NILE – “AT THE GATE OF SETHU”
NUCLEAR BLAST (2012)
As a young man growing up in 70s/80s Athens, there were two things in life that I felt really passionate about: Egyptology and Heavy Metal. Happily, I have fulfilled my dreams of becoming a historian and my passion for the culture of the glorious land of the Pharaohs runs strong to this day – as far as music is concerned, I decided quite early to enjoy and serve it as a fan and later a journalist, rather than as a musician. So, of course, the works of the US Death Metal quartet Nile have always been an attraction. This is a band that has managed to make a great name for themselves through albums like “Annihilation Of The Wicked” (2005) and “Those Whom The Gods Detest” (2009) whose combination of technically complex and speedy riffs, together with Middle-Eastern musical scales make them irresistible musical offerings. What both I and probably the rest of the Death Metal community were curious to see was whether the South Carolina outfit would keep the momentum they had built over the years with their latest studio album “At The Gate Of Sethu”.
It seems that the eleven new compositions on offer here are a product of a group of musicians who truly believe in their capabilities to move things to the next level. New bassist Todd Ellis seems to have blended in quite nicely providing, together with skinsman George Kollias, a solid foundation upon which the duet Karl Sanders/ Dallas Toler-Wade built layers upon layers of shredding riffs and groovy tunes, giving the album character and rhythmical variety. The band’s trademark oriental themes and orchestrations are incorporated throughout the and are of cinematic quality and the decision to ask ex bassist/vocalist Jon Vesano to add vocal contributions provides “At The Gate Of Sethu” with a feel that was missing from its highly-acclaimed predecessor “Those Whom The Gods Detest”. Good stuff then? You bet!
Fast, technical and at times quite atmospheric “Enduring The Eternal Molestation Of Flame” is a great tribute to the works of the mighty Morbid Angel while “The Fiends Who Come To Steal The Magick Of The Deceased” provides a great opportunity for head banging and lets George Kollias prove his amazing drumming skills. Equally varied and impressive “The Inevitable Degradation Of The Flesh” keeps the tempo high, while “When My Wrath Is Done” is a rhythmically challenging composition with some interesting moments. Then the band pulled out the big guns, starting with the dark/oriental instrumental piece “Slaves Of Xul” which paves the way for the dead catchy massive riffs and flamboyant leads of “The Gods Who Light Up The Sky At The Gate Of Sethu” – simply put, the best composition of the album! “Natural Liberation Of Fear Through The Ritual Deception Of Death” is a nice but fairly predictable piece that cannot compare with its predecessor but the second oriental-sounding instrumental “Ethno-Musicological Cannibalism”, together with the groovy “Tribunal Of The Dead” and the somewhat thrash-ier “Supreme Humanism Of Megalomania” certainly make amends. The closing composition “The Chaining Of The Iniquitous” is another truly impressive offering that brings together all the different elements of this album, leading it to an impressive conclusion.
Nile’s previous studio effort “Those Whom The Gods Detest” was, and still is, a highlight of the band’s career so, naturally, the stakes were high for “At The Gate Of Sethu”. I am happy to say that this eleven track album (thirteen if you opt for the limited edition which contains two additional instrumental versions of “Enduring The Eternal Molestation Of Flame” and “The Inevitable Degradation Of The Flesh”) is not only a worthy addition to the band’s discography but also an album that fans could easily characterise as their strongest! The only thing that’s left to see is how the band will recreate this varied and technically demanding material in a live environment, something that I am really looking forward to finding out for myself. The Death Metal album of the year? Quite possibly so!
John Stefanis
Rating: ****1/2 (4.5/5.0)
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