- Country: USA
- Style: Progressive death metal
- Label: Metal Blade Records
- Release date: 24 September 2021
The Work is the fourth Rivers Of Nihil album and the strangest one yet. The Pennsylvania band push even further from tech-death into progressive territory here, with saxophone, cello, long quiet passages and a heavy grey mood that never really lifts.
Opener “The Tower (Theme from ‘The Work’)” starts almost gently before the band start pounding, and “Dreaming Black Clockwork” brings the brutal side back. The real showpiece is “The Void from Which No Sound Escapes”, which moves from crushing riffs to a gorgeous melodic lift and back again.
Not everything lands. “MORE?” is deliberately ugly and abrasive, and some listeners will lose patience in the slower stretches. But “Episode” and the huge closer “Terrestria IV: Work” justify every minute, and producers Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland give it a clear, dense sound. Dan Seagrave did the cover art, which fits perfectly. A demanding record and a rewarding one.
Best tracks:
The Void from Which No Sound Escapes
Dreaming Black Clockwork
Episode
Terrestria IV: Work
Author’s rating: 8.9/10
