Eight albums into their career, death metal act Nile really have nothing left to prove. Their brand of brutal, technical death metal steeped in Egyptian mythology and history has long thrilled fans worldwide, and their albums are filled with some of the most impeccable musicianship the genre has ever seen. With their latest platter of crushing mayhem, titled What Should Not Be Unearthed, band leader Karl Sanders has written about theories of an elder ancient civilization which could give the origin to ancient Egypt, and how uncovering this race might not actually be a good idea. While most Nile albums offer uncanny musical explorations mixed with brutal heaviness, as does this one, the band seem to have upped the anti here as far as the heavy factor goes. There are sections on this album that could possibly be the heaviest things the band have ever done...it's that massive folks.
As always, alongside Sanders (guitars, vocals) are Dallas Toler-Wade (guitars, vocals), George Kollias (drums), and Brad Parris (bass, vocals), and together these guys have become one of the tightest acts in all of extreme metal. Superhuman drummer Kollias makes his second epic statement in 2015 (his solo album Invictus is pretty damn awesome too) as his uncanny blasting permeates each and every song here in grand fashion. Listen to him flailing away underneath the weaving, crushing riffage of "Negating The Abominable Coils Of Apep" or the relentless attack of "Liber Stellae Rubeae", as Toler-Wade & Sanders lay waste to the landscape with their venomous growls and technical & brutal guitar parts. Longtime fans also look forward to the little bits of Egyptian instrumental interludes, which you can hear on the intro to the mighty "In The Name Of Amun", a tune that cranks out some jackhammer blasting from Kollias and more of those addicting, interweaving guitar lines. It's majestic, yet utterly crushing all at the same time. For slow, monstrously heavy grooves, it doesn't get any better than the title track...I mean, this tune will grab you by the neck, pulverize you into the ground, and smash you over and over again. Quite possibly the most gut wrenchingly heavy song this band has ever recorded, "What Should Not Be Unearthed" is unrelenting in its brutality. The band immediately picks up the pace on "Evil To Cast Out Evil", a raging death metal demon driven by killer riffs and savage solos, with Toler-Wade's evil growls leading the charge over manic rhythms, while "Age of Famine" again drops down to slow, grueling death metal, as Sander's ghastly moans float over behemoth guitar & bass riffs before Toler-Wade's tortured wails eventually come into play. "Rape of the Black Earth" pulverizes from start to finish, and the headbanging closer "To Walk Forth From Flames Unscathed" again pummels the listener with guitar riffs that are so dangerously heavy that it almost makes it hard to recover.
Seriously, I can't say it enough...this is one HEAVY record. Compared to some technical death metal acts who just want to dazzle with their virtuosity, Nile have managed to weave in enough complexity here but more importantly up the heaviness factor, all while telling their latest Egyptian storyline. What Should Not Be Unearthed is filled with blazing guitar solos, acrobatic drumming, multiple vocal growls, occasional ethnic instrumental passages, and most importantly, massively crushing riffs, all elements of what is ultimately one of the best death metal releases of the year.
See more about this release on our recent YouTube show!
Track Listing
01. Call To Destruction
02. Negating The Abominable Coils Of Apep
03. Liber Stellae Rubeae
04. In The Name Of Amun
05. What Should Not Be Unearthed
06. Evil To Cast Out Evil
07. Age Of Famine
08. Ushabti Reanimator
09. Rape Of The Black Earth
10. To Walk Forth From Flames Unscathed
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