UMUR "Festivals of Atonement" is the debut release by US death metal act Nile. It´s a 5 track, 32:26 EP. The EP was released through Anubis Records in February 1995. As the original release was pressed in a limited number of copies, the band opted to re-release "Festivals of Atonement" along with the "Ramses Bringer Of War (1997)" EP on the "In The Beginning" compilation in 1999. In 1995 Nile were a three-piece consisting of Karl Sanders on vocals and guitars, Chief Spires on bass and Pete Hammoura on drums.

Although this is clearly an early and somewhat imature version of the band, the music on the EP sounds unmistakably like Nile. You´ll find several stylistic elements on this EP that you´ll also hear on more recent releases by the band. This is brutal technical death metal but done the sophisticated Nile way. They are one of the few really brutal death metal acts out there with a distinct sound and an original vision. The Egyptian themes/lyrics/Imagery, the relentless brutality, the clever songwriting and high level musicianship are all present on "Festivals of Atonement".

While the band have matured a lot over the years and have become one of the leading death metal acts on the scene in the process, this EP is a great start to their career and I´d say a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating isn´t out of place.