Nile
THOSE WHOM THE GODS DETEST
Nuclear Blast Records

Having listened to so much indistinguishable death metal over the past 10 years or so, it's always a good feeling when you log into your ITunes and find a review copy of something new by Nile automatically downloading from our friends at Nuclear Blast.  It's a guarantee that for the next hour of listening, you are going to be treated to something brutal, but far more thought out lyrically and developed musically than practically anyone else in the genre.  Karl Sanders and company continue their quest to explore ancient Egyptian history through the pummelling of the listeners eardrums with THOSE WHOM THE GODS DETEST.  While this album isn't quite as good as their ITHYPHALLIC release from two years ago, it's every bit as dynamic, intense and thought provoking.

Just calling it like it is, Karl Sanders is one of the most genius death metal writers and musical arrangers in the genre today.  THOSE WHOM THE GODS DETEST features a great collection of songs that are challenging thematically, yet feature the unique, dynamic structure which Nile alone does so well.  From the opening of "Kafir", it's clear that Sanders and company have picked up where ITHPHALLIC left off.  Blazing brutality on guitars from Sanders and Dallas Toler-Wade are once again the dominant factor that drives most of THOSE WHOM THE GODS DETEST.  The way they flash speed in solos while crushing with riffs on songs like "Those Whom The Gods Detest" highlights the brilliance that has long made this band stand above the rest of the genre.  Simply put, these guys could simply throw death metal riffs down and bark over them, but they choose to challenge themselves with each song of each release.  Vocally, Sanders continues to morph his sound into a much more audible, yet clearly death metal sound and style.  He belts it out furiously on songs like "Permitting The Dead To Descend To The Underworld".  Sanders is more than a mere barker and always has been, but the ferocity he exhibits on THOSE WHOM THE GODS DETEST far outweighs anything he's done in his career.  As with all Nile albums, the drumming is other-worldly.  George Kollias may not be the biggest name in death metal drumming, but he's certainly one of the best out there.

The only real complaint I've got with THOSE WHOM THE GODS DETEST is that, much like most Nile albums, it's just a bit too cerebral for the average death metalhead.  I go to death metal shows, and trust me when I tell you that the core audience for these bands are not people you would consider to be scholarly.  Most true death metal fans consider Cannibal Corpse lyrics to be thought provoking, leaving songs like "Kem Khefa Kheshef" far outweighing the braincells that alcohol and pot haven't already consumed.  In many ways, Nile is to death metal what Queensryche has been to traditional metal, or Bruce Springsteen is to popular rock.  For them, the message is every bit as important as the presentation, but for Nile's audience, you have to wonder how many of their fans "get" it.

PITRIFF RATING - 9/10 - Let's face it, it's brand new Nile and it's terrific.  Simply put, they and Kataklysm are the two best death metal bands on the planet today, and neither has disappointed with a band release in quite awhile now.  THOSE WHOM THE GODS DETEST provides hungry, smart death metal fans with a moving hour of great new material.  It also provides the dumbbells something that just "kicks fucking ass, maaaaan!"  Great stuff.

Chris Akin