Heh, these guys played a show at my college once (when I was there)-- mostly they were just really drunk and the lead singer kept talking about how drunk he was.
It's not really clear at all what's going on inside the rift, I think. Laurin was scanning an apparent ocean and detected no marine life. We've seen a planet through a different rift, too. I'm still not even sure it's an actual planet or just an illusion, or if the Snarl has, say, become intelligent enough to figure out how to re-create a world, but isn't capable of providing it with life.
Not sure if serious or not, but he seems pretty secure.