seed of Light’ which was more open-sourced
throughout the band. This album also marks the first appearance of new drummer
Jared Klein, and the energy he adds is evident throughout. Bassist Adam Biggs’
lyrics also deserve a read as you listen—they’re far from inconsequential to
the album’s overall feel. If you have any love for tech death, musical
experimentation, or atmospheric metal, you owe it to yourself to check this
album out. Singles ‘A Home’ and ‘The Silent Life’ are available on YouTube now,
and the remainder of the album will be streaming for free on Bandcamp this
Friday.
9/10
“Where Owls Know My Name” is out March 16th
on Metal Blade Records and can be ordered digitally via their Bandcamp page.
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