Riven Earth in Conversation – Music, the Past and What Comes Next

How does a Riven Earth song come to life? Where are the band's musical roots – and where are we heading next?

On February 4, 2025, we were guests on Prog Spezial for an extended conversation about Riven Earth. Rather than focusing on just one album or one particular song, the interview gave us the opportunity to talk about the whole story behind the band. That story actually began long before Riven Earth was founded in 2016. Some of our musical connections go all the way back to the late 1980s. In the interview, we talk about those early days, the formation of Riven Earth and the release of our first album, Project One, in 2018.

How Riven Earth Makes Music

A major part of the conversation is about the way we work together. Riven Earth isn't a traditional band meeting in the same rehearsal room several times a week. Much of our music is created in our individual home studios, with ideas being exchanged and developed step by step. There is no fixed formula. A song might begin with a keyboard idea, a guitar part, a chord progression or an almost complete arrangement. Other members then contribute their own ideas and gradually the original sketch becomes a Riven Earth song.

Music, Lyrics and Images

The visual side of Riven Earth is another subject we discuss. For us, an album cover isn't simply packaging. Ideally, the music, lyrics and artwork should become different parts of the same atmosphere. In the interview we talk about this creative process and how the ideas behind an album eventually find their way into its artwork.

So, What's Next?

Looking back from today, one part of the conversation has become particularly interesting. When the interview was recorded in February 2025, work on our fifth studio album had only recently begun. We didn't want to put ourselves under unnecessary pressure, but 2026 was already the target. What was still a glimpse into the future back then is now getting very close.

Album Five is taking shape and is planned for release in autumn 2026.

So today, the interview is more than a look back at the history of Riven Earth. It also captures the moment when the next chapter of the band was only just beginning. If you'd like to know more about how we work, where Riven Earth came from and what lies behind our music, watch the complete conversation:

▶ Riven Earth in Conversation – Prog Spezial

Interview from February 4, 2025 · approx. 35 minutes