Rivers of Nihil announce new S/T album, share “House of Light”
”It has the riffs, it has the big chorus, it has the prog, it has the solos, it has the sax. Just a real classic example of what we do as a band in 2025,” the band says.
Pennsylvania progressive death metallers Rivers of Nihil have announced their self-titled fifth album, due May 30 via Metal Blade (pre-order). Here’s some background on the LP, via press release:
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.
“I feel like these songs are the perfect blend of all our albums, with all the fat cut away,” says founding guitarist Brody Uttley. “There are more technical songs that call back to The Conscious Seed Of Light and Monarchy sound, but with a more mature understanding of how to pace a song. There’s a fair bit of the Where Owls Know My Name and The Work-type experimental stuff, but with a more refreshed perspective on those styles for the current era of the band.”
The album includes their 2023 single “The Sub-Orbital Blues” and their 2024 single “Criminals,” as well as the just-released “House of Light.” This one “encapsulates the nature of what it is that we do perfectly while offering a different perspective on the sound with the new lineup,” says Uttley. “Everything that our fans have come to love about our sound is demonstrated in this song with the new addition of Andy singing and Biggs on main vocals. It has the riffs, it has the big chorus, it has the prog, it has the solos, it has the sax. Just a real classic example of what we do as a band in 2025.” That sums it up pretty perfectly, as you can hear for yourself below.
Rivers of Nihil also recently announced the “Aggressive Progressive Tour” with the very cool support lineup of Holy Fawn, Inter Arma, and Glacial Tomb. That hits Brooklyn on June 20 at The Meadows. All dates are listed below.
Tracklist
1. The Sub-Orbital Blues
2. Dustman
3. Criminals
4. Despair Church
5. Water & Time
6. House Of Light
7. Evidence
8. American Death
9. The Logical End
10. Rivers Of Nihil
Rivers of Nihil — 2025 Tour Dates
w/ Cynic, Beyond Creation, Dååth:
2/28/2025 Essigfabrik – Köln, DE
3/01/2025 Zappa – Antwerp, BE
3/02/2025 La Machine – Paris, FR
3/04/2025 Slay – Glasgow, GB
3/05/2025 Academy – Dublin, IE
3/06/2025 The Fleece- Bristol, GB
3/07/2025 Engine Rooms – Southampton, GB
3/08/2025 Club Academy – Manchester, GB
3/09/2025 Electric Ballroom – London, GB
3/10/2025 XOYO – Birmingham, GB
3/12/2025 Patronaat – Haarlem, NL
3/13/2025 Gruenspan – Hamburg, DE
3/14/2025 Fryshuset Klubben – Stockholm, SE
3/16/2025 Tavastia – Helsinki, FI
3/18/2025 John Dee – Oslo, NO
3/19/2025 Pumpehuset – Copenhagen, DK
3/21/2025 Proxima – Warsaw, PL
3/22/2025 Columbia Theater – Berlin, DE
3/23/2025 Z-Bau – Nürnberg, DE
3/24/2025 Flex – Wien, AT
3/25/2025 Dürer Kert – Budapest, HU
3/26/2025 Backstage – München, DE
3/27/2025 Slaughter Club – Milan, IT
3/28/2025 Kiff – Aarau, CH
3/29/2025 Substage – Karlsruhe, DE
w/ Holy Fawn, Inter Arma, Glacial Tomb:
5/22/2025 Underground Arts – Philadelphia, PA
5/23/2025 The Palladium (Upstairs) – Worcester, MA
5/24/2025 Rec Room – Buffalo, NY
5/25/2025 The King Of Clubs – Columbus, OH
5/27/2025 Pike Room @ Crofoot – Pontiac, MI
5/28/2025 Reggies – Chicago, IL
5/29/2025 The Cabooze – Minneapolis, MN
5/30/2025 Bourbon Theater – Lincoln, NE
5/31/2025 Bluebird Theater – Denver, CO
6/01/2025 Metro Music Hall – Salt Lake City, UT
6/03/2025 Rickshaw Theatre – Vancouver, BC
6/04/2025 El Corazon – Seattle, WA
6/05/2025 Dante’s – Portland, OR
6/06/2025 Goldfield Trading Post – Roseville, CA
6/07/2025 Teragram Ballroom – Los Angeles, CA
6/08/2025 Brick By Brick – San Diego, CA
6/10/2025 Nile – Mesa, AZ
6/11/2025 Launchpad – Albuquerque, NM
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
