Nile are one of the most intense, technical and, increasingly, successful death metal bands around today. They’re also a bit of a gimmick band for many, savoured or sneered at simply because of the exotica quotient – the interludes and passages which draw on traditional Egyptian instruments and styles. I’m not sure whether it’s because of this, or simply because of artistic compulsions, but they certainly turned down the Egyptian elements a notch or two on their last album, ‘Annihilation Of The Wicked’, moving towards a more straightforward, but still very brutal and technical death metal style. Their new album sees them continuing on this more traditional death metal path. When it’s heavy, it is a positive hurricane, and there are many mid-paced, atmospheric sections to underpin the frenzied moments. And yes, there are exotic moments, but they are kept to the background for the most part.

 

The album is bookended by a pair of epic tracks. ‘What May Safely Be Written’ starts out with the sort of fanfare you’d like hear in the third act of a swords-and-sandals movie, when the opposing forces are gathered for the climactic battle, and then it builds to a suitably heavy and pulverizing sequence which in turn gives way to something more mid-paced. ‘Even The Gods Die’ works similarly, but then segues into an acoustic-and-percussion backed melodic solo that ends the album on a note of eerie beauty, and gives sufficient fodder for people who happen to appreciate Karl Sanders as a very good guitarist. Which he generally is, when he isn’t backsliding into those Kerry King style madly flailing abuse-solos. Among the more concise and straightforward tracks on the album, ‘Laying Fire Upon Apep’, ‘Ithyphallic’, and ‘The Language Of The Shadows’ all follow a mostly unadorned death style, but keep things interesting with slow or mid-tempo passages that lend diversity and atmosphere to what is otherwise somewhat generic fare. ‘The Essential Salts’ and ‘The Language Of The Shadows’ in particular feature some noteworthy soloing. ‘Eat Of The Dead’ is a mid-paced, deliberate song which stood out a lot for its air of grinding menace. ‘The Infinity Of Stone’ is the sole full-blown Egyptian-style track here, and it makes for a nice instrumental interlude, at just the right length.

 
If you’ve read this far, you’ve probably detected a note of reserved approval in this review. If you did, you’d be right. I think Nile are a band worth listening to, and while I personally love middle-eastern or Egyptian influences in the music I listen to, I‘ve always felt that Nile have a tendency to be a little generic behind the exotic elements and their undeniable musical ability. A lot of Nile’s music has struck me as worthy, but unsurprising death metal dressed up in King Tut robes. The new album is no exception, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it for what it was, with a few songs (‘Eat Of The Dead’, ‘The Essential Salts’ and ‘Even The Gods Must Die’) emerging as overall favourites. Your mileage will vary – I expect Nile fanatics will experience the full gamut of reactions, according to their personal stance on the more/less exotica issue, but for anyone else with a general interest in brutal music which tries to be more than just another standard slab of rage, this album will make a decent addition to your playlist.

Year of Release: 2007

Label: Nuclear Blast

PS: Yes, I know the album name refers to an erection. That doesn’t mean that Nile are either especially clever or especially dumb. It just means they are a bit more interested in the phalluses of ancient gods than the average bear.