Rivers of Nihil reveals details for new album, ‘The Work’; launches video for first single, “Clean”

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

Before The Work’s release, 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: https://www.nightshiftmerch.com/pages/up-from-the-sewer-tour-2021

“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