Nile
Black Seeds of Vengeance

THE REVIEW

After the electrifying debut "Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka" released in 1998, Nile returned two years later with this "Black Seeds of Vengeance"; the first concrete step towards consecration, which will lead them, with the extraordinary "In Their Darkened Shrines", to rightfully enter the Olympus of the greats in extreme music.
The first noteworthy point is the inclusion in the lineup, alongside leader Kearl Sanders (Vocals and Guitar), Chief Spires (Vocals and Bass), and the monstrous Pete Hammoura (Drums and Vocals), of the talented guitarist Dallas Toler-Wade and the versatile drummer Derek Roddy (Hate Eternal, Malevolent Creation, and Aurora Borealis among others); the latter as a special guest.

Compared to their debut, the group focuses even more on speed and impact, while still delivering inspired, mature, and complex songwriting. The characteristics of Nile's sound are all present: ultra-catacombal growls (all members take turns on vocals), an extremely complex riffing assembled practically with solos, melodies coming from ancient Egypt (many parts are played with typical Egyptian musical instruments), double bass drums launched at stellar speeds. Indeed, Nile with their unique music combine the ferocity of brutal-death with atmospheric moments of rare beauty that completely engage the listener.

The title track (which starts after a tranquil intro) should be quite clear in this regard: the usual sonic assault from our guys is broken by a very epic final part with a militaristic drumming in the background. Also worth mentioning is "The Black Flame" with its initial doom riff (a riff that will be weightily reprised and reworked later in the song "Sarcophagus" from "In Their Darkened Shrines") which prepares the listener for a remarkable ear-destroying experience, "Defiling The Gates of Ishtar", truly brutal in its progression, the paced "Masturbating The War of God" which features terrifying accelerations at the end, the very long "To Dream of Ur" where the impression is like being in the midst of an Egyptian funeral rite, with a priest in the grip of who knows what demonic possession. Sanders and associates place amid so much brutality even an acoustic-instrumental song like "Libation unto The Shades Who Lurk in the Shadows of the Temple of Anhur" to catch a breath. The closure is entrusted to the hypnotic and obsessive mantra of "Khetti Satha Shemsu" where among the numerous guest vocalists even Ross Dolan from Immolation makes an appearance. Above the norm is the performance of all members: the axe duo Sanders/Toler-Wade is truly tireless in creating fast and highly technical riffs (innumerable time changes within each song), Hammoura and Roddy are simply spectacular drummers (listen to the technique on the rolls and the use of cymbals). Obviously, I won’t elaborate on the lyrics, all cryptic and particular, which reference the ancient Egyptian civilization and everything related to it.

An absolutely must-have album to understand the recent evolution of death metal. At least currently, I don’t see any fiercely competitive rivals on the horizon...