Rivers of Nihil

Rivers of Nihil, a technical death metal band from Reading, Pennsylvania, have built a catalogue that rewards close listening. Their sound leans into progressive death metal, and Loudwire, calling them one of the heaviest prog metal bands ever, pointed to song structures built around codas and reprises. Signed to Metal Blade Records, they have released two EPs and five studio albums to date.

Their story starts in 2009, when they recorded the EP Hierarchy with producer Carson Slovak, who later worked on their second and third albums. Temporality Unbound followed in 2011 with Len Carmichael, and their 2013 debut album was recorded with Erik Rutan at Mana Recording Studios in Tampa. Where Owls Know My Name, released in 2018, debuted at number 61 on the Billboard 200 and sold 2,750 copies in its first week. After the band parted ways with Jake Dieffenbach in 2022, Biggs took on lead vocals, and the self-titled album arrived in 2025 after singles including "House of Light" and "American Death".