Rivers of Nihil launches video for new single, “Focus”
– August 24th, 2021 –
Set to kick off North American tour next week with The Black Dahlia Murder, After The Burial, Carnifex, Undeath
Album artwork by: Dan Seagrave
On September 24th, Rivers of Nihil will release their fourth full-length, The Work, via Metal Blade Records. For a preview of the album, a video for the new single “Focus” (directed by David Brodsky // mgenyc.com) can be viewed at: youtu.be/9XluT0SpbDI
Brody Uttley (lead guitar, keyboards) comments: “For the ‘Focus’ video, we once again recruited Mr. David Brodsky, Allie Woest and the team at MyGoodEye. This video tells the story of an individual in a fractured state of mind confronting the darkest parts of his inner self and battling with a physical manifestation of his deepest fears and concerns; the worst parts of himself. This manifestation represents the presence in all of our heads that tries to pull us down into the throes of self-destructive behavior and patterns of thinking. The creature that he is interacting with becomes more apparent as the video progresses (with the main character slipping deeper into psychosis) until the end when he loses his battle and is plunged down into the blackness once and for all; existing permanently in the prison that his delusions have constructed for him…Perhaps finally at peace, or just as likely: never again at peace. See you guys on tour next month with The Black Dahlia Murder.”
The previously released track, “Clean”, can be heard at: metalblade.com/riversofnihil – where The Work can also be pre-ordered in the following formats:
– digipak-CD
– deluxe box set (hardcover box includes: CD digipak (w/ bonus track), blue w/ black & white splatter vinyl, 52-page photo book, slipmat, and exclusive download content)
– 180g black vinyl (EU exclusive)
– silver w/ blue & black splatter vinyl (EU exclusive – limited to 500 copies)
– natural clear w/ black & red splatter vinyl (EU exclusive – limited to 300 copies)
– crystal clear w/ white & turquoise splatter vinyl (Kings Road exclusive – limited to 200 copies)
– red / white melt vinyl (EMP exclusive – limited to 200 copies)
– transparent orange w/ black swirls vinyl (Eyesore exclusive – limited to 300 copies)
– silver / black marbled vinyl (Impericon exclusive – limited to 200 copies)
– aqua blue / canary yellow galaxy vinyl (US exclusive)
– white / cyan blue galaxy vinyl (US exclusive)
Next week, Rivers of Nihil will head out on the road with The Black Dahlia Murder, After The Burial, Carnifex, and Undeath for an extensive North American tour. Dates are already selling out (noted below), so be sure to get your ticket now at: nightshiftmerch.com
“Up From The Sewer Tour 2021″
w/ The Black Dahlia Murder, After The Burial, Carnifex, Rivers of Nihil, Undeath
Sept. 3 – Chicago, IL @ Concord Music Hall
Sept. 4 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Fillmore
Sept. 5 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
Sept. 7 – Grand Rapids, MI @ The Intersection
Sept. 8 – Fort Wayne, IN @ Piere’s
Sept. 9 – Sauget, IL @ Pop’s
Sept. 10 – Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theater
Sept. 11 – Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall *SOLD OUT!
Sept. 12 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex
Sept. 14 – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon *SOLD OUT!
Sept. 15 – Portland, OR @ Bossanova Ballroom *SOLD OUT!
Sept. 17 – Berkley, CA @ UC Theater
Sept. 18 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Belasco *SOLD OUT!
Sept. 19 – San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
Sept. 21 – Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
Sept. 22 – Mesa, AZ @ Nile Theater
Sept. 24 – Dallas, TX @ GMBG
Sept. 25 – Austin, TX @ Come And Take It Live *SOLD OUT!
Sept. 26 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
Sept. 28 – Atlanta, GA @ Center Stage
Sept. 29 – Greensboro, NC @ Arizona Pete’s
Sept. 30 – Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage
Oct. 1 – Columbus, OH @ King of Clubs
Oct. 2 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Roxian Theater
Oct. 3 – Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
Oct. 5 – Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall
Oct. 6 – Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Hall
Oct. 7 – Montreal, QC @ Club Soda
Oct. 8 – Worcester, MA @ The Palladium
Oct. 9 – Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
Oct. 10 – New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
Reading, Pennsylvania’s Rivers Of Nihil have never fit neatly into a box, but with 2018′s Where Owls Know My Name, they transcended all labels applied to them. Returning in 2021 with The Work, they have forged further into new territory, delivering an album that is as cerebral as it is visceral, and that covers a staggering sonic range, definitively placing them in a category of their own. Inarguably a very dense, heavy collection, The Work is far too dynamic to be considered a solely metal record, and there is a genuine warmth that shows through, particularly on “Wait” and the gorgeous “Maybe One Day,” and the band have included far more clean vocals alongside the screaming that tears through many of the heavier tracks. Courtesy of their friend Zach Strouse, saxophone once again adds extra layers of atmosphere to the collection, utilizing baritone, soprano and alto saxes to great affect.
With guitars and synths/keys tracked at Uttley’s home studio, the band then we went back for the third album in a row to Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland at Atrium Audio to do drums, vocals, bass, sax, and mixing. “We’ve done so many sessions with those guys that they’re basically an extension of our band at this point. They usually know what we like, and we always encourage them to roast us to make stuff better,” says guitarist Brody Uttley. Alongside the band, James Dorton from Black Crown Initiate provided some vocals on “Episode,” Grant McFarland played cello on “The Void From Which No Sound Escapes”, and Uttley’s friend Stephan Lopez helped out with all of the field recordings, an integral part of the sonic textures of the record.
The Work track-listing
1. The Tower (Theme from “The Work”)
2. Dreaming Black Clockwork
3. Wait
4. Focus
5. Clean
6. The Void from Which No Sound Escapes
7. MORE?
8. Tower 2
9. Episode
10. Maybe One Day
11. Terrestria IV: Work
Photo credit: Mike Truehart
Rivers of Nihil line-up:
Jake Dieffenbach – lead vocals
Brody Uttley – lead guitar, keyboards
Adam Biggs – bass, backing vocals
Jon Topore – rhythm guitar
Jared Klein – drums, backing vocals
Rivers of Nihil online:
https://www.facebook.com/riversofnihil
https://twitter.com/riversofnihil
https://www.youtube.com/Riversofnihilpa