NILE — In Their Darkened Shrines (review)

NILE — In Their Darkened Shrines album cover

Album · 2002 · Technical Death Metal

4.5/5 · 2020-07-20
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.