THE RIVEN Release ‘The Riven’

The Sign Records is excited to announce the addition of The Riven to their roster. The band is set to issue their debut album on March 1st 2019, with the first single “Fortune Teller” receiving many accolades following its October 2018 release.

The self-titled album was recorded with Ola Ersfjord (Tribulation, Lucifer, Primordial) in Madrid and features stunning artwork by Netherlands illustrator Maarten Donders.

Says Kaj Sivervik of The Sign Records,

The Riven are set to release one of the strongest Swedish debut albums in many years. The band holds a perfect combination of bluesy vocals and classical rock sound. We are humbled over the opportunity to work with, and be able to present The Riven to the world.”

Max Ternebring of The Riven shared similar sentiments:

“We are super excited to announce that we are signing with the Sign Records. One of the reasons to why we moved the band from the UK to Sweden was that we wanted to be part of the scene over here. We have a great love for bands like Hällas, Hypnos and MaidaVale and to be on the same label as those guys, as well as other great acts too, is really a step in the right direction for us. We knew that working with Kaj and the Patricks would be great for the band when we first heard Kaj speak on Rockpodden. His love and passion for the bands on the label is something you don’t come across too often and we strongly feel that a collaboration of this sort needs to have that element. It was in that moment we knew that we wanted to be on The Sign Records. Now let’s bring on the release and let the good times roll!”

The Riven Biography:

The Riven is an electrifying powerhouse. Envision heavy blues rock, focusing on big choruses and mean riffs; progressive, psychedelic and classical musical elements standing side by side with a soulful and vigorous voice; each song, a chapter, revealing fates and tales from the past and the future. The force is strong in The Riven. Merging influences from a variety of genres, the Riven emerges as a pure rock element.

“Make no mistake, this band (is) going to blow up in stratospheric proportions” – The Sludgelord

In 2018, The Riven went to Madrid, not to spend time under the Spanish sun but rather curled up in the cellar studio at Holy Cuervo Studios. In ten days they powered through the record’s nine songs, producing an album that in the words of the drummer Olof Axegärd,  “is loud, is rock, is soul, and prog. It has it all!” The Riven will be releasing their highly anticipated first full length with The Sign Records in the spring of 2019. Produced by Ola Ersfjord (Lucifer, Primordial, Dead Lord) the album manages to merge the diverse influences of its four members into a solid unit of Rock and Roll  that will leave no one oblivious.

Somewhere in West London, in the same neighborhood as many 60s British Rock bands like The Who and The Rolling Stones came alive, singer Totta Ekebergh, guitarist Arnau Diaz, and bass player Max Ternebring were living together in a typical suburban house. As modern vagabonds of the western world, their love of rock put them together under the same roof where music was flowing out of every room. After an alcohol-fueled songwriting session between Diaz and Ternebring they decided they needed to start a band together with Ekebergh on vocals. With this sweet trio on the move they needed a drummer and for that they recruited Olof Axegärd. “Olof was the only one that would party with us and be able to play loud grooves in the morning, so we went with him,” says Ternebring.

Throwing all their different musical influences together, they ended up with an electrically charged cauldron that was too hot to touch! “It was like I entered a whole new dimension and melodies were being drawn out of me!” says Totta. Díaz brings the frantic riffs and the bluesy licks, Ekebergh gives you soul and hooks, thunder circulates from Ternebring’s melodic basslines, and Axegärd brings the NWOBHM drive and the proggy touch to the mix.

During the cold and foggy days of November 2016, The Riven made their way to the studio in East London where they would immortalize their first EP “Blackbird.”  As Angry Metal Guy puts it: “The five tracks on ‘Blackbird’ are short, snappy, and more catchy than airborne ebola.”  “Blackbird” was the band’s first milestone, showcasing their talent as songwriters as well as their proficiency behind their instruments. The EP presents a solid mix of the bands wide range of influences: classics like Thin Lizzy, Grand Funk Railroad and early Rush mix seamlessly with contemporary sounds like Rival Sons or Kadavar.

The Riven have made a compelling statement with “Blackbird,” and there’s no reason for them to be any less than the top of the heap in short order,” said Invisible Oranges. Getting excellent reviews from the most influential retro-rock and stoner websites during the summer of 2017, The Riven let “Blackbird” fly on the road. Their tour schedule took them around the UK, Finland, and Sweden, opening for a diverse range of acts like the prog metal American legends Fates Warning, the British stoners Elephant Tree and the Swedish garage rockers The Dahmers.

In the fall of 2017, The Riven decided they’d had enough fish n’ chips for a lifetime and to try some Swedish meatballs instead. Although they’ll probably never succeed in putting together IKEA furniture, they had something else in mind. Now being in the same country as bands such as Graveyard and Horisont, The Riven have found the perfect niche for their music. “Coming from Barcelona,” says Arnau Diaz, “I must say it does get a bit cold over her.  However, it’s a great excuse to spend all the time playing music and drinking over-expensive beer!”

Read our review here.