Album Review: Rivers of Nihil - 'The Conscious Seed of Light'

Rivers of Nihil's new full-length 'The Conscious Seed of Light' is a seriously hard-hitting experience. An old school death metal album at its roots (right down to the album cover designed by Dan Seagrave), you'd be forgiven for thinking it was released in the 80s. It's clear that the band has been influenced by some of the pioneers of the genre and in turn they've produced a winning formula that captures that classic death metal sound, while still sounding fresh.

The band doesn't waste any time in turning up the aggression. Starting with intro track 'Terrestria I: Thaw' and leading straight into 'Rain Eater', things escalate rather quickly and before you know it you're being bombarded with face-melting riffs and bone-shattering double kicking. The technical prowess on this album is staggering; each band member really shows off what they can do with their respective instruments, which is important on any death metal album.

Frontman Jake Dieffenbach does a commendable job of leading the band with his fearsome, roaring vocals. While he doesn't inject a lot of variation into his performances in terms of pitch, he is consistently powerful and commands the listener's attention, which is the most important thing. It would've been nice to hear a more diverse range however. Admittedly, Dieffenbach does let loose a few high-pitched shrieks occasionally, but most of the time he sticks to his low-mid range growls like glue.

One of the greatest aspects of 'The Conscious Seed of Light' is how clearly it has been inspired by classic death metal acts such as Morbid Angel, Death, Obituary etc. Rivers of Nihil have obviously drawn a lot of influence from some of the genre's most iconic bands, and the result is superb. In the midst of all the horrible deathcore bands that seem to spring up out of the ground every day, it's nice to hear a group that still plays good old fashioned death metal.

If you yearn for a simpler time before breakdowns and pig squeals, 'The Conscious Seed of Light' might just be the album for you. Rivers of Nihil have successfully produced a distinctly modern and unique album full of kickass riffs, shredding solos and monstrous vocals, that also pays tribute to their forebears. This is the sort of album the genre needs at the moment.

1. Terrestria I: Thaw

2. Rain Eater

3. Birth of the Omnisavior

4. Soil & Seed

5. Central Antheneum

6. Mechanical Trees

7. Place of Serpents

8. Human Adaptation

9. A Fertile Altar

10. Airless