UMUR "In Their Darkened Shrines" is the 3rd full-length studio album by US death metal act Nile. The album was released through Relapse Records in September 2002. Since the release of "Black Seeds of Vengeance (2000)", drummer Tony Laureano (Angelcorpse, Aurora Borealis, Malevolent Creation, Eulogy...) has joined the lineup. Former drummer Pete Hammoura was forced to leave Nile as a result of an injury he sustained while touring in support of the debut album. He played on one track on "Black Seeds of Vengeance (2000)" but other than that the drums were played by session drummer Derek Roddy (Malevolent Creation, Hate Eternal, Council of the Fallen, Serpents Rise...). Tony Laureano would leave Nile again in 2004, but he was considered a permanent member of the lineup in the years he spend with the band. Chief Spires (bass, vocals) left Nile only a few months after the release of "Black Seeds of Vengeance (2000)", but he is not replaced here. Instead Karl Sanders (guitars, vocals) and Dallas Toler Wade (guitars, vocals) handle the bass on "In Their Darkened Shrines".

Stylistically the material on "In Their Darkened Shrines" is a further development of the brutal technical death metal with ancient Egypt lyrical themes also found on "Black Seeds of Vengeance (2000)". The predecessor featured a dark and slighly murky sounding production, and therefore "In Their Darkened Shrines" sounds quite different from that album, although the musical style hasn´t changed dramatically. But with a clearer, yet still brutal and raw sounding production, "In Their Darkened Shrines" is a more detailed release with a more dynamic sound. Nile have always been an incredibly well playing band and their music features a stunning number of compositional details, and for the first time all the glories are produced in a suiting manner, which brings out the best in the material.

It may still sound quite chaotic upon initial listen, but given a few spins it becomes apparent that there is a means to the chaos, and that everything is tightly structured and played with great technical finesse. The tracks are also cleverly composed and great care has been taken to deliver every note with the right conviction and passion. Although many of the tracks are played at breakneck speeds and feature high levels of aggression and brutality, there are heavier more atmospheric parts featured on the album too. A track like the very impressive 11:43 minutes long "Unas Slayer of the Gods" even display a progressive side of Nile. Nile also occasionally use keyboards to enhance the epic atmospheres, and it´s a very effective addition to the core instrumentation of guitars, bass, and drums. The lead vocal duties are shared between Karl Sanders and Dallas Toler Wade, and the vocals alternate between deep unintelligible growling vocals and slightly more intelligible aggressive growling (still delivered in a relatively deep register).

The material on the 12 track, 58:43 minutes long album is relatively varied considering that the band´s core style is brutal technical death metal, but as mentioned above Nile successfully vary their tracks so the listener is not only treated to death grinding brutal technical death metal, but also more atmospheric parts. We´re even treated to a suite in four parts (the title track, which closes the album), which features longer instrumental orchestral parts (played on keyboards).

Upon conclusion "In Their Darkened Shrines" is among the band´s most accessible and varied releases. The improved production values, compared to the two preceding studio albums, only further strengthens my positive feelings toward the album. This is in every possible way a high quality release and a 4.5 star (90%) rating is fully deserved.

Warthur Nile's In Their Darkened Shrines continues the band's thematic exploration of their "Middle Eastern and North African mythology viewed through a Lovecraftian lens" lyrical subject matter. In other words it's not a huge departure from a lot of early Morbid Angel in terms of what the band is actually singing about, and even less of a departure from the approach they took on their previous two albums.

Where Nile make a unique contribution is in their technical approach, which is presented brilliantly here, enjoying a production which lends great clarity to proceedings and highlights just how skilled and inventive the performances are. Toss in a few mini-epics like the multi-part title track and the devastating Unas, Slayer of the Gods and you should have have a winning combination here; however, Nile sabotage themselves by padding out the running time with bombastic marches and and intros and excursions and other bits which fill out the space between the songs needlessly. They do damn good death metal when they get going, but they take a few too many breaks from that here to maintain my interest.

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 Catacombs have best acoustics for death metal!

This was the first Nile album I heard and I still remember a staggering impact this music had on me - trampling my brain like a playground lawn. An awesome experience for sure! IN THEIR DARKENED SHRINES is a brutal death metal at its finest, and saying it's executed by masterclass musicians is actually stating the obvious.

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 ambiance, but it's not a synthesizer 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 mind-blowing and the atmosphere breathtaking. You can't call yourself a death metal fan if you haven't heard this record.