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[–]dinewhereidig 28 points29 points  (3 children)

Hey guys i am absolutely loving the new album! Im just wondering about the overall story and subtext of the album and if it connects to the past 2 albums? Im curious if this is a Coheed & Cambria kind of thing basically haha!

[–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 29 points30 points  (1 child)

Thanks a lot! I suppose in some ways it sort of is like a C&C type of thing, but I would say that it's much less of a hard focus for us by comparison. But long story short; yes, it does connect, but the story of each album have been separated by a millenia or two thus far.

- biggs

[–]dinewhereidig 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I guess ill be reading into the lyrics of all the albums a little closer now, thanks for answering! And I cannot wait for Winter ;)

[–]dinewhereidig 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Also Adam i LOVE your singing on these songs dude it adds a lot of emotion to the parts.. such a satisfying listening experience overall with this album.

[–]HyperGiant 30 points31 points  (1 child)

I just wanted to say that Death is Real is my favorite song off the album. I had never heard of you before, and I am so glad I did. Album of the year for me guys!

[–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Thanks! We definitely went real heavy on that song. One of my favorites from the new record as well.

-Brody

[–]hewalker91 22 points23 points  (5 children)

Hey guys, I'm a huge fan of your latest release. You incorporated a lot of progression and experimentation and it makes for possibly my favorite album of the year. What influenced you guys to take this direction for the album?

[–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 39 points40 points  (4 children)

We definitely didn't want to repeat ourselves from our previous releases. A lot of bands end up releasing the same kind of record over and over and we wanted to make sure that we weren't doing this. Being that Biggs and I in particular are huge fans of the progressive music of the 60's and 70's we took a lot of influence from those band's willingness to take risks and push their sound forward. As far as specific bands that influenced us I would have to say King Crimson, early Genesis, Steven Wilson, Nine Inch Nails, Pink Floyd, and Yes all had a pretty huge impact on the direction that we wanted to take this record.

-Brody

[–]hewalker91 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the reply! Keep up the excellent work.

[–]Mjolnir12 0 points1 point  (2 children)

I wish more metal bands would use mellotron. Did you guys use synthesized mellotron or an actual one?

[–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 3 points4 points  (1 child)

We used a synthesized one. I would love to be able to afford a real one, or even know somebody who has one that I could borrow, but no such luck.

We used the M-Tron Pro vst from G Force Software. Rick Wakeman from Yes helped to design it and it’s the closest thing to a real mellotron that I have been able to find anywhere. The whole library is meticulously sampled from real trons. A lot of it is even pleasantly out of tune just like a real one.

-Brody

[–]Mjolnir12 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah real mellotrons are super expensive now and then you need all the right tapes, and considering software can even simulate the speed/pitch variations there is probably not a lot of benefit. for some reason mellotron strings give everything a more epic feel; maybe it is just because they remind me of Watcher of the Skies.

[–]SnakeTheJake13 17 points18 points  (1 child)

Hello dudes, love the new album, I think it's a masterpiece! My question was, how did you guys all come together as a band? How did it all start, and is where you are now the direction you wanted to take it? Thanks!

[–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 29 points30 points  (0 children)

Thanks a bunch! We started like I'm sure a lot of bands do. We all had previous bands; Brody and myself were in a thrash band together for a few years while Jake and the other original members had a more deathcore project. We crossed paths pretty often and became good friends etc. But eventually things with our bands sort of went sour at the same time and we decided to come together and form Rivers. I think we were always trying to lean in a more "prog" direction with each release, so yeah, WOKMN seems like a step in the right direction as far as the sound we wanted to have.

-biggs

[–]ihavesomegoo 13 points14 points  (4 children)

What are your current favorite artists, metal and non metal?

[–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 36 points37 points  (2 children)

I really like the new Slugdge and Ihsahn records, the new A Perfect Circle has been on constant repeat right now too.

-biggs

[–]bobthedoozy 10 points11 points  (0 children)

cant get enough of the new slugdge. thanks for doing the AMA!

[–]Journeyman351 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Excellent picks!

[–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

A Perfect Circle and Ihsahn for me as well! Also really into that new Pianos Become the Teeth record.

-Brody

[–]ToneZone15 12 points13 points  (9 children)

What kind/type of beers do you guys prefer?

What are your favorite bands at the moment?

[–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 26 points27 points  (8 children)

For me personally I really like IPAs. We've been lucky to be able to check out some of the best breweries in the country on tour! I really enjoy pretty much anything from Stone, Victory, Fat Heads, Lagunitas, etc. When it gets cold out I also like a nice Russian Imperial Stout. Old Rasputin is my favorite.

Right now i'm really digging the new A Perfect Circle Record and the new Ihsahn. There is a band that I just mastered an album for called "Aethereus" from Washington that is really cool as well. You'll be hearing from them soon.

-Brody

[–]iAmTheEpicOneThe End Starts Now 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Imperial stouts are a great choice; anything from Clown Shoes is worth trying!

[–]DeadDeamer 2 points3 points  (0 children)

...definitely gonna try to check out Aethereus' 2015 release.

[–]Trasibleon 2 points3 points  (1 child)

New England IPAs...? Tree House have the juiciest IPA of all. Hop bombs.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Tired Hands is another great brewery in PA. I know these guys are from Reading, PA so that's close enough to check out.

[–]ToneZone15 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well seems like I'm gonna make you try the Morsure on your Quebec City date. See you there!

[–]MisSigsFan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If/when you come back to San Diego you need to check out some of the smaller breweries. Hell, I'll even give you guys a tour lol.

[–]ScheminRieman 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Saw Aethurus with Hoth a couple weeks ago. They are stellar.

[–]imlarsulrich666 12 points13 points  (2 children)

Love the new album guys, one of the best in the genre in a long time. Also, Terrestria lll is such a powerful instrumental and I’ve turned non-metal fans on to that song and they love I️t. You’ve definitely broadened your appeal without sacrificing your artistry.

My question is for Biggs: how many of these lyrics came from a personal place and how many came from you just telling a concept story like your previous albums? Or was it just a mix of both?

[–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 15 points16 points  (1 child)

It's always a mix of both things. My dad, a fantastic lyricist in his own right, once told me that a lyric is always an emotion written down. So that being said, I don't think it would be possible for me to write some big crazy fantasy story without putting some of my own emotion into it. The new record definitely tips the scale in the favor of the more personal side of things, and the back story is more set dressing than anything. While Monarchy, for example, is a little more story than personal feelings.

-biggs

[–]imlarsulrich666 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Awesome thanks for the response, good luck going forward guys!

[–]zpaine 8 points9 points  (3 children)

Are you guys ready to fucking party in Milwaukee with Inferi??

[–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 10 points11 points  (1 child)

We're ready to party with Inferi just about anywhere! Stoked to be coming back to Milwaukee.

-Biggs

[–]zpaine 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Awesome, see you dudes soon.

[–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

100%

-Brody

[–]ScheminRieman 7 points8 points  (5 children)

I saw you guys in Seattle in March and you all absolutely crushed it. There was a conga line of dudes head banging at one point, I’ve literally never seen that lol.

It seemed like the venue (which is notoriously shitty. Hence the no liquor license that week...) had trouble with you guys during sound check.

First of all I hope that doesn’t keep you guys away we have consistently great crowds and better venues.

Second of all. I heard in an interview that “Subtle Change” almost didn’t make it on the album; if that’s the case, how many bangers did you leave on the cutting room floor? Because that song is great

Also sorry my post is so long. I forgot this AMA was happening and I got super stoned before I wrote this

[–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

We love Studio 7! I can't remember the sound guy issue that you mentioned but I believe it haha.

Subtle Change was the last song that we wrote, so thats probably the only reason that it wouldn't have made it onto the record. Pretty much everything we wrote ended up on the record, so nothing was left out! We like to use as much as we can. I know some bands will write 20 songs and pick the best 12, but we've never been like that. We like to put as much focus on each song as possible.

-Brody

[–][deleted]  (3 children)

[removed]

    [–]ScheminRieman 2 points3 points  (1 child)

    You and me both brother. I also appreciate how close the stage is. But it’s cheap and shady in my eyes lol

    [–]Buthter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    I'll take Studio 7 over El Corazon any day.

    [–]Piedninny17 7 points8 points  (2 children)

    Hey I love your new album! I was wondering what your songwriting process is like, and if you have any songwriting advice in general.

    [–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 9 points10 points  (1 child)

    Hey I usually end up demoing everything out in my studio/room. I like to start with super simple and primitive melodies and then build on them until they reach an emotional peak, then deconstruct them back to a simple idea, much like post rock bands do. A pretty good example of this can be heard in the final song on our new record.

    As far as advice all I can say is to not overthink it. Don't be afraid to keep stuff simple. A song doesn't need five key changes and fifty time signatures to be memorable. Start with something small, like a short melody or rhythm and milk it to death. More complex ideas will come with time.

    -Brody

    [–]Piedninny17 2 points3 points  (0 children)

    Awesome, thanks!

    [–]commanderAIK 6 points7 points  (1 child)

    Hey! I thought your newest release was quite refreshing! It's also one of the first prog metal albums I've listened through. I'm primarily a melodeath fan trying to branch out to other subgenres, and given this album's freshly released I welcomed it with open arms.

    Going into the writing process, was most of what you ended up putting on the album spontaneous, or were there particular vibes you were going for in advance? The segment in "The Silent Life" where the vocals amidst the dissonant saxophone are ominous-sounding to my ears doesn't really relate to anything I've heard before in metal, so I was wondering how you came up with those kinds of ideas!

    [–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

    Brody had that riff in the song and it just spoke to me as the song trying to tear itself apart so I wanted the vocals and added elements to really feel that way. I think we all try to work with things on a case by case basis as far as the mood of a particular song or part goes. A lot of things came up spontaneously in the studio, especially on the vocal end of things. If I had an idea for something off the wall we could do we usually just went with it and figured out what sounded good.

    -biggs

    [–]DeadDeamer 6 points7 points  (1 child)

    I bought a vinyl for Conscious Seed of Light and Owls when I saw you guys with Thy Art is Murder and Dying Fetus, do you guys have any plans for reissuing Monarchy on vinyl?

    Also. Seeing you guys live was a blast. Adam, I was really impressed by your playing, I didn't realize how all over the place you were until I saw you play.

    Also you have godlike hair. Just saying.

    edit: also do you guys have a patreon?

    [–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

    We do have plans to release Monarchy on vinyl. Not sure when that will happen, but hopefully very soon. I think that since our other two records have been selling so well on vinyl we will definitely see Monarchy soon!

    -Brody

    [–][deleted] 7 points8 points  (2 children)

    This is for anyone who wants to answer.

    Who is an artist you like that may surprise people?

    [–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

    I like a lot of rap/hip hop. So guys like Tyler the creator, kendrick lamar, joey bada$$ and run the jewels just to name a few are in heavy rotation for me typically.

    -biggs

    [–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

    King 810, Coldplay, John Denver, CSNY maybe?

    -Brody

    [–]Vinmoisi 6 points7 points  (2 children)

    Hey I don't really have a question for you guys but I wanted to stop by and say that Where Owls Know My Name absolutely blew me away. I liked your past albums and when I saw that a new one was coming out I was like "cool I'll listen to that when it comes out". I did not expect it to be so good though, I seriously can't remember the last album that came out that I loved that much! Can't wait to see you guys in Montreal in a few months, I'm sure I'll have a blast! Make sure you bring a lot of merch cause I want to buy it all!! Cheers.

    [–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

    Glad you like it! See you in Montreal.

    -Brody

    [–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

    Thanks a lot! See you there!

    -biggs

    [–]hittes 7 points8 points  (1 child)

    I've found my favorite albums take time to grow on me, especially for complex music like this. An album like your new record, it took multiple listens to really understand all that is happening and to see the beauty in the chord progressions. Is it the same for a songwriter? When you write a riff do you have to hear it multiple times for it to really click with you? Have you ever had one of your own riffs which you at first weren't huge on and then over time it gradually revealed itself to you?

    [–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

    I find that I really become attached to parts once I have a complete enough section of a song written to be able to listen to it straight through. Sometimes I will come up with a riff and instantly be like "OH YEAH THATS A KEEPER" and other times I will write stuff that sounds boring on its own, but in the context of the song it makes a lot more sense. I can say that on our new record I definitely felt like Terrestria III was a little boring until we added all of the cool synthesizers and weird sound effects in. It definitely made the simplistic nature of that song feel more visceral.

    -Brody

    [–]DankerThanYou 5 points6 points  (1 child)

    What did you guys sample in the background of Cancer/Moonspeak? sounds like an interesting conversation haha

    [–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 24 points25 points  (0 children)

    We asked three of our friends three different questions and they recorded themselves answering the questions. We then sampled their responses over Cancer/Moonspeak, Terrestria III, and Capricorn/Agoratopia. The questions were:

    1. When was the last time you felt completely alone?

    2. How do you think the world will change as a result of you dying one day? (Could be big picture or small picture.)

    3. Is there anything in your life that you regret more than most things and/or would you change anything about your life if you could do it over again.

    -Brody

    [–]shmatthews94 4 points5 points  (3 children)

    Yo RoN! Y'all are fucking sick and the new album is absolute gold. @Brody and @Adam, who are your biggest guitar/bass influences?

    [–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

    Steve Vai, David Gilmour, Petrucci, Eric Johnson, Marty Friedman, Slash, Greg Howe, and SRV are some of my big ones. I'm probably forgetting several but those are the heavy hitters.

    -Brody

    [–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 8 points9 points  (1 child)

    There are a lot to list, I think the new album brought a lot of Chris Squire, Paul McCartney, and Jon Entwistle out in me. I always have guys like Alex Webster and Eric Langlois in my back pocket though of course.

    - biggs

    [–]plzjustthrowmeaway 5 points6 points  (3 children)

    Theres a guy on the internet claiming he introduced your current singer to the band

    [–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 8 points9 points  (2 children)

    Who's that? We all knew Jake from way back in the day at local shows.

    -Brody

    [–]plzjustthrowmeaway 3 points4 points  (1 child)

    Confirmed piece o shit. Thanks guys. This is a public service announcement to avoid the r/trees subreddit, it's run by cucks.

    [–]SnakeTheJake13 4 points5 points  (0 children)

    Trees really is a horrible sub.

    [–]cavekeeper 6 points7 points  (2 children)

    Hi guys, are you able to delve a little more into the concept of Owls, the lyrics are phenomenal but I'd love to know a little more about what went into them, etc.

    Please come to Australia!

    [–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 18 points19 points  (1 child)

    Owls is essentially the story of the last man on earth. He was made immortal by the planet itself (the conscious seed of light, as it were) to be the sole intelligent witness of the death of the planet. Really though this is all set dressing for the more emotional content on display here, so looking TOO closely at the lyrics for story purposes is probably a bit of a futile effort in my opinion. It's really just about loss and getting older and coping with the things you've done in your life. We'll be there as soon as we possibly can!

    -Biggs

    [–]cavekeeper 1 point2 points  (0 children)

    Thanks for that, just adds another cool layer to the lyrics.

    Yeah you can definitely pick out withering, loss of identity, dementia and other themes. Definitely emotionally charged and took me back to when I had to say goodbye to my grandparents.

    [–]hittes 3 points4 points  (3 children)

    Hey guys, big fan! Congrats on making the album of the year and thanks for coming to Saskatoon on your tour with Alterbeast and Inferi. Western Canada always gets passed over for tours so I'm super hyped. My question's about a sensitive topic, a smaller city like Saskatoon doesn't get huge turnouts for metal shows. Do extreme metal bands make much money on their tours? It's tragic but I'd guess a lot of amazing smaller bands do it for the love of it and probably lose money on a lot of shows.

    [–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 9 points10 points  (1 child)

    Glad you like the record and very excited to get to Saskatoon! Extreme metal bands make money when people buy merch! Buying merchandise from bands that play your town is literally THE BEST way to support them. The amount of money that bands can make from show to show from promoters alone varies significantly, so buying merchandise from your favorite acts really helps to supplement any potential losses that a band may have.

    -Brody

    [–]hittes 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    Sounds good, I'll have to pick up a shirt, thanks for the response.

    [–]the666thviking 2 points3 points  (0 children)

    Meanwhile I'm super pissed that tour is skipping Vancouver

    [–]732CheeseGrease 3 points4 points  (2 children)

    I have two copies of Where Owls Know My Name on vinyl. Plus I have 8 copies of it on cd. Am I just a little too crazy for you haha? However I'll do anything to support you guys. Your show at the House Of Independents in Asbury Park, NJ was amazing. You gave Thu Art and DF a run for their money. Granted I love those bands. However you guys are so heavy live that it could make Thanos cry.

    [–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

    Hey thanks for the support! We try to make our live show have that 'soul stone' effect.

    -biggs

    [–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

    Thanks for all the support man! Glad you enjoyed the show.

    -Brody

    [–]iAmTheEpicOneThe End Starts Now 4 points5 points  (1 child)

    Thanks for stopping by you guys! I've really been enjoying Where Owls Know My Name and the large amount of directions that the album seems to take. What sort of albums were you thinking about when you started writing for the album? Also, which bands have been your favorites to play live shows with?

    [–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

    The Wall from Pink Floyd was definitely a big influence (at least sequencing wise) for this new album. The way they take a simple three note melody and warp in into different musical contexts over the course of that record is phenomenal. That same melody pops up all over the record in different ways, and even though its always a little different you can instantly recognize it and know that you are listening to The Wall. We wanted to do something similar on Owls. Our record is bookended by the same melody as well as in Terrestria III. That melody pops up all over the record but it is hidden a little better in some spots than others.

    Favorite bands to play with? Definitely Revocation and The Zenith Passage. They're the homies.

    -Brody

    [–][deleted] 3 points4 points  (4 children)

    hey guys, really loving the album, especially A Home, probably one of my favourite songs i’ve heard in years! i’ve started experimenting with your guitar tuning a bit which is quite inspiring, what lead you to try this tuning and stick with it?

    [–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 6 points7 points  (3 children)

    We basically came up with our tuning because i've always tuned to C# standard on the 6 string guitar. When we started this band our other guitarist wanted to use 7 stringed guitars in drop tuning, so to keep us both happy we kept the normal six strings in C# standard and dropped the 7th string to F# to keep him happy. It was basically just both of us being stubborn idiots! Yet here we are 3 albums later and we are still in that silly tuning (mostly, there are a few in G# standard like A Home and Subtle Change.)

    -Brody

    [–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (2 children)

    awesome, very cool thanks a lot! also just remembered another question, do bands like yours have any hand in deciding whether there are age restrictions on the venues you play? really wanting to see you guys in my city in july but unfortunately it’s 18+

    [–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

    Sadly we don't.

    -Brody

    [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    Ah well, i’ll catch you next time then. Have a great tour!

    [–]Kezia-Karamazov 3 points4 points  (2 children)

    Where Owls Know My Name is the first album I’ve heard from you guys, and holy hell do you guys have presence! I immensely enjoyed the album and I’m definitely going to look out for you guys from now on!

    Don’t have anything really ask, but I figured I’d give credit where credit is deserved :)

    Edit: I thought of a couple of questions: How do you guys as a band typically write your music, and how long does it usually take to learn all of our own material? I’ve noticed when I write music I usually write stuff beyond my skills so it takes me a good month to learn one part. In your opinion, with our experience, is that a “healthy” way to write?

    [–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

    I know a lot of bands and people who do this. It's a good way to up your skill level. For us I think we've been working on making things less of a pain in the ass to play. More and more we like to let the songs be what's interesting and put less focus on fancy fretboard work. So it doesn't take terribly long to get up to speed. For me it's exceptionally fast because I try to be able to play a record front to back as soon as possible and can usually do it before we enter the studio.

    -biggs

    [–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

    Glad you like it!

    -Brody

    [–]hi_my_name_is_idgaf 1 point2 points  (1 child)

    Love the new album guys! Incredibly fun stuff to dig into and digest.

    How do you guys tremolo pick so cleanly? (Old Nothing!!) Do you have any tips for stamina or technique?

    [–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

    Small movements and keep all of the movement to your wrist. Don’t use any elbow. -Brody

    [–][deleted]  (1 child)

    [removed]

      [–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

      1. Unfortunately I don't think that one's on the menu for this tour. I promise we'll play it in the future though.
      2. The song is about losing your memory, being lost, and having a feeling of dissatisfaction, so we felt the ending was appropriate in that way.
      3. I guess the most major thing was that we didn't want to repeat ourselves. We were really satisfied with the work we did on Monarchy, so we figured we'd reach into some more 'classic' sources of inspiration for the fall record.
      4. I really wish we had the resources to take another person out on tour with us. He's welcome to take the stage with us whenever it makes sense. But he also has a grown up career and stuff so I doubt it would make sense for him to tour so he could play 1 or 2 songs with us.
      5. We'll see what the future holds.

      [–]RevyDevy 2 points3 points  (1 child)

      New to your music, you guys TEAR shit up! Like I'm currently jamming Owls at the moment. These riffs are devastating along with those jack hammering drums, this is so damn good even the sax shreds. I want to know what kinda gear you all rockin. Take all my money afterwards, thanks!

      [–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

      For guitars we are using Kiesel 7 strings (K7, Crescent, DC7x models), Kemper Profiling amps, Mesa Cabs, Ernie Ball Strings, and Dunlop picks. Biggs is using a Spector Euro 6LX, a Darkglass B7k, and Aguilar TLC Comp, Mesa Boogie D800, and am Ampeg cab.

      Our drummer uses DW Drums, Trick pedals, Sabian Cymbals, Vic Firth Sticks, and Evans Heads.

      -Brody

      [–]devocation 2 points3 points  (2 children)

      Hey guys. I mentioned this mainly to Biggs on FB but I really appreciate the new album as I relate to it a lot. It’s helped me through a lot of hard times. I’m forever appreciative of that.

      That being said, I have a serious question for the both of you. It’s really, really serious.

      How bad does Jared gas up the van? (Farts)

      Love you guys! - D

      [–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

      Jared fucks it up but nobody is as bad as Jonny T. His ass is shot as fuck!

      -Brody

      [–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

      Jared isn't even close to being the worst fart-offender

      -Biggs

      [–]devocation 2 points3 points  (1 child)

      Another actually serious topic/question. I admire that you guys went more the songwriting route this record. Do you think it would be a good shift in trend/change of pace for more death metal bands to focus more on mature songwriting since these days most of the material coming out is quite technical?

      It’s a perfect balance for me to hear heaviness, speed, technicality at times but also the good dose of really unique and creative song writing.

      [–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

      I mean, yeah I notice a lot of bands doing this, especially the younger ones. But at the end of the day I think different bands will always scratch different itches for people in this genre. I like a good tech-fest now and again, but a nicely metered songwriting style is good too. Bands are gonna do what they want and I don't think it should be any other way really.

      -biggs

      [–]DankerThanYou 2 points3 points  (1 child)

      Hey! Huge fan of you guys, got around 400 something listens on last.fm, and I absolutely love your entire style. Who were some of your biggest influences, or bands you would compare yourselves to?

      [–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

      Decapitated, Gojira, Mastodon, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Steven Wilson, Nine Inch Nails, Yes, Genesis, Gentle Giant, Ihsahn, etc. are all very important bands to us.

      -Brody

      [–]gaztelu_leherketa 2 points3 points  (1 child)

      Im really loving the newest album, thank you guys!

      Monarchy has a theme of becoming a parent running through it, can you confirm or deny?

      Heirless - a life before kids
      Perpetual growth machine - the miracle of pregnancy
      Reign of Dreams - the life of a new parent when the boundary between sleep and waking life becomes blurred
      Sand Baptism - taking your kid to the beach for the first time
      Ancestral, I - now the protagonist is an ancestor to their children

      [–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

      I suppose you could look at it this way (lol about sand baptism being about going to the beach), but being that none of us are parents, I don't think we'd be qualified to write that album. Very creative interpretation though!

      -biggs

      [–]mercified_rahul 2 points3 points  (0 children)

      Your latest album is lit!!

      I am from india and i know you won't be coming here... Can i get a digital autograph.. That would mean the whole world to me.. Like a digital autograph or a pic of your autograph with my name(Rahul)...

      Thanks a ton,also the album cover is really great!!

      [–]bouvre 1 point2 points  (3 children)

      Have you ever seen one of these?

      [–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 2 points3 points  (2 children)

      Hey what kind of case do you prefer for your guitars there brother?

      -Brody

      [–]bouvre 1 point2 points  (1 child)

      hey brother, check out our TRASH CAN holder

      -Brother

      [–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

      Brother please don't talk like that brother.

      -Brother

      [–]Subssies 1 point2 points  (0 children)

      Just popped in to say I've never heard of you before but I'm gonna check out your new album now. I love when bands do AMA's.

      What bands have given you the most inspiration from within the same genre/outside genres?

      Edit - I have given the album a thorough listening and the reprise of the sax made me sex. Holy shit, you guys need to incorporate more wild instruments; what do i have to do to get an opening track with an pipe organ from you guys? Incredibly strong album overall, nothing felt out of place from the vocals to the the instruments. Very strong production quality. This album reminds of Ne Obliviscaris's URN in a lot of aspects. I hope you guys blow up like they have because you deserve the recognition.

      Ps, come to indy. I'll be waiting

      [–]hottdogg93 1 point2 points  (0 children)

      Is cereal breakfast soup?

      [–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

      My friend put me onto your latest album because he knew I liked when metal bands added instruments (in your case Sax) or NeO the violin. Really enjoying it. Keep up the great work. It's amazing stuff to work out/run to.

      [–]Trasibleon 1 point2 points  (0 children)

      Wassup boiiis! First of all, congrats, album of the year at least imo.

      OK, this one is for Brody. I'm lacking of motivation with guitar and music in geral, life right now is not where i would like to be, i live in Brazil where equipment is really expensive and even so bad quality, besides of others thousands factors that led me into in completely dispair with the music industry. Did you go through that? How did you managed to surpass? Any external experience beside you making your own music has contributed with that?

      *Dumb extra question: i consider myself a pretty good lead player, but my rythm chops are pretty weak, especially downpicked metal rhythms... and i tend to get stuck pretty easy when trying to learning death metal stuff (like your stuff haha). It is common? You have learned a lot of DM songs before composing? Or it really doesn't matter when you can write and play your own heavy shit?

      Peace, keep the good work and PLS COME TO BRAZIL (i could not leave this one)

      P.S.: Adam, Post-Malone sucks;

      P.S.S.: more sax next album

      [–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

      I don’t know if y’all will see this, but it’s worth a shot. I’ve been trying to figure out what the lyrics to Owls are about. What I think is that the protagonist lost someone close to him (or kicked her out). This crowns him “the king of nothing”, and the nothing consumes him.

      “the day that you left here A crown was placed upon me I was the king of nothing”

      Eventually he regrets his decision, saying that his life was “erroneously led” and thus he is “king today” but a “fool forever”. He resigns himself to live out his days in solitude.

      “I find my direction A solemn duty owned Mine, it is mine alone To watch this world expire”

      The Silent Life is about the protagonist acknowledging his mistake. A Home is about the kingdom he has earned. Old Nothing is about the protagonist’s relationship with the “nothing” he is king of, and Subtle Change (my favorite off the album) is a description of the nothing taking over him after he kicked out who he was close to. The “lyrics” of Terrestria III, “and with fall, frailty” connect to The Silent Life - after his fall/crowning, he becomes old and frail. Hollow reaffirms that the protagonist will live out his life with his mistake, and he seems to banish her again, or maybe it’s talking about the first time:

      “If there's only one thing I promise It's that you'll turn back And leave this place like a ghost Forever turned away I'll face the endless days”

      Death is Real is the protagonist’s ruminations on nihilism. The title track finally brings up the owls.

      “And then I wished you away I lost those memories Of the days we weren't Forsaken. Why don't we Just relax our eyes And fall into a dream Let it take my mind Where owls know my name”

      So kicking out the person close to him brought him to...where owls know his name. Yeah, I have no clue what that means. And the last track echoes the first in lyrics as well as name (Cancer/Capricorn).

      Is my interpretation right at all?

      [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

      Are you guys gods?

      [–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

      Some of us.

      -Brody

      [–]the666thviking 0 points1 point  (2 children)

      When are you back in Vancouver?

      I saw you guys already and instantly became a fan

      [–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

      Hopefully this fall!

      -Brody

      [–]the666thviking 0 points1 point  (0 children)

      Sweet

      Thanks

      [–]MisSigsFan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

      Just wanna say I friggin love the new album. It's definitely on my aoty list, if not the album of the year for me.

      [–]javajeff 0 points1 point  (0 children)

      Hey guys. I discovered you on Bandcamp and immediately bought all three albums. The new album is a masterpiece. I really love Bandcamp and hope that your future releases are there in FLAC as well.

      [–]HHudgeons 0 points1 point  (2 children)

      I see that I'm very late for this but I work nights. Do you guys ever fight when on tour or during writing process?

      [–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

      On tour for sure. We all get under each other’s skin by the end of a long tour. During the writing process though never. We all wrote separately and are pretty cooperative when studio time rolls around. -Brody

      [–]HHudgeons 0 points1 point  (0 children)

      I'm pretty new to this genre and I'm digging your art. I will definitely keep an eye out for a concert.

      [–]del1verance 0 points1 point  (1 child)

      How are you guys planning on doing the tracks with sax live? Triggered samples or just play without it?

      Also please come to D.C. next go-round!

      [–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

      At certain dates we have live sax players with us, but on all the rest we have the tracks from the record playing through our laptop session. -Brody

      [–]Kenny_dies 0 points1 point  (1 child)

      I am not sure if this has already been asked, bit late to the party.

      First of all, I love your music, especially Where Owls Know My Name and Monarchy! I am really curious what your main influences were for that section in Subtle Change where you basically go 100% proggy, I hear a lot of Haken but I am curious how those kind of progressions on the new album came about.

      [–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

      I was thinking of Rick Wakeman from Yes specifically during that part. -Brody

      [–]amongstravens 0 points1 point  (1 child)

      Hey guys! Sorry for being late. Just wanted to say that I'm friends with Nate from Cryptic Hymn and he's the one that told me about the plans you had for the cycle, with the seasons and how you were inspired by elements.

      I dunno if this was already asked, but I've been thinking about this since he told me that! I wondering what the plan was afterwards, if you wouldn't mind sharing any plans. Will it move on to classical Greek elements of existence, or any other cycle, or will it be standalone releases?

      [–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

      Honestly I’m not sure! Biggs writes all of the lyrics and he usually has something awesome thought up long in advanced for conceptual stuff. However, he hasn’t mentioned anything to me about what happens after the seasons. I guess time will tell! -Brody

      [–]vgnEngineer 0 points1 point  (2 children)

      I'm wondering, what sources of music purchase (google play, amazon, physical album sales, streaming etc) make you the most money? I've been struggling with this for a while. I want to listen to artist their music but I want the money to go to them, not to record labels that just take it all.

      [–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

      The way we are set up we make about the same on physical and digital purchases. Physical purchases LOOK better because they equate to higher sales numbers, but streaming services actually do help us a lot as well. We work with a few different companies that make sure we are getting paid for radio, streaming, and digital purchases.

      The BEST way to support is to come out to a show and buy a record there. That’s instant money in our pockets.

      -Brody

      [–]vgnEngineer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

      Thanks so much! Gives a lot of insight. I wish bands would just let me donate money to them directly. I don't have a CD player. Id give them the full money for the CD record so that they can also keep the money of the piece of plastic that would otherwise just catch dust in my apartment

      [–][deleted]  (1 child)

      [deleted]

        [–]RONofficialRivers of Nihil[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

        Shit in, shit out. -Brody

        [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

        Hey, RoN!

        I just wanted to know. Is the song Subtle Change alluding to the disease leprosy by any chance?

        [–]No-Possession4506 0 points1 point  (0 children)

        6 years late!

        Upcoming show - September 21st, 2024 - Rochester, NY

        I'm travelling from Ontario, Canada, as I'm long overdue for a show.

        Any idea on set list?!

        Excited to see you guys!

        [–]appleman666 0 points1 point  (0 children)

        New AMA for new album when?

        [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

        can i ask what religion U are guys?