Ne Obliviscaris. Rivers of Nihil, Psycroptic

Thursday, November 27th 

Ne Obliviscaris 

- Performing both ‘EXUL’ & ‘Citadel’ albums in full

Rivers Of Nihil

- Performing their new album "Rivers of Nihil" in full

Psycroptic 

The Exchange - 2431 8th Ave 

Doors at 6:00pm 

This is an all ages and licensed event 

Tickets at TheExchangeLive.ca - Paper Tickets coming to Vintage Vinyl soon. 

Venue/Radio/Etc. Pre-Sale – Tuesday, August 26 @ 10:00am

Spotify Pre-Sale – Wednesday, August 27 @ 8:00 AM

General Public On-Sale: Friday, August 29 @ 10:00 AM

Ne Obliviscaris

https://www.facebook.com/NeObliviscarisBand/

https://www.instagram.com/neobliviscarisofficial

Drum tracking for Exul, the fourth long-player from Australian extreme progressive metallers NE OBLIVISCARIS, started in March 2020. There is an ominous tone to that date: March 2020. The pandemic demarcation line. That month, Daniel Presland laid down his drums in Nashville, Tennessee, with American producer Mark Lewis. As flight cancellations increased and borders shuttered, Presland made it home literally hours before Australia closed theirs. Lewis, guitarist Benjamin Baret and bassist Martino Garattoni weren’t as lucky. They were due to land in Australia in the days that followed to continue tracking, but were forced to remain overeseas indefinitely. With recording studios shuttered throughout Melbourne, a slow, tedious, life-altering two-year grind to complete Exul ensued for NE OBLIVISCARIS.

What should have been the continued upward swing after 2017’s critically acclaimed Urn turned into the most fraught moment of NE OBLIVISCARIS’s career. Clean vocalist and violinist Tim Charles says the period “came close to breaking us completely.” It was a time filled with death, relationships breaking down, despair and financial loss. Presland, NE OBLIVISCARIS’s drummer since 2005, amicably parted ways in early 2022, throwing yet another wrench into the band’s plans.

There are, however, happy accidents scattered throughout the creation of Exul. The extra, unexpected downtime allowed the band to fine-tune and even re-write parts previously set in stone before the pandemic. Charles’s violin solo at the end of “Graal” is a prime example: His original idea wasn’t fully realized until he revisited the song in early 2021 and promptly came up with a new part. It was a classic “a-ha” moment that improved the song.

“Getting an opportunity to have a song mostly done for a year or so and then go back to it, find what you loved about it the first time and maybe even improve it in some ways was a nice silver lining from all the delays,” says Charles. “I think because we had so many delays that were out of our control, we were even more determined to take our time to make sure when the time came to record and to mix, that we ensured it was the absolute best it could be in every way.”

Seven additional studios and three more countries later, Exul was finally mixed and mastered in July 2022.

The album personifies NE OBLIVISCARIS’s distinctive, boundary-pushing ethos. The band’s trademark blend of emotion and beauty is as towering as ever, if not even more compelling, particularly how Charles’s violin lines carefully weave their way around Baret and fellow guitarist Matt Klavins’ riffing. The duality of Charles’s clean vocals and Xenoyr’s growls remains the narrative anchor, elevating songs that emanate sophistication and are a masterclass in composition.

“Our approach is always the same,” says Charles, “which is essentially to just write and see what comes out. Exul definitely had its challenges during the songwriting process. Part of the beauty of how our music comes together is that we are quite different individuals bringing an array of ideas together. From there, we work out how to combine them into something that is seamless and beautiful to us. We were determined to make this our best and most complete album yet, which definitely resulted in it taking longer. But we are so proud of this album and it’s exciting to finally share it with the world.”

The album’s centerpiece is the two-part “Misericorde I – As the Flesh Fails” and “Misericorde – Anatomy of Quiescence.” (A NE OBLIVISCARIS album is not complete without a multi-part epic!) According to Charles, Part II began by taking a song they thought was finished (Pt I) and asking, “What if after that…?” The band then wrote a section that took the piece in a new direction and what was a 7 minute song, became an almost 17 minute 2 part epic.

“The bulk of Part I was written more so by Benji and Martino,” notes Charles. “You can hear the very guitar-driven approach present throughout that track. Part II, by contrast, was written more so by myself in collaboration with others and the emphasis changes more towards expansive solos and slow-developing sections that build towards the epic finale. These two tracks are a great example of how it’s the combination of our different strengths as songwriters spread across an album that results in the sound that is ‘NE OBLIVISCARIS‘.”

Charles’s violin parts, whether on “Misericorde II,” “Equus” or “Suspyre,” exude confidence. The instrument has always been central to the band’s sound. On Exul, Charles’s violin playing is taken to another level. “I think that over the years, in regards to how my violin interacts within NeO’s music, I’ve simply continued to add more strings to my bow, so to speak,” he says. “With ‘Exul,’ I definitely explored even further the use of layers of violin and viola parts to create a more textured feel compared to other albums. ‘Mesericorde II’ was definitely a bit of a breakthrough song for me, where I felt I could utilize the strings in a way that hadn’t been done in NeO’s music before. In the end, whatever serves the song best is always the aim and having more ways of creating music makes it easier to serve the song.”

The Exul album title came to Xen when he was summing up the album’s feeling musically and lyrically. Coincidentally, it matched the experience of most people during the pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “I think everyone at some point has felt at odds with the world around them, felt alone, cast out, or misunderstood,” says Xen. “Exul felt right to use in a broader sense and as a lone word, for we each have our own history and a story of exile.

“Overall, there’s a darker core to this album, perhaps more ominous than previous releases,” he continues. “However abstract the lyrics are, they involve some form of unwanted departure — all journeys into torment, passion, longing and even despair. They touch on the process of physical and psychological destruction that comes from that sense or reality of being exiled, whether forced from one’s land, ostracised from a community, shunned by a religion, or even simply being treated differently for being who they are.”

Rivers Nihil

Sixteen years and five albums into the Pennsylvania band's career, progressive death metal progenitors Rivers of Nihil are upping the ante with the self-titled album Rivers of Nihil. Traditionally, a self-titled record can signal a return to basics and/or a fresh beginning, and in 10 powerful songs, it's clear that both those factors are in play. Founding bassist Adam Biggs became the band's new lead vocalist/bassist in 2023; the same year marked the appearance of additional guitarist Andy Thomas (ex-Black Crown Initiate), whose vocals also play prominently on Rivers of Nihil.

Rivers' fifth Metal Blade album "deserves the 'self-titled' treatment. I feel like these songs are the perfect blend of all our albums, with all the fat cut away," says founding member/guitarist Brody Uttley. "There are more technical songs that call back to The Conscious Seed of Light and Monarchy sound, but with a more mature understanding of how to pace a song. There's a fair bit of the Owls and The Work-type experimental stuff, but with a more refreshed perspective on those styles for the current era of the band." Producers Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland at Atrium Audio captured the dynamics across more than 50 minutes of music, sonically marking the genesis of the band's new era.

On June 15, 2023, Rivers released a new single, "The Sub-Orbital Blues," the first track with Biggs handling lead vocals (following the 2022 departure of singer Jake Dieffenbach, and also their first featuring Thomas). A second single, "Hellbirds," (not on the album) dropped on October 19, 2023. On April 29, 2024, the band released the cut "Criminals" and an accompanying music video. Both "Criminals" and "The Sub-Orbital Blues" appear on Rivers of Nihil.

The new album's first single of 2025, "House of Light" (out Feb. 6, 2025) is a track the band believes "encapsulates the nature of what it is that we do perfectly while offering a different perspective on the sound with the new lineup," says Uttley, who also plays piano and does the programming in the band. "Everything that our fans have come to love about our sound is demonstrated in this song with the new addition of Andy singing and Biggs on main vocals. It has the riffs, it has the big chorus, it has the prog, it has the solos, it has the sax. Just a classic example of what we do as a band in 2025."

Rivers of Nihil was created in a very "rock n' roll" manner."On 2021's The Work I wrote a lot of the record on the piano and then the band filled in the gaps, but on this new record I wanted to make sure that this stuff would hit hard live with just the four of us before adding in all of the sparkly auxiliary 'frosting' on top," explains Uttley.

Rivers of Nihil also showcases additional musicians, including Patrick Corona on alto saxophone; Stephan Lopez on banjo; McFarland on cello; and a slate of other guest vocalists. Further singles include "American Death," a true-to-form beater that's sure to slay live, and "Water & Time," which Uttley says is Rivers' "stab at writing a big chorus style synth-laden song. The main melody on synth came out so cool the band filled out the song with 'metal band stuff'" for the potent final version heard on Rivers of Nihil.

Despite the fresh approach on Rivers of Nihil, the album fits neatly into the band's discography. With Where Owls Know My Name (2018), Rivers of Nihil transcended all labels applied to them, and with its 2021 follow-up, The Work, they forged further into fresh territory, with Metal Injection calling the latter album "by far the group's most cohesive, ambitious, meditative, and varied effort, with greater uses of philosophical significance and transcendental respites."

The quartet's musicianship has been honed to a fine point thanks to an unrelenting touring schedule over the past few years, including headline tours of the U.S. and EU/UK, as well as support slots on the Chaos and Carnage Tour (Cattle Decapitation, Carnifex, etc.), Lorna Shore, Between the Buried and Me, and shows with Killswitch Engage.

The roadwork resumed in 2025 even before Rivers of Nihil's release with a tour featuring other titans of progressive death metal--Cynic, Beyond Creation, and Dååth-on the European and UK "Aggressive Progressive Tour." Life on the road for Rivers is a treat for fans and band members alike. "For the most part, it's very mellow, with a lot of laughs and a lot of ball-busting. Andy, and I have been friends for over 15 years, and Jared has been in the fold since 2017," Uttley says. And that everything old is new again vibe is encapsulated in the title track, which is the album's last song. "Rivers of Nihil" sums up the band, but not in the expected way. "The name 'Rivers of Nihil' implies this dark nihilistic hopeless thing," Uttley says. "But lyrically the song is actually about letting time slip by you and not giving into the darkness."

Psycroptic

Australia is home to innumerable death metal bands. Few make their way beyond these shores, and fewer still garner global respect. Out of those, only one has maintained that position for a full 25 years: Australia's finest, PSYCROPTIC. When the history of technical metal is viewed in years to come, the books will show that PSYCROPTIC is responsible for a hefty slice of the genre. The band blasted into the deepest underground in the late '90s, then proceeded to drag the metal scene closer to what they do by sheer attrition. Their music guides you through the densest of riff jungles before bursting into the clear with powerfully rhythmic grooves and blasts, anchored by the profoundly talented Haley brothers. Guitarist Joe's esoteric, impenetrable picking style weaves musical hooks that wrap around the listener before pulling back to reveal Dave's pulsating rhythms. They achieve a level of synchronization only brothers with decades of experience playing together can achieve. There are none tighter. That their telepathic performance is matched by the final lineup of Todd Stern on bass and the charismatic roar of Jason Peppiatt is almost unfair. Like all masters, they make the impossible look impossibly easy.

________________________________________

About the Exchange

The Exchange is wheelchair accessible and offers 2 non-gender/wheelchair-accessible washrooms.

The Exchange is an all-ages venue that supports the Safer Spaces Initiative. We do not tolerate any form of harassment, abusive and/or discriminative behaviour. Such behaviour is grounds for immediate removal from the event/venue. If you are experiencing any harassment, please ask to speak to a manager.

Ticket price plus taxes and fees - lineups subject to change - no refunds or exchanges