Rivers Of Nihil, Cynic, Beyond Creation and Daath
The Underworld in London – March 9, 2025
Four extreme metal bands for the discerning fan are on schedule tonight. I’m familiar with the music of the two headliners but not so much with the two openers. Without further ado, let’s see how it went…
Dååth
The music of Dååth is brutal and dark but my attention was drawn towards the band’s guitarist and his amazing neo-classical licks. Didn’t I see him playing with Obscura at this same venue a few years back? Some post-gig research proves that yes, I did. It’s Rafael Trujillo, ex-Obscura.
Despite being the first band to hit the stage, straight away Dååth had moshpits in front of them, clearly reflecting the audience’s appreciation. And to be honest, I appreciated the band’s original style of music. My only minor gripe was that the death metal vocals were limited in range and patterns. Nevertheless, an interesting discovery for me.
Beyond Creation
Beyond Creation are from Canada, and like all Canadian bands I know, the band takes great pride in its technical prowess. The band plays death metal but occasionally you hear some incredible jazz guitar licks coming out of nowhere. I strongly suspect the whole band listens to a lot of Tony Macalpine in addition to all the death metal greats.
And it wasn’t just the guitarists. The technical skills displayed by bassist Hugo Doyon-Karout were mind-blowing, often infusing melody into his complex bass lines. And the band’s drummer was similarly inspired. Although the music of Beyond Creation was multi-faceted, it all seemed flow seamlessly.
Cynic
Cynic’s set was a relatively comprehensive look at the band’s repertoire. Fusing elements from new age, death metal and jazz, the band’s music always manages to sound fresh. Individually, all the band members excelled too. For example, drummer Matt Lynch effortlessly navigated through some impressive drumming. Paul Masvidal (Death, Gordian Knot) was great on guitar, but his effects-laden vocals could sometimes feel a bit overbearing.
Despite its metal tropes, I preferred to sit down while I eagerly absorbed Cynic’s music but there certainly were audience members who felt inclined to be more physical and louder in showing their appreciation. Cynic’s set was over in a breeze but that feeling might be because the last time I had seen them – a year ago at this same venue – they had been headlining (therefore had a longer set).
Rivers Of Nihil
It’s not often that a death metal band has a saxophone featuring prominently, but Rivers of Nihil seem to have had their own definition of musical brutality. Rivers of Nihil’s set raised the already sweltering heat in the Underworld and the crowd reaction was tremendous even though the Pennysylvanians’ performance didn’t always feel tight.
Rivers Of Nihil’s set-list included a couple of sneek peeks at the band’s forthcoming album, Rivers of Nihil, scheduled for a May release. After tonight’s show, I have positive vibes for that album.
