Antihero Magazine’s James Geiser recently had the chance to catch up with Brody Uttley, guitarist for Rivers of Nihil. We spoke about the band’s new record, Where Owls Know My Name, releasing on March 16th on Metal Blade Records, Brody’s background and influences in music and in the metal genre, as well as his feelings about living his dream being signed to Metal Blade.
Where Owls Know My Name reunites Rivers of Nihil with Monarchy producer Carson Slovak (August Burns Red, The Last Ten Seconds of Life) and Dan Seagrave, the storied artist behind such celebrated album covers as Entombed‘s Left Hand Path and Suffocation‘s Effigy of the Forgotten. The result is the Reading, PA quintet’s most visceral, accomplished, and satisfying offering to-date.
Guitarist Brody Uttley comments:
“This record is Rivers of Nihil being exactly who we want to be. Many bands get stuck in a comfortable routine of releasing the same album over and over again. Constantly relying on the same familiar formula may work for some bands, but it does not work for us. Music is art, and art is ever-changing. Without change, there is no progress. Without progress, the very fire that powers art and expression will die. This record is the sound of where we come from, where we are, and where we are going.”
Adds bassist/vocalist Adam Biggs:
“This time around, the lyrics feel a little more personal than on previous albums. The story picks up several millennia after the events of ‘Monarchy‘, where one person still remains alive, chosen by the planet to be the sole intelligent witness of its ultimate fate. But ‘Where Owls Know My Name‘ is less about overarching narrative than our previous albums. The scenario is just a backdrop for the more emotional material we tried to put forth this time around. Ultimately, this is an album about loss, getting older, and reaching a point where death becomes a much more present part of your life.”
For a preview of Where Owls Know My Name, the first single, “The Silent Life”, can be heard at: metalblade.com/riversofnihil
Rivers of Nihil online:
https://www.facebook.com/riversofnihil
https://twitter.com/riversofnihil
https://www.youtube.com/user/Riversofnihilpa
