After the excellent news that Nile are returning to the studio to record their new album, we thought it appropriate to honour some of their previous catalogue. Having been going now for twenty two years, from the beginning of their eponymous debut Amongst The Catacombs Of Nephren-Ka, Nile has been radically different from the usual death metal ilk. Introducing atmosphere with foreign instrumentation married with the devastating technicality of their signature death metal. With each album the band reinvent themselves, not in the sense of 180 degree Papa Roach have seemed to adopt but refine their sound, tightening things up.
NILE – THOSE WHOM THE GODS DETEST
Released six years ago now, Those Whom The Gods Detest see’s Nile begin to add different strings to their Egyptian bow. The danger of becoming stale and ultimately sounding the same plagued Nile slightly, not to mention some of the abysmal production, surrounding Black Seeds Of Vengeance. Those Whom The Gods Detest, gave the wheel a great spin, bringing the antiquity of Nile into the modern sound. From opener “Kafir!” to the relentless pursuit of “Utterances Of The Crawling Dead” and lead single the biting “Permitting The Noble Dead To Descend To The Underworld” the band had created short sharp shocks. Whilst adopting the shorter songs there were of course the monolithic trudges of “4th Arra Of Dagon” (which is actually “4th arrangement of Dagon” but chief lyricist Sanders was in the process of renaming it thought that the abridged version would suit) and the thunderous title track.
With a back catalogue as loaded as Nile‘s topping the previous album always seems to be a challenge. Although preceding this album was the slight let down Ithyphallic, which even then is still pretty good album, it just doesn’t quite stack up to Nile’s daunting catalogue. The band returned, refined and ready to conquer once again. Earning the status that heavy weights Cannibal Corpse have attained for their reliability in what the band put out, Nile are revered and respected amongst all of the death metal community. An easy target for the accolade of the gimmick that is the Egyptian theme, this simply strengthens the band’s unique status. Those Whom The Gods Detest is once again another shining example of their death metal prowess.
