Morning Metal: Rivers of Nihil Interview
We had the pleasure of talking to guitarist Jon Kunz of Pennsylvania-based death metal band, Rivers of Nihil. Check it out and follow them on Twitter and Facebook. Don’t forget to see them on their upcoming tour – all dates are posted on the photo at the bottom – just click!
You guys worked with Erik Rutan of Hate Eternal and formerly of Morbid Angel for River’s of Nihi’s debut album, “The Conscious Seed of Light”, what was it like recording your debut full-length with such a death metal pro?
Working with Erik was a dream come true for all of us. Coming from an influential standpoint, Morbid Angel – specifically “Domination” – was a huge influence on our sound. We get that reference thrown at us quite often and we definitely take that was a compliment. Erik’s playing in Hate Eternal is a very big influence in my playing, with all of the dissonance and atonality.
He worked us hard and demanded the tightest performances possible.
How did Rivers of Nihil get involved with Metal Blade? What drew you to sign with them?
We just did our thing and eventually got in touch with those guys. We toured for a few years as well as self released 2 EP’s and a music video, which showed them we already had the drive to do it. Metal Blade is the best metal label out there, no questions asked. Take one look at the roster, both current and past, and no one fucking comes close.
We had a few labels show interest in us, but when Metal Blade came into the fold – it was game over.
How was the “Best In Brutality” tour?
The tour ended prematurely due to some of the worst luck ever. More shit happened on that tour than any other tour combined that we’ve done the last 4 years. The biggest issue was Canada. A few weeks before it even started, Oceano announced they wouldn’t be able to get in. It became Broken Hope, Fallujah, Kublai Khan and us. That was fine, four bands is plenty and everything is killer.
Kublai Khan got denied entry and Fallujah dropped after the first Canadian show due to their engine exploding on the asinine Vancouver to Edmonton overnight drive. To anyone whose never done that; it’s a 13 hour drive through the Canadian Rockies. This same drive blew up Broken Hope’s bus, forcing the show in Edmonton to be cancelled. Suddenly the tour became just us and Broken Hope doing Canada.
After we got back in the states, it was decided by the tour promoters that it would end in Joliet, Illinois, which was the last show before it was scheduled to go back into Canada. we met a lot of amazing people in Calgary and Winnipeg, and we’ll be back in all the places we missed on the upcoming Whitechapel tour.
What do you guys think of the term “djent”? I’ve seen some videos where people are claiming you guys write “the djent”.
Love Meshuggah, hate “djent.” Our music is an amalgam of death metal played on 7 strings tuned stupidly low. We draw influence from Meshuggah, but we don’t rely on it. We’re also very young, so I feel that people throw that word at us because they don’t know what else to call it. You’re not Meshuggah. You’ll never be Meshuggah.
The only thing making this worse is the resurrection of the turntable in some of these bands. Sonic suicide. Awful.
What are some of the challenges of touring?
Money, sleep, expensive alcohol in Canada, asshole security, promoters who should be killed, douche bag sound guys, egomaniacal bands, long drives, hangovers in a van, Denny’s, missing friends and loved ones, shitting in your own clean bathroom, climate change and the sickness that is guaranteed when going through it, time change, cell phones,wifi, parking a van and trailer, cities, police, van trouble, US customs, tolls, gas, shitty gas station coffee… Should I keep going?
Have you listened to any of the local death metal?
Yes, one of them are on tour with Behemoth and the other is going on tour soon. Black Crown Initiate and Fisthammer are killing it for death metal in southeast Pennsylvania. There’s a ton of killer hardcore and black metal around here as well.
You and Brody are endorsed by Seymour Duncan, EVH and Orange – how’d that work out?
We’ve used the products which we endorse for years, so it only made sense to work with those companies. I also work with Lace Pickups, which make some KILLER products, man.
What influences drew you to death metal?
I started with punk thanks to skateboarding and the Tony Hawk pro-skater soundtracks. From there, I became obsessed with the underground, specifically the fastest and heaviest stuff I could find. That’s how I found death metal. I used to go on record label’s websites and downloaded every song available on their media pages. A big piece to this puzzle for me was Relapse Records, specifically Necrophagist, Suffocation and Pig Destroyer. When I first heard those bands, my world changed. I got into death metal the same time deathcore was starting. I loved “Doom” from Job For A Cowboy just as much as “Souls To Deny” from Suffocation, nor did I know there was a difference besides one had breakdowns like Unearth and the other had vocals that sounded like Cookie Monster.
What are the plans for the rest of the year?
Full United States and Canada tour with DevilDriver, Whitechapel, Carnifex, Revocation and Fit For An Autopsy in May and June. We’re doing a festival down south in late July, then may have a big tour announcement for August & September. Get drunk!
James Rockso – CKCU 93.1 FM / Pebble Studios
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