siLLy puPPy Very few bands and artists thrill me to the point that i actually truly look forward to a new release but there are a few top dogs in my world that still give me that giddy euphoria that i felt as a teen utterly mesmerized by the majesty of their musical output. NILE is one of those top dogs and to my ears has never released a substandard album in its entire career although some albums are clearly stronger than others. This is a band that stridently strives for quality over sheer numbers so when i got word that a new release was hitting the scene in 2024, well, i just got the musical version of NILE fever! It’s been five years since “Vile Nilotic Rites,” which i personally loved but apparently didn’t quite resonate with the rest of the fanbase as strongly. The band’s newest attack of the senses comes from the pummelation overload of its tenth album THE UNDERWORLD AWAITS US ALL which adds a new member to the previous album’s quartet status. Guitarist Zach Jeter of lesser known bands like Doomsday Revival, Imperium, Lecherous Nocturne and Olkoth joins the team adding a whole new level of bombast to the team’s treacherous crocodile filled stream of sound.

The band is death metal royalty at this point in their career and has pretty much been so for well over two decades ago but like a handful of bands such as Enslaved, Incantation, Moonsorrow and Esoteric just to name a few seems to never run out of inspiration and a passion for delivering the highest caliber of metal in its retrospective field and even though NILE may dip a bit in overall quality from album to album, to my ears it’s always above average with an endless cornucopia of creativity sweeping the undercurrents of every brutally delivered guitar riff, bantering bass groove and guttural growl. Once again the band returns with what many are deeming the band’s best album in years however i find it simply to be yet another top notch feather in a well decorated cap. With the extra heft of a second guitarist, THE UNDERWORLD AWAITS US ALL unleashes a ridiculously full sound effect with dueling galloping guitar gymnastics and a frenetic beastly warlike percussive drive that has propelled George Kollias to the top of the heap for technical drummers in the modern world.

The album features 11 tracks that add up to about 53 1/2 minutes with the usual NILE characteristics of nerdy technically infused gnarled rhythms whizzing by like a blitzkrieg in Cairo with the occasional breaks into traditional Egyptian musical scales downtuned into an acoustic melancholy. To the uninitiated an incessant form of headache music that sounds like every other death metal migraine but to the fully indoctrinated into the cult of NILE, a massive upgrade in technique and expansiveness as the first five member album to appear since 2000’s “Black Seeds Of Vengeance.” The results is an even greater amplification of the sheer brutality the band has delivered since the beginning coupled with knotty labyrinthine riffing excursions and a slightly warped sense of reality through bizarre syncopated techniques and an unwavering weaving of a cross-section of contrapuntal anomalies. What sounds a bit new to my eras is that two guest vocalists add a bit of backing support from time to time which ushers NILE into the world of vocal harmonies albeit unpredictable where they will emerge and rather fleeting once they appear like a desert mirage.

Like every NILE release, the musicianship is top tier with razor-sharp guitar gymnastics leading the way supported by the most robust beefy bass bantering and technical drumming wizardry the world of technical death metal has to offer. Likewise Karl Sanders’ vocal growls sound as poignant as ever with the piercing precision of a hanged man delivering his last noose-necked utterances. The incessant flow is relentless which will please all the speed freaks out there who lament the fact bands like Ulcerate have slowed their frenetic death metal delivery system to a doomy dirge and other bands such as Gojira or Behemoth have ventured into the more commercial viabilities of catchy alternative metal based song structures. NILE remains true to its craft with an incessant dedication to the chaotic flow that it has always unleashed with a furor and even some 25 years after its earliest recordings still shows no signs of letting its foot off the gas.

While cries of treading water may come from many who find such rampaging attacks to be overweening and taxing on the ears, it should be remembered that such woes of despair emerge from those who can only handle death metal lite in all its watered down variations and that NILE is reserved for those who want their death metal to deliver the deathly goods without having to sweeten their caffeinated beverage into a trendy latte version of its former glory. I for one admire a band like NILE that forges ahead into the future fearlessly adhering to its Egyptian themed metal mania without compromising its basic principles of keeping death metal brutal and as friggin ugly and mangled as is possible. As with all NILE releases, the differences between the albums lie in the subtleties which for some may take a few spins to discern but to my ears this album is clearly different than what came before not just by the quintet status which gives the band a fuller more dynamic spectrum of sound but also in the musical motifs, clever cadences and use of clean vocal harmonies to add a touch of contrast. Pretty much every NILE is a winner in my book and this one is no better or worse than the majority of its canon. Simply another pleasing journey into the best of what brutal technical death metal has to offer and NILE is always a band that delivers.

UMUR "Vile Nilotic Rites" is the 9th full-length studio album by US death metal act Nile. The album was released through Nuclear Blast in November 2019. It´s the successor to "What Should Not Be Unearthed" from 2015 and features a significant lineup change as lead vocalist/guitarist Dallas Toler-Wade has jumped ship. He has been replaced by Brian Kingsland (Enthean).

Stylistically it´s more or less business as usual. Brutal technical death metal with Ancient Egyptian/Middle East lyrical themes and melodies/atmospheres. As on every Nile release before this one the musicianship is through the roof. The tracks are so complex in structure and the riffs and rhythms so technically difficult to play, that it´s impossible not to drop your jaw several times while listening to "Vile Nilotic Rites". Funny enough we have now been spoiled for so many years and albums with the band´s incredible musicianship, that it by now feels like a matter of course, which is of course totally unfair to the performers, but that´s just what happens when you continue to deliver on such a high level for so many years. It unfortunately also has the consequence that expectations to any new Nile release are now sky high, and any deviation in quality or sound is noticed by the rabid fans. Nile fans are like the Dream Theater fans of death metal...

...which leads me to the lineup change on the lead vocalist spot. Overall Kingsland does a good job replacing Toler-Wade and the quality of the vocal performances from both Kingsland (intelligible growling vocals), Karl Sanders (deep unintelligible growling vocals), and Brad Parris (higher pitched screaming vocals) are high. But when that is said, replacing Toler-Wade one to one is nearly impossible. He is one of the most distinct sounding and powerful growling vocalists on the scene and the importance of his voice and commanding vocal style on Nile´s previous albums can not be underestimated. So for all the good intentions and skilled vocal performances on "Vile Nilotic Rites", the quality of the vocals, or maybe more correctly the uniqueness of the vocals, is lower here than on the last many albums by the band which featured Toler-Wade.

The instrumental part of the music is as intriguing and busy as ever. It´s powerful, brutal, and technically very well played death metal of the highest caliber. Nile are in the Premier League of death metal artists, and "Vile Nilotic Rites" does nothing to change that. The album features a powerful, brutal, and detailed sound production and upon conclusion it´s yet another Nile album reeking high class. I´m not sure I find it quite as interesting as "What Should Not Be Unearthed (2015)", but a 4 star (80%) rating is still deserved.

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.

Kev Rowland In the years between the release of 2015’s ‘What Should Not Be Unearthed’ and 2019’s ‘Vile Nilotic Rites’ there has been some changes in the Nile camp, with the departure of Dallas Toler-Wade after some 20 years of being in the band. The band are again back as a quartet, with Sanders and Kollias being joined by Brad Parris (bass, vocals) and Brian Kingsland (guitars, vocals), but most importantly is what has happened to the music. Nile have looked back towards their roots in many ways, yet are also pushing forward with an album which is many ways is one of the most varied they have ever released. There is a brightness within it, a light which is shining, which allows them to move away from the lower register without ever losing any of the heaviness.

There are times when both guitars and bass are tracking note for note at incredible speed, with the bass being played so high up on the neck that it sounds almost like another guitar which allows space to be filled by the drumming of Kollias who has apparently got a second wind as this release probably contains his best performance yet. Apparently the band changed the way they undertook pre-production this time so when George was tracking his drums he had a much better idea of the finished sound. We even have orchestral passages which allow the band to have improved contrast so they can really come back firing. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a Nile album I haven’t really enjoyed, but this is taking things to a whole new level. The use of brass during “Seven Horns of War” is simply inspired, yet when the band really kick in the song becomes something down, dirty, disgusting and most definitely Nile.

It is still technical death metal, but in many ways they are pushing the boundaries and taking the genre into new directions. Lyrically Sanders is still pushing the boat with references to Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and Levantine history, and who else would have a song about zombie ants? Sanders and Kollias are firmly at the helm, and with the new guys firmly on board and bedded in on the live circuit, they have created what may just be the best album of their career. It is certainly their most diverse, without losing any of the power and brutality for which they are renowned. Simply essential.

Kev Rowland This 2015 album was the fourth in eight years with the same line-up of Karl Sanders (guitars, bass, vocals) , Dallas Toler-Wade (guitars, bass, v) and George Kollias (drums). Unlike many metal bands, drummer Kollias is a key songwriter, contributing the music to most of the tracks on the album. At this point it was 20 years since their debut EP, and although only Sanders was still there from those early days, the band had really matured and were (and are) at the pinnacle of technical death metal. Is there another band within the genre who are so instantly recognisable and who consistently deliver albums of such high calibre?

Some people try to make the argument that if you’ve got a Nile album in your collection then you really don’t need any more, but could you just have one album by Sabbath, or just one by Mk II Deep Purple? In each case they have a style they have made very much their own, yet each album is very different in its own right yet conforming to a certain style. I have always loved the technical virtuosity combined with brutal heaviness which is typical of Nile, combined with vocals which sound as if they are being dragged out from a demonic plane. 20 years in the game and the band are only getting heavier and more powerful with age – this is not a sign of a band going gently into the good night, but is going to be kicking and screaming and devil take the hindmost. Brutal and fast with incredible note density combined with dynamics and different shades of dark to provide contrast, this is yet another incredibly strong example of the very best in the genre.