With their brand-new self-titled album finally out in the world, Rivers Of Nihil are once again showing why they’re one of modern metal’s most forward-thinking bands. The record is an atmospheric, riff-heavy triumph that blends progressive death metal with cinematic grandeur — and yes, it absolutely rules.
But nestled among the record’s many standout moments is a curious twist that longtime metalheads might catch: the singing chorus of the track “American Death” bears a striking resemblance to the chorus of Mushroomhead’s 2003 track “Eternal”, from the cult-favorite album XIII.
Now, the Venn diagram of metal fans who are deeply familiar with both Mushroomhead’s XIII era and Rivers Of Nihil’s tech-heavy progressive death metal catalog is probably pretty slim — but we happen to live right in that crossover space, and we couldn’t help but notice the similarity.
The vocal melody, cadence, and even most of the chorus lyrics in “American Death” closely mirror those of “Eternal,: and it’s an uncanny match that feels impossible to ignore once you hear it.
Is it an homage? A subconscious influence? A total coincidence? Who knows — but we’re not here to throw stones. Quite the opposite: it’s a fun little moment of musical déjà vu that makes us appreciate both songs even more.
It’s also a reminder of how the genre’s deep well of sounds and ideas can resurface in unexpected ways. Whether you’re a nostalgic Mushroomhead fan or hearing this parallel for the first time, it’s a cool connection across two very different corners of heavy music.
And let’s be clear: it takes nothing away from Rivers Of Nihil, who continue to push boundaries with intelligence and intensity. Rivers of Nihil is out now and absolutely deserves a front-to-back listen — just don’t be surprised if your brain starts humming another chorus you may not have heard in 20 years.
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Other than the suspiciously similar chorus, i don’t hear any similarity.
Not even close, except for the ripped off first line of the chorus. If anything the chorus sounds like a Brann Dailor imitation.
No we’re not
Not a bad song, but that’s really grasping at straws making that comparison. I don’t really hear any notable simarities between the two bands, other than the the fact that the clean vocals in the chorus are directly followed by harsh vocals.
I don’t hear it, can’t understand Cookie Monster vocals (never have) but can always hear Jeffrey Nothing when he was in Mushroomhead, love the music though, brutally fast which is awesome, need more new bands breaking the norm
Nope
Well other than having growling and clean vocals….yeah no comparison. Sound NOTHING alike (pun intended)
But I will say this….they are wasting their talent having the singer of the chorus as the “background” and growling as their main. Slow the music down just a hair, give him more parts and they could really be a hit. That guy has some feel for the music and chops to flow with it! They could be so much better with just a small adjustment and direction!
Not hating them at all….
No they don’t, not at all
Article is misleading. This band sounds nothing like mrh. From the drums to the guitar and vocals. Mrh has a very distinct drum pattern that skinny only knows how to play it seems like. And tbh song formula. But ya, idk doesn’t really sound like any era of mrh.
Guys this chorus is literally identical other than like 3 words, the melody and structure are 100% identical. I’m not throwing shade on Rivers of Nihil — but if you don’t think they sound at all like you’re smoking something lol, they’re the same. Has to be an homage, right?
I can’t believe…anything you say
Matthew Mushroomhead its the last tiiiiimee that I’ll try toooodayyyyyyyy-ey