metal

Rivers of Nihil

2 upcoming festivals

Pennsylvania technical death metal band who folded saxophone into the blast beats and made it feel inevitable rather than gimmicky — heavy music with a jazz lung.

Rivers of Nihil formed in Reading, Pennsylvania in 2009 and have spent their career pushing technical death metal outward rather than inward. Early work leaned on the dense riffing and blast-driven precision associated with the style, while later records added atmosphere, clean passages and progressive structure without softening the impact. The band conceived a run of albums around the theme of the four seasons, a framework that shaped both the writing and the artwork.

The 2018 album Where Owls Know My Name drew the widest attention, largely for the way saxophone and more open, exploratory arrangements sat alongside the extremity. Guitarist Brody Uttley and bassist Adam Biggs have been central to the group's direction, with Biggs later taking on lead vocals. Their records have been released through Metal Blade.

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