UMUR "Those Whom the Gods Detest" is the 6th full-length studio album by US death metal act Nile. The album was released in November 2009 by Nuclear Blast Records. In regards to Nile I´ve been a bit late to the show. I´ve owned the band´s 2nd full-length studio album "Black Seeds of Vengeance (2000)" since it was released but never gave it many spins (to be honest it´s only recently I´ve given the album a second chance after it has been collecting dust in my basement for nearly 10 years). It wasn´t until the release of "Annihilation of the Wicked (2005)" that I began to take notice of Nile. If "Annihilation of the Wicked" made me aware that Nile is one of the most unique sounding and innovative death metal acts on the scene, "Ithyphallic (2007)" cemented that position. While "Ithyphallic" isn´t as fresh and groundbreaking as "Annihilation of the Wicked" was, when that album was released, "Ithyphallic" is an album that just sweeps away any resistance and stands tall as a premier league death metal album. A statement from Nile that they were gonna continue to release quality death metal.

"Those Whom the Gods Detest" is the third full-length studio album in a row produced by Neil Kernon (Nevermore, Macabre...etc.) and sound production wise there are many similarities between the three albums (the drum production is handled by Eric Rutan on this one though). Neil Kernon seems to be the perfect producer to bring out the best in Nile´s rather complex and at times chaotic soundscape. The sound production on "Those Whom the Gods Detest" is powerful, brutal and professionally crafted. Raw yet clear. But not clean in a way that takes away power or brutality.

The music on "Those Whom the Gods Detest" is brutal and technically well played death metal. There´s an epic edge to the music and Nile as usual incorporate middle eastern scales/ notes/ themes in the music. The latter elements compliment the ancent Epypt lyrical themes perfectly and are some of the defining elements of the Nile sound. Or in other words, it´s those elements that set them apart from almost every other death metal act on the scene. The 10 tracks on "Those Whom the Gods Detest" are all well composed, intriguing and powerful enough to tilt an elephant. The tracks are also pretty varied and after only a few spins I´m able to remember each track and seperate them from each other. That´s not necessarily an everyday thing when we´re talking death metal artitsts and their releases but Nile are one of the few exceptions to the rule. They both play crushingly heavy parts, mid-paced death metal grooves and insanely fast-paced blasts. There´s nothing this band can´t do. The vocals are deep brutal growls but they are actually intelligible to a certain extent, which is a major plus in my book. Lead vocalist/ bassist/ guitarist Dallas Toler-Wade are occasionally complimented by guitarist Karl Sanders who delivers some additional growling vocals. The riffs those two conjure up are brutal, razor sharp and rather sophisticated for the genre but it´s the drumming by George Kollias that put the icing on the cake. The man is a phenomena. You can argue that he plays his two triggered bass drums a bit too much but it´s hard to argue that he doesn´t play them well. He has a way of making the music move forward in a powerful and aggressive fashion yet with a sophistication that puts him in a class of his own. In addition to his playing in the faster paced tracks it´s interesting to listen to his playing in the crushingly heavy and slow "4th Arra of Dagon" which perfectly showcases what he is capable of when the pace is lowered.

If anyone should be in doubt by now, Nile once again with "Those Whom the Gods Detest" prove who´s the king. Releasing several high quality death metal albums in a row is not something you´ll see many artists do. They are one of the very few death metal acts that has a distinct sound and a concept that works wonders. The problem with many standard death metal acts is that if someone puts on their music and asked me who was playing, I wouldn´t be able to tell, even though I might have heard the music before. But put on a Nile album and I would instantly be able to tell that it was Nile I was listening to. Now that is what seperates the leaders from the followers. Well crafted memorable compositions, excellent musicianship and a powerful professional production. A 4.5 - 5 star rating is deserved.

topofsm While not a classic in any sense of the word, Nile's debut, "Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka" is still a testament to the greatness of Nile. It doesn't have any of their more epic styled songs, and the production has yet to be bumped up a notch, but that hardly makes it less enjoyable for a Nile record. In fact, it will probably appeal more to straight-up death metal lovers, rather than those who dislike overtly technical and excessive attributes in their metal.

The first thing to notice is the songs are rather short, a stark contrast to what the band would become one day. It gives a sort of grind feel in that sense, in that a lot of the tracks go by at a rapid speed and leave as soon as they arrive. It is indeed harder to pick out tracks even after a few listens, but that's ok. There are also more sections with pure Middle Eastern ambience, such as the track "Kudurru Maqlu", and the complete march piece, "Die Rache Krieg Lied Der Assyriche". Apart from that, there isn't really much different from what we know from Nile.

That being said, the more creative and progressive elements are a bit more noticeably absent. Many of the songs are straight up death metal, like "Barra Edinazzu". There are some great snipppets of what would come eventually, most notably the highlight of the album "Ramses, Bringer of War", which lifts Holst's "Mars, Bringer of War" and incorporates it wonderful into an Egyptian styled death metal piece, definitely a great adaptation. The closing track "Beneath Eternal Oceans Of Sand" is also great, transitioning from dark ambience to tech death in a snap.

As always it seems that Karl Sanders does well leading the team to construct some great metal. His guitar is noticeably present and throughout the album there are lots of those blistering solos that buzz through, giving more harsh oppression to the Egyptian slave-driving mood. The drums lack a bit of personality, and seem to be rather standard fare though. That seems fine, because the song structures still speak for themselves.

As a Nile album, it is easy to see why this one isn't brought up as much as other releases. It isn't bad at all, it just lacks quite a few elements that makes Nile great. That doesn't mean Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka isn't great. On the contrary, it stands on its own as a good collection of Egyptian death metal at a rapid pace with plenty of its own merit

topofsm By the time In their Darkened Shrines was released, Nile was already well established in the Death metal scene. The previous album, Black Seeds of Vengeance, brought together their signature sound of low end mixing with quick guitar lines and plenty of blasts, all under a strong Egyptian and Middle Eastern sounding banner. But this is where they refined it. Songs on In their Darkened Shrines gather more explorative structures, production becomes a lot clearer, and Nile finally arrives at their large, epic scale sound they are known for.

Along with Annihilation of the Wicked, Darkened Shrines is very much what standard Nile sounds like. Tons of energy in the crazy blasts with plenty of little phrygian modal guitar lines blazing through the ear. Right off the bat it distinguishes itself from the previous album, with a droning guitar and a wave of a choir bringing the album in with a dramatic tone, before blasting into the rest of the opening track, "The Blessed Dead". There is plenty of alternation, as per usual in Nile, between the incredibly fast blastbeats (just listen to "Churning the Maelstrom") and slow, pounding death riffs (most of "Sarcophagus").

Aside from the larger scale of sound and the more refined songwriting, Darkened Shrines introduces one of Nile's fan favorite characteristics, their long, epic songs. "Unas Slayer of the Gods" is an eleven-minute long death rampage, where the band impressively goes on for lengthy periods of time with their fast, aggressive riffs, rarely letting off save for a few pounding sections and some Egyptian-styled marches. "Unas" being a fan favorite, Nile became known as one of the better songwriting groups, especially among the technical death metal scene. This is not the only track that gives an epic scale, as the album closes on the four-part epic title suite "In their Darkened Shrines". It starts off completely with an Egyptian march, goes into some of Niles most aggressive songs ("Destruction of the Temple of the Enemies of Ra"), and closing out on a dark, slow, grandiose track highlighting Nile's best slow melodies.

All in all, "In their Darkened Shrines" exemplifies some of the best of Nile's music, and introduces many fresh new elements that you still don't see too much in technical death metal. The production is great, the songs are great, there's a giant, epic feel about the album, and it contains some of Nile's best tracks. Definitely a landmark in technical death metal, and recommended to any fan of extreme metal in general.

bartosso This was my first Nile album and I still remember a staggering impact this music had on me - trampling my brain like a playground lawn. It was really awesome experience!

IN THEIR DARKENED SHRINES is a brutal death metal release, played by masterclass musicians. The sound is very dense and the low frequencies seem to be slightly highlighted. The music abound with extremely fast drumming, blasts, ultra technical solos and riffs. Some songs are slower and more atmospheric but they don't lessen the overall heaviness.

If I was asked to mention truly epic and artistic death metal (in fact it's brutal death metal) it would be Nile. Really, this is so massive, uncompromising and harsh that combining it with more atmospheric sound might seem impossible. But these guys did it! The music they create is immersed in ancient Egypt ambience, but it's not a synthesiser or mummy groaning what makes it that way. The riffs, the very structure of melodies determine its sound and character.

IN THEIR DARKENED SHRINES is definitely their best work to date. Every sound is intriguing, every riff crushing, every blast mindblowing. Try "Wind of Horus" to check it.

UMUR Ithyphallic is the 5th full-length studio album by American death metal act Nile. The band shifted label from Relapse Records to Nuclear Blast Records before the release of Ithyphallic, so this is the band´s first release on Nuclear Blast Records. Ithyphallic was released in July 2007.

The band pretty much continue the brutal technical death metal attack from Annihilation of the Wicked (2005) on Ithyphallic. Ithyphallic is a bit more direct and not quite as epic as Annihilation of the Wicked (2005) though which will probably bring joy to some and disappoint others. The 10:01 minute closing track Even the Gods Must Die is quite the epic track though. The lyrical themes are as usual about ancient Egypt and we´re presented with exotic song titles such as Papyrus Containing the Spell to Preserve Its Possessor Against Attacks From He Who Is in the Water and Laying Fire Upon Apep. The vocals by Dallas Toler Wade have become even better than on the predecessor IMO. They are a bit more decipherable, which is something I appreciate. The vocals are still extremely brutal though.

The musicianship is astonishing to say the least. Drummer George Kollias high energy precision playing is beyond impressive. He plays things on this album that shouldn´t be possible. But don´t fear that he sounds like a machine. He is one of those rare technical death metal drummers who are able to put a human touch into his precision playing. A unique force. The rest of the band are of course also very well playing and one technical yet brutal and catchy guitar riff is presented after another. While I said above that Ithyphallic isn´t as epic as it´s predecessor, the album is still very atmospheric and epic at times, which is one of the great assets of this album. To put atmosphere into brutal music like this is no easy task. The fact that Nile change pace often during songs also help bring great variation to the music. Just as on the last album the songs are all distinguisable from each other. Something that can be a real problem on some extreme metal albums. It´s not like I can hum along to the songs but they are easily recognizable with memorable hooks. The album might take a few spins to sink in, but once you get there it won´t let go.

The production by Neil Kernon is brutal yet detailed. A real treat.

Ithyphallic is yet another high quality death metal album by Nile and it´s hard not to be impressed by what the band has conjured up this time. I´m not sure if I think Ithyphallic is quite as interesting conceptually as Annihilation of the Wicked, which was an album with a really excellent flow, but it´s definitely up there with Annihilation of the Wicked and fully deserves a 4.5 star rating.