Rivers of Nihil - "s/t"

The band's 2021 album 'The Work" found the band firmly planted on the progressive side of progressive death metal. This album finds them moving further in a melodic direction. It is not until the second song that it feels like death metal to my ears. There is still an atmosphere lurking under the more jagged attack. While the death metal vocals feel more garbled, the sung ones feel as self-indulgent as Opeth can get at times, rather than being a balanced approach. It sounds best when things slow to a more deliberate crunch and the growls get a layer of effects. 

The fact that there is more groove to "Criminals" is what makes it work. They keep the shredding to a very balanced dose, and their guitar solos are not the centerpiece of the song. There is a pretty catchy riff center stage on "Despair Church," but it sounds like a death metal band trying to be Mastodon. The more dramatic vocals on the chorus soar past Opeth toward Dream Theater. It's well done, the vocals are a little bright for me. I could stand for this song to be darker. But if you are a fan of prog metal, things being dark is not your priority. In fact, when it does get darker in the song's middle section, that might be as deep into the shadows as you normally go. The album is well produced and sounds great with guitar tones, a guitarist might idolize, but not really all that heavy. The end is the first time the sax has stepped into the spotlight thus far, at least that I have noticed. 

"Water and Time" has a more creeping groove and cooler vocal melody but feels like a mix of Incubus and Dillinger Escape Plan, some of the more jazzy exotic texture surfaces thanks to the sax, and a little growling. The solo section rips hard. "House of Light" goes from a jazz-tinged intro into a punchier death metal part that brings back some of the metal backbone to things. They go for a big soaring chorus, but it does not work as well as it did on the previous song. To their credit, the songs do not go over the six-minute mark, which his conservative for prog metal."Evidence" also starts off launching things in a more death metal direction. The song is broken up by a Faith No More-like vocal and huge anthemic gang vocals. Would not say this is the most focused song. It winds around to a jazz jam for the guitar solo. If the drummer is not playing triggers, he is impressive. 

"American Death" is a more blistering attack, with a big guitar sound that sonically feels like Dimmu Borgir without the orchestra. From the overall sound produced here, it sounds more like mainstream metal, along with the sung chorus. It's effective, but not the most original thing I've heard on this album. There is more of a groove to "The Logical End," which, along with the saxophone and solo section, leads things back in a more progressive direction. The last song is more melodic, almost like Dream Theater if they did not feel to need to fuck with time signatures. I'll give this album a 9, it's more accessible than I was expecting, but this is clearly the album they intended to make, for my tastes, I like prog to take more chances, but these guys took it in a more classic metal direction. 

 

pst210

The Top 10 Prog Albums of 2021

If you are a regular reader here, you know when it comes to prog, I am not looking for a bunch of wanky shredding and math for the sake of math. I want bands that are progressing and that is what is happening with these bands who made the cut this year. Much like in years past I sort through the genre lists before making the overall top ten of the year list.  The fact these artists made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. I do hope you can find your next favorite on this list and have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out audio on these guys. Anyways here are the top 10 Prog albums of 2021

10-Green Lung - "Black Harvest" 

 This time around there are more rock punches with some pretty great guitar that is heading in a more blues direction. While I prefer what they did on the one before as tt was a little darker.  I totally approve of this very Deep Purple influenced gem. 

Abysmal Hymns: Green Lung : "Black Harvest"

9 Fucked Up- "Year of the Horse" 

What was once a punk band is now making 20-minute songs. "Dose Your Dreams" worked well for pushing the envelope, but have they gone too far? Things take odd turns with female spoken word and folk music. When things get really metal, they sound like  like Mastodon covering Bathory before they go off on some Norah Jones jams. But it does not stop there with dips into various trains of pop music along the way. 

Abysmal Hymns: Fucked Up : " Year of the Horse"

8-Cara Neir- "Phase Out" 

This project has gone from black metal with post rock wanderings now into video game music. One of the oddest albums on a list full of odd albums.  Verty little of their black metal past is still present. 

Abysmal Hymns: Black Metal History Month - Cara Neir : "Phase Out"

7-White Void - "Anti" 

These guys used to be more of a metal band than they are now, though if we are talking about perhaps late 70s metal then this would still count. They are about as heavy as Deep Purple. The melodic vocals work well. There is also something darker than your standard retro retro metal, almost reminds me of Beastmilk. Which is a huge compliment as they were one of my favorite bands.

Abysmal Hymns: White Void : "Anti"

 

6-Voices- "Breaking the Trauma Bond" 

The drumming is impressive, while the progressive elements that haunted the previous album are still in place it is handled differently. It is a darker album but, in some ways, also more of a straightforward arrangement, yet in the grandiosity of what they are doing some of the catchiness from the previous album might have been sacrificed, but it is still one of the year's best listens when it comes to prog.

Abysmal Hymns: Voices : "Breaking the Trauma Bond"

5-Starless - "Hope is Leaving You" 

Polished and catchy amid the wonderment. The vocals begin to remind me more of Opeth's mellower moments. There is the crunch of distortion here, and they are a metal band by definition they are certainly more middle of the road due to atmosphere and in the zip code of perhaps Katatonia when it comes to where they fall in terms of heaviness or the lack of.

Abysmal Hymns: Starless : " Hope is Leaving You"

4-Rivers of Nihil - 'the Work" 

This album is pretty epic and really well done. This is their most commercial work yet. If there was an album that was going to break them through to a larger audience, this is going to be it. Is it a sell out? Hmmm, well maybe in some ways. There is more clean singing, but it works for the songs. 

Abysmal Hymns: Rivers of Nihil- "the Work"

 3-Mastodon - "Hushed and Grim" 

The 8th album by the Atlanta band is a massive undertaking that takes some time to absorb. The playing is great and the melody floats, the drumming really goes for the gold. Not as aggressive as their first couple albums but puts its foot to the gas more. It is not until guitar work of Hinds when it drops into a more, blues-based section that makes the song shine. Often when we think of progressive rock, we think of just odd time signature and lots of dazzling wanking, but how much progress is being made there

Abysmal Hymns: Mastodon : "Hushed and Grim"

 2-Cynic- "Ascension Codes" 

I love Cynic but very surprised Paul Masvidal is carrying on after the death of of both Sean Malone and Sean Reinert. But drummer Matt Lynch who plays on this album was recruited by Masvidal and Malone, before Malone died Rather than replace Malone, the bass lines are done by a bass synth since his style of playing was untouchable. They are continuing more where they left off with "Traced in Air" as it is a return to heavier sounds than where they went into the more elf like prog of "Kindly Bent to Free Us". 

Abysmal Hymns: Cynic : " Ascension Codes"

 1-Danny Elfman - "Big Mess" 

Elfman has an ear to what is going on in music for sure. It is heavier than what you might expect from him, yet theater lies in the panned vocals that bounce around these songs.  It is progressive without really trying to be. Like I tell my daughter when she hears Oingo Boingo this is Kack Skellington singing! The drums and guitars are way harder edged than what you would find in Oingo Boingo, which explains why this is not being done under that name. He has both Josh Freese and Robin Finck playing on this album. Guitar is also provided by Warren from the Vandals, so both the Vandals and Nine Inch Nails figures in the mix

Abysmal Hymns: Danny Elfman - "Big Mess"

Rivers of Nihil- "the Work"

I listened to this album a few times through before I sat down to write about it. This is different for me as it is normally me typing as I listen to it for the first time. First off, it is really well done. Secondly though it is not all that original, in terms of the bigger picture of what they are doing here. It is their more commercial work yet. If there was an album that was going to break them through to a larger audience this is going to be it. Is it a sell out ? Hmmm, well maybe in some ways. There is more clean singing, but it works for the songs. The are really nibbling on Meshuggah"s nuts in terms of the drill sergeant like bark that rides the angular grooves here. The second song finds the band showing most of the tricks they have up their sleeve after this they are variations on a theme, perhaps more sax or clean vocals, but it circles the same pit. 

On my first listen the way they handled clean vocals on this album reminded me of Opeth, but the more crooning oddness is the trickle down effect of Mike Patton's influence, so it would be more Dillinger Escape Plan in that regard. "Wait" is basically a power ballad. To their credit the more accessible side of the coin, means that while in many ways this is a progressive metal album they are still focused on the in the sounds are perfect , now as the assembled into prefect songs, well every now and then they are :Focus" being one of those moments. The album's most beautifully dark song is "Clean" which is a cautionary tale about drugs and romancing the smoking stones. It is at this point midway into the album that they hit their stride. There is a more industrial element present that I am a fan of. Then there are moments where the more progressive elements find them not as focused like on "the Void From Which songs rather than the razzle dazzle of it all, though they are not afraid to let out a ripping guitar solo as needed. This album is perhaps most impressive in terms of how well it is produced. It sounds prefect, as No Sound Escapes".  To contrast this the show with "MORE?"  they are capable of being more compact and in your face, thought the bits of atmosphere do not work as well.    

"Tower2" is more of an interlude than a song, so it won't count for the purpose of this review. They delve into a darker moodier side for "Episode". The clean vocals are not only more plentiful on this album , but they have greatly improved as have the lyrics . The way they question God on this song is cool. I love the line ... 'I fucked up all the good things / I believed in ". "Maybe One Day" is the kind of prorggy strummed ballad that would feel more at home on a Porcupine Tree album. However it is also really well written and preformed so hard to argue against it. The 11 minute title track is pretty epic and finally makes the most of the sax that has been hiding in various corners of the mix  on this album.It overall as a song is a lot to digest / Given t he scope of this album and how well some of these songs are written , I will give this album a 9 and see how it sits with me.  

8.4

Rivers of Nihil: "Monarchy"

This one might have breezed by you in August, Pennsylvania band Rivers of Nihil released their sophomore full length. The two minute opener is a dark and melodic instrumental that the following song doesn't really try to work off off and instead opts for a more typical full speed ahead death metal blasturbation. A minute and a half in their is a more dissonant melodic section , but the intense chugging wins out. The vocals are not as guttural as most death metal,  in some ways you might think of their delivery as a more aggressive Meshuggah. The guitar playing is excellent as these guys have no shortage on the chops. Things stagnant early as the formula seems to be set by the time we get to "Reign of Dreams". The cool riffs alone do not make a good song rule, really hits these guys hard here. Things fortunately get more melodic with "Sand Baptism" or it was going to be a long ride. The drilling double bass works better over the slowed guitar. The syncopation is more of a mainstream metal thing, but it sounds good here. The gang growls are also a nice touch. Overall the production is pretty immaculate here, this album sounds great it's just hit or miss when it comes to originality.

Another nod this album and perhaps the genre as a wholes, since there was a similar element on the Thy Art is Murder ;bum, to Meshuggah comes in how the atmosphere sits in the solo sections. The bass sound also invokes the Meshuggah feel. By the time I have made it to "Dehydrate' it's apparent that roughed up Meshuggah worship is what the point of this whole thing is it's just hidden better at some moments. It becomes one of those things where my ears try to  focus in on the parts that don't have the Meshuggah thing going on, while there are ample bits of prog the beginning of  the  title track benefits from a somewhat lower growl and slinky bass line. There are some other bass lead moments that offer a little more melody make the chugs really count. There are varied levels of atmospheric shredding on the instrumental that follows. If you are guitarist who gets off on this kind of artful wanking then you will find plenty to water your mouth here.

The double bass doesn't relent , but they slow slightly to offer more of a dynamic hint to "Circles in the Sky" that chugs along at a brisk pace. They give you another breather here in time for the solo. The chugged bridge out of the solo is one of the album's more powerful moments.The closing song "Suntold" is not as compelling and fades into the background for me rather than commanding my attention. The album sounds great and some of it's more melodic moments might grow on me so I'll round this one up to a 6, meaning if you are a fan of this stuff I'm sure it's next level shit, but I need a little more than what these guys do, by no fault of their own as they made the album it sounds like they wanted. Not sure this comes close to album of the year list material , but some people set their sights as low.