Rivers of Nihil - Where Owls Know My Name

Vinyl LP pressing. Whereas The Conscious Seed of Light (2013) and Monarchy (2015) were thematically centered around spring and summer, respectively, 2018's Where Owls Know My Name represents the fall. And although that season is usually associated with death, for Rivers of Nihil, the autumn serves as a rebirth. Now rounded out by guitarist Jon Topore and drummer Jared Klein the Reading, PA quintet delivers an album which is often just as punishing as it's predecessors while assimilating ingredients from musical genres as varied as electronica, jazz, alternative, folk, and the golden age of Shrapnel Records. The resulting music is indescribably progressive, a multifaceted soundscape that goes beyond the wildest dreams of even the group's most ardent admirers. Where Owls Know My Name is Rivers of Nihil's most visceral, accomplished, and satisfying offering to-date. Few metal bands will ever create anything with such scope and ambition.