Review by Raphaël on March 29, 2022.

Rivers Of Nihil have made a name for themselves in the metal world, ever since the release of the 2018 masterpiece and contemporary classic Where Owls Know My Name. This album even made it to Banger.tv top ten albums of the decade 2010-2019. But we are now in 2021, a year and a half into a pandemic and Rivers had the impossible task of following Owls. So, were they successful?

First, let’s talk a bit about the band, but spoiler alert, yes. Yes, they were! So, Rivers Of Nihil started as a fairly typical technical death metal band but on their release, Where Owls Know My Name, they included many progressive elements, including what they became known for, the saxophone. Sax and metal had already been mixed before and I don’t know what Zach Strouse did, but the mix became pure magic on Owls. Every member, from Jake Dieffenbach’s unique vocals to Adam Biggs on the bass to the guitars of Brody Uttley and Jonathan Topore and new comer Jared Klein on drums, are on top of their game. For The Work, they have the same lineup as on Owls. I think this and all the extra free time the band had made it possible to create the band’s most experimental and creative album to date.

After my first listen, I’ll be honest, I was kind of disappointed. Probably because I was expecting Owls. I remember hearing them in an interview they did, shortly after Owls, where they said that they did not know if they would even keep the sax in their next album. They did not want to be cast as the “sax band”, which I understand. I love the sax so much that when I heard the singles, I became kind of worried. But have no fear! The sax is back even if it’s a bit different from Owls. So it took me multiple listens, but I can now say with certainty that this album is a genius way to follow Owls. It is so different, yet you still hear the core sound of the band. And by core sound, I don’t mean metalcore. Don’t freak out, all of you metal elitists out there, I just mean what makes it sound like a Rivers’ album.

Now let’s dive into it. Each album represents a season: Spring (The Conscious Seed Of Light), Summer (Monarchy), Fall (Owls) and now Winter with The Work. Winter can be harsh, violent even, with heavy snow or blizzards. It can also be peaceful and clear. I’m a big fan of the light/dark, peaceful/heavy dynamic. Both sides are masterfully represented on The Work, with noise-like sections, furious death metal and peaceful, calmer passages. What gives the noisy part an organic feel is probably that much of the noises was sampled and recorded by the band themselves. For example, we hear a train on the first track. Well, it’s the train that passes near the guitarist’s house. The metal clinking noises on 'Terrestria IV: Work' were recorded in an abandoned chemical factory near the old high school of one of the guys. All these sounds are weaved expertly in the album, giving it a raw grounded feel. Keeping with the theme of the seasons, the last seconds of the album is just birds chirping, softly signifying the end of Winter and the return of Spring. In a larger sense, it is the end of a cycle and a metaphorical rebirth.

So, the saxophone is back, but it is used much more sporadically throughout the album. It functions more like a support for the atmosphere of the record and is less put forward with big solos, with the exception of the song 'The Void From Which No Sound Escapes' which features the only proper Owls sounding sax solo. This is probably my favorite track on the album. With its Terrestrial 3, sounding intro, impeccable roller coaster built up to a powerful and beautiful chorus which leads into an epic guitar solo, to be followed by THE saxophone solo on the album. When the sax solo starts, it’s a grandiose feeling. I have been waiting for a long time at this point for that solo, this song being number six on the album.

The first five songs are kind of an experimental journey. We start with the slow, atmospheric built up of Towers 1, which features a lot of clean vocals. We then go on the fully experimental, dissonant and, quite frankly, weird 'Dreaming Black Clockwork'. But it’s the good kind of weird! This song leads into, in my opinion, the best transition on the album. The end of the song is a noisy part that builds and builds up, and when the tension is at its max, the song 'Wait' starts with its soft piano melody that reminds me of the First Gymnopedie of Éric Satie, cutting the tension completely. 'Wait' is a super chill song with only clean vocals. It’s a great example of the band’s ability to write slower, calmer songs. The next two songs were the two singles released before the album was launched and it gave a pretty good idea of the overall vibe of the record. These two songs are both slower, progressive and are incredibly catchy. I guarantee you’ll have the first lines and the melody of 'Clean' relentlessly stuck in your head: 

“I want your money, your time; I want your patience and your pride; I’m a restless innovator; And I’m working over time; So Heaven help me (heaven help me); And the dollar defends me (dollar defends me).” 

I interpret those lyrics as being a commentary about the expectations/relations of fans vis-à-vis the band’s work. It’s also the debut of the drummer, Jared Klein, doing back vocals on the lines (heaven help me) and (dollar defend me). Another part that will be on repeat in your head is in the song focus:

“My body, my pride, my radiant insight; I figured all this focus had just been given to me; So set in self derision, as I feel my vision slipping away; I figured I was worthless, destined to wither away”.

This is dealing more with the mental toll that life can have, essentially the work that life constantly demands of us.
The rest of the album is pretty much pure gems again. Going from the furious, blast beats and techy solos infused, death metal of 'More?' to slow, proggy and beautiful songs like 'Towers 2' and 'Maybe One Day'. The album closes with the progressive death metal epic that is the 11 min and 30 sec 'Terrestria IV: Work'. This song is the ultimate showcase of the song writing and musical talent of the band. When an 11 minutes song ends and you say to yourself “Wait! What, already finished?”, you know it’s an incredibly well written song.

So, to conclude, The Work is the most mature piece of work (pun intended) the band has released so far, with so many memorable moments I didn’t even talk about. Just as an example, the guest vocals of Black Crown Initiate’s James Dorton on the track 'Episode': he sings, in its powerful growls, do the work. It gives me chills every time! So, Rivers Of Nihil had the impossible task of following Where Owls Know My Name and I think they succeeded in every way, elevating the band more and more on par with contemporary prog masters like Gojira or Mastodon.

Rating: 10 out of 10