Rivers Of Nihil – Rivers Of Nihil Album Review

I want to start by saying I could write a short novel on this album. It would be impossible to unpack everything that Rivers of Nihil have put into this masterpiece of an album in a single review. This is an album that will not only land in the top spot for prog-metal albums, but will also take the top metal album of 2025 for many, I’m sure.

Kind of odd that a band with this much history, not to mention this being their fifth album, would release a self-titled album, but here we are. I think pretty much everything that can be said about this album has already been said by so many other reviewers, but you clicked on something to get here, so maybe I’ll have something different to add.

With this being a milestone album, I feel like I owe it the attention it deserves with a track-by-track review.

The Sub-Orbital Blues sets the tone right out of the gate and immediately lets you know this album won’t follow the typical script. I love the parts where the clean vocals are front and center, with harsh vocals lurking behind, ghostly, like the devil whispering over your shoulder. It’s eerie as hell and fits perfectly.

Dustman takes us immediately into a heavier, more aggressive Rivers of Nihil. Filled with blast beats and some of the most aggressive vocals on the album, I’m a huge fan of this track. It’s songs like this where we see the crossover between progressive and technical death metal. The low and slow section three quarters of the way through hits your ears like the best southern barbecue you’ve ever had on a long holiday weekend.

Criminals pulls us in with a mix of bass, drums, clean guitar tones, and eerie vocals. This brief, almost unsettling intro is short-lived when we’re hit in the face with savage vocals and chunky guitars. Through the first verse and bridge, this feels like a heavy drum and bass track, with guitars almost playing a support role, though still very present. There’s just so much going on in this track. Fans of bass guitar, quick drum fills, blast beats, and tremolo heavy riffs will all find their needs thoroughly met here.

Despair Church, the longest track on the album, has a heavier feeling to it, not just in the music but the overall mood it evokes. The sections of non-distorted guitars with light drums and clean vocals make it feel as though the walls are closing in around you. Not that drumming is lacking elsewhere, but the performance on this song is on another level. When a progressive metal album dropped late last year that included instruments not typically found in metal, flutes, saxophone, and the like, I wasn’t a fan. In that case, it felt like filler. Here, that’s not the case. The end of this track sounds like music you’d expect from the saxophone player in The Lost Boys.

Water & Time sits right in the center of the album and gives you a moment to breathe. I honestly can’t describe it any other way than “the perfect break.” It still brings short bursts of fury, but mostly gives you time to process what you just experienced so far. Maybe even time to realize this might be your favorite album of 2025.

House of Light follows that brief reprieve with another slow, crushing piece. It’s not fast paced, but it carries serious weight. There are lighter sections that almost feel like they’re pulling your soul out of the pit the first two minutes drag you into. They don’t last long. Just long enough to give a glimmer of hope before the track pulls you right back into heavier guitar tones and visceral vocals. There’s no escape, and eventually you just give in.

Evidence opens with a mix of two vocal styles and a pounding beat with a guitar rhythm to match. The hectic pace is near breakneck and never lets up, save for one short moment near the halfway mark. The layering of vocals throughout feels built for a live setting. I can already imagine the crowd joining in on the group vocal sections.

American Death hits hard in the back half of the album. It feels like it was written with a pen spewing pure rage. The main riff, matched with a ground pounding beat, takes us through the first chorus into a bridge that continues the harsh vocal styling while adding in a demonic sounding backing vocal. It all leads to a chorus that starts out with clean vocals only to blast us again with a harsh vocal ending. The layers of instruments, vocal styles, and the build of the song, which takes us through no fewer than five different rhythm sections, make this one of the top tracks of the year for me.

The Logical End leans into a slower, weightier kind of heavy rather than relying on speed or chaos. It’s a perfect fit for the album’s final stretch and still proves that even when they slow things down, Rivers of Nihil don’t lose an ounce of impact.

Rivers of Nihil, the title track and the album’s closer, starts out light and airy, giving your blood pressure a brief reprieve so your heart doesn’t explode. But two thirds in, your ears are blasted again with harsh vocals and backing chaos to remind you this isn’t just a prog-metal album. It feels like the perfect final chapter. The journey’s over, but the weight of it lingers.

The production quality here is next level. So many albums, whether by stylistic choice or poor mixing, end up sounding muddy or too blended. Not this one. Every instrument, every vocal track, every tone is crisp and distinct. Solos sit just slightly above the mix. Backing vocals never overpower leads. Even with multiple vocal styles and overlapping sections, it’s all balanced with surgical precision.

Prog, but on another level.

I almost skipped this album because of the “prog-metal” tag. I’ve been burned too many times by long-winded, overly polished, look-we-added-flutes type nonsense. But Rivers of Nihil didn’t just change my mind, they pulled me in. I’m not saying I’m now a fan of all prog-metal, but I’m damn sure a fan of Rivers of Nihil.