Where Owls Know My Name by Rivers of Nihil
I would consider myself a fair-weather metal fan. I grew up listening to more of the metalcore branch of metal (August Burns Red or As I Lay Dying bands) than the death metal that is being presented into this album. I tried to keep my thoughts open and wanted find something that could hook me. Typically, the guitar prowess is usually what I can grasp onto and cling to through out the the album. However, in this album, the guitar tones and riffs fall a little flat for me.
The opening track "Cancer / Moonspeak" opens with a nice synth that slightly pans between the ears (possible a DX7?) almost like an overture to set the mood. Its a good opening track that feels like a breathe before "The Silent Life" kicks the album into gear. The djent starts at a steady tempo (I counted 190bpm). Honestly, I was hoping for less of a crunchy guitar tone and more of a deep drop C sound for the djent's but that just my preference. The drummer's double-time double-bass is always welcome in any metal album as far as I am concerned. The song continues and the solo begun. The guitar solo tone is absolutely fantastic. Sits right above everything and without losing track of the backing band. As I continued to listen track to track, they kind of all sounded too similar. They djent, they double-bass, the same toned vocals, and the occasional solo, while all great, felt like they lacked some dynamics in most of the songs. I guess I started to feel ear fatigue once I finished "Old Nothing".
But before I thought about tapping out, "Subtle Change" began and felt like a breathe of fresh air. The song was dynamic with lots a different tones and textures in the 8min 34sec journey. The acoustic guitar to the break-neck speed of the drums and back again was fun and I really enjoyed that song.
The rest of the album had a few good tracks with some hints that I liked. In "Death is Real", the intro with the delay guitar and the rest of the band providing impact hits for a build up is great and then the song is off to the races. In the album title track, "Where Owls Know My Name" the sax lead accompanied by the band is a fun dynamic and sounded perfectly in place.
Overall, I tried to keep an open mind and this is my first listen to Rivers of Nihil. I would say overall, its seems like a fine metal album, but nothing I would think that is pushing the genre forward.
Favorite Tracks: "Subtle Change"
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