NILE — Ithyphallic (review)

Album · 2007 · Technical Death Metal

4.5/5 · 2017-05-21
UMUR

"Ithyphallic" is the 5th full-length studio album by US death metal act Nile. The band changed 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. It´s the successor to "Annihilation of the Wicked" from 2005 and features the same core trio lineup as the predecessor: Karl Sanders (vocals, guitar), Dallas Toler-Wade (bass, guitar, vocals), and George Kollias (drums).

The material on the 10 track, 49:51 minutes long album pretty much continue down the same brutal technical death metal style of "Annihilation of the Wicked (2005)". "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 minutes long closing track "Even the Gods Must Die" is quite the epic track though and "Ithyphallic" is in no way a raw and simple death metal release. Compared to other similar releases this is still quite epic music. The lyrical themes are as usual about ancient Egypt/occultism and we´re presented with exotic song titles like "Papyrus Containing the Spell to Preserve Its Possessor Against Attacks From He Who Is in the Water" and "Laying Fire Upon Apep". The relatively intelligible growling vocals by Dallas Toler-Wade are a great asset to the band´s music. They are placed higher in the mix than the case was on "Annihilation of the Wicked (2005)" and they are generally very effective. Brutal, aggressive, and rhythmically powerfully delivered. Karl Sanders as always performs unintelligible growling vocals to compliment Toler-Wade´s commanding performance.

The musicianship featured on the album 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 to his precision playing. A unique force, who is able to provide the band´s music with the right amount of extreme intensity. The rest of the band are of course also very well playing and one technical yet brutal and catchy guitar riff are performed after another.

While I wrote above that "Ithyphallic" isn´t as epic as it´s predecessor, the album is still very atmospheric and quite epic at times, which is one of the great assets of this album. To apply atmosphere to brutal music like this is no easy task. The fact that Nile change pace often during their tracks also helps bring great variation to the music. Just as the case was on "Annihilation of the Wicked (2005)" the tracks can be told apart after a few listens. It´s not an easily accessible release, but it´s a rewarding listen given the right amount of time and spins. So while I may not be able to hum along to the tracks, they still feature rhythmic hooks and recognisable moments, which provide the material with a rare death metal catchiness.

Producer Neil Kernon has been brought in again and he has created a brutal yet detailed and very powerful sounding release. "Ithyphallic" features the perfect sound to match the intensity and brutality of the material, but still with a detail level which suits the epic nature of the material too. Upon conclusion "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 (2005)", which was an album with a really excellent flow, but it´s definitely up there with "Annihilation of the Wicked (2005)" and fully deserves a 4.5 star (90%) rating.