River Black are a new band helmed by four old masters from the East Coast. Vocalist Mike Olender, guitarist John Adubato and drummer Dave Witte previously played in Burnt By The Sun, a critically-acclaimed, sorely-missed metalcore outfit from New Jersey who shared stages with the likes of Mastodon and Dillinger Escape Plan before parting ways 2009. They're joined by Brett Bamberger, best known as the bassist for Boston crossover-thrash outfit Revocation. River Black (whose name pays homage to Burnt by the Sun's final record Heart of Darkness, and by extension, Joseph Conrad's novel of the same name) are set to release their eponymous debut album tomorrow, July 7, via Southern Lord. No need to wait until then to listen to it, though: Today, the band are streaming the 12-track effort in its entirety. Check out River Black below, and pre-order it here.
In an interview with Revolver last month, Witte cast aside any lingering characterizations of River Black as his former band with a new name: "We didn't want it to be Burnt by the Sun," he insisted – and characterized the self-titled's sonics as "a little darker, a little heavier, with less emphasis on speed and more on grooves, impact, and heaviness." In addition to old-school barnstormers like "Boat" and "Sink", River Black includes "Haunt," a collaboration with Mastodon drummer Brann Dailor (the band's longtime friend, as well as one of their biggest admirers).
Surprisingly for a band with an album on the way, River Black have no current plans to tour behind the album. "The days of going out, hopping in a cargo van, and grinding it out show to show are pretty much over," Olender told Revolver, adding, "We have the ability to choose what we want to do, because none of us need to do this band. We're doing it because we want to do it."
