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Rivers Of Nihil - Where Owls Know My Name



8.5 | 451 votes |
Release date: 16 March 2018
Style: Technical death metal

Owners:

240 have it
42 want it


01. Cancer/Moonspeak
02. The Silent Life
03. A Home
04. Old Nothing
05. Subtle Change (Including The Forest Of Transition And Dissatisfaction Dance)
06. Terrestria III: Wither
07. Hollow
08. Death Is Real
09. Where Owls Know My Name
10. Capricorn/Agoratopia

The Best Extreme Progressive Metal Album Of 2018
Top 20 albums of 2018: 7

Additional info
Cover art: Dan Seagrave

Staff review by
RaduP
Rating:
8.0
Some great technical ability, some dynamic range in songwriting, some unexpected elements; all these ingredients for a masterpiece are found on Where Owls Know My Name. Yet the owls are not what they seem, right?

Read more ››
published 05.04.2018 | Comments (5)

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Comments

Comments: 35   Visited by: 1243 users
06.02.2018 - 19:11
3rdWorld
China was a neat
First track, bitches.

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07.02.2018 - 00:35
Rating: 8
LeKiwi
High Fist Prog
Written by 3rdWorld on 06.02.2018 at 19:11

First track, bitches.

That is some tasty instrumentation. I'm always most impressed by their first single and the remainder of the album is usually a disappointment in comparison. I hope it's different this time around.
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16.03.2018 - 18:12
Rating: 7
iMorphball
Damn, what an album!
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16.03.2018 - 23:49
Rating: 8
Dalleo
Great album!
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18.03.2018 - 06:47
Rating: 9
Lord Slothrop
I love this album. Early album of the year contender right here folks.
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19.03.2018 - 18:29
Rating: 9
kam1kaze
"Death Is Real" is awesome!
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21.03.2018 - 02:43
Rating: 7
Nick Carter
I'm not so much into Techdeth but this is good stuff for sure
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#MetalIsForEveryone
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22.03.2018 - 06:40
Rating: 10
turkalurk
Written by kam1kaze on 19.03.2018 at 18:29

"Death Is Real" is awesome!

I can confirm this.
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28.03.2018 - 15:27
Rating: 10
WorpeX
Made of Metal
That saxophone solo in Silent Life is sick!
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29.03.2018 - 17:48
Rating: 9
tominator
At best deranged
Contributor
Amazing album imo. Silent Life, Terrestria III: Wither, Hollow and Death Is Real stand out for me.
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30.03.2018 - 07:41
Rating: 9
Necrodamus
Great album from my fellow Pennsylvanians. I remember seeing them open for more popular bands in small PA venues. It's awesome to see them get the credit they deserve, this is their best album to date.
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05.04.2018 - 16:14
Great solos, very gentle saxophone, and great riffs. I love their songwriting. First Tech Death, I listen more than 3 times and I even found some favorites
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09.04.2018 - 13:39
Daniell
_爱情_
Elite
Slightly less mind-nimbingly boring than usual tech-death. Chances are these guys will learn to write actual songs one day.
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16.04.2018 - 21:20
MetalManic
I'm really trying to like this album but to me it's just another run of the mill sound that many other bands have already reproduced. Add something 'different' or...anything!
This alone would have allowed this one to separate from the pack.


I will keep trying tho. Just gotta try to ignore Slugdge to do so.
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07.05.2018 - 17:55
Rating: 6
metalbrat
Certainly not the style I like.....aaahhhh this techno drums...
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In the beginning I was made of clay. Then I bit the apple and they changed me to metal 🤘
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07.05.2018 - 19:22
Rating: 10
WorpeX
Made of Metal
Written by MetalManic on 16.04.2018 at 21:20

I'm really trying to like this album but to me it's just another run of the mill sound that many other bands have already reproduced. Add something 'different' or...anything!
This alone would have allowed this one to separate from the pack.


I will keep trying tho. Just gotta try to ignore Slugdge to do so.


Wait, the Saxophone isn't "different" enough for you? I don't think i've ever heard any other band incorporate a Sax this well before.. or really much at all.
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07.05.2018 - 20:49
Rating: 9
tominator
At best deranged
Contributor
Written by WorpeX on 07.05.2018 at 19:22

Wait, the Saxophone isn't "different" enough for you? I don't think i've ever heard any other band incorporate a Sax this well before.. or really much at all.


I agree, it's blend in perfectly imo. Only metal band I can think of that incorporated it as well in their music is Klone.
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07.05.2018 - 21:13
MetalManic
Written by WorpeX on 07.05.2018 at 19:22

Written by MetalManic on 16.04.2018 at 21:20

I'm really trying to like this album but to me it's just another run of the mill sound that many other bands have already reproduced. Add something 'different' or...anything!
This alone would have allowed this one to separate from the pack.


I will keep trying tho. Just gotta try to ignore Slugdge to do so.


Wait, the Saxophone isn't "different" enough for you? I don't think i've ever heard any other band incorporate a Sax this well before.. or really much at all.

Not really. Saxophone isn't all too common but does has frequent appearances over the last 10-12 years. Bands such as The Ocean, Klone, Enslaved, Ihsahn and The Faceless, immediately come to mind. Granted, a couple of these bands deviate (but are not too far off) from the genre we are discussing.
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14.05.2018 - 22:26
metaladdicted
Account deleted
If you want to listen real technical death metal, listen Aepoch - Awakening Inception

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16.05.2018 - 16:23
Rating: 9
musclassia
Staff
Reminded me a bit of Fallujah at times, in general it's a lot more musical and song-oriented than a lot of tech-death seems to be, definitely prefer this to the Necrophagist sound of a lot of techdeath.
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27.07.2018 - 21:53
Rating: 8
DeathMetal
I really couldn't get into the sax. It sounded way too forced when it was used. Also, some of the transitions felt weird. These weren't enough for me to dislike it though, still a solid release.
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01.11.2018 - 20:44
Majohadica
Nice album
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24.12.2018 - 03:15
Rating: 9
RyanKolp
I don't know how this got by me. This is incredible! Love the sax scattered throughout, love the mix of cleans with growls in some of the songs, love the atmosphere, love the lyrics. Definitely top 5 of the year for me.
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08.01.2019 - 06:47
Rating: 9
Ace Frawley
The Spaceman
Written by RyanKolp on 24.12.2018 at 03:15

I don't know how this got by me. This is incredible! Love the sax scattered throughout, love the mix of cleans with growls in some of the songs, love the atmosphere, love the lyrics. Definitely top 5 of the year for me.

I missed this as well, only picking it up after Sam Dunn gave it album of the year. This is brilliant stuff, pretty much everything I look for in an album.
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The sun shines over The Fool...
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11.01.2019 - 14:06
Rating: 9
boo-boo
This is so much fun.
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World won't end today - it's already tomorrow in Australia.
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26.02.2019 - 05:55
Rating: 9
MH_WarWizard
Written by WorpeX on 28.03.2018 at 15:27

That saxophone solo in Silent Life is sick!
Metal needs more saxophone lol
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Oh Glorious Metal
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30.05.2019 - 20:23
Rating: 9
FYA
Destroyer
Fine as hell.
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18.07.2020 - 08:24
ickoriss
I loved Monarchy, but this was entirely on another level and my personal biggest surprise of 2018.
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09.09.2020 - 18:06
Rating: 7
metalriff
The drums spoiled any redeeming qualities it had
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1001 Metal albums to hear before you die
https://metalstorm.net/users/list.php?list_id=6531
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02.02.2021 - 12:15
Rating: 9
Liafev
I love this album a lot, but the sax .. ? Not for me thanks. I hope that trend doesn't increase, I love the sax in my jazz, I don't understand what it's doing in my metal.
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