Permitting The Noble Dead To Descend To The Underworld
Yezd Desert Ghul Ritual In The Abandoned Towers Of Silence
Kem Khefa Kheshef
The Eye Of Ra
Iskander D'hul Karnon
2009 release from the Extreme Metal outfit. With six critically acclaimed albums and several world tours under their belts, Nile have raised the bar for extreme metal bands musically, lyrically and conceptually. Their with... more »ering live performances are nothing short of legendary, gaining them the respect of fellow musicians, critics and fans worldwide. On Those Whom the Gods Detest, they have brought the Middle Eastern sound that sets them apart from their peers to the forefront of their assault. Their trademark swarming guitars, relentless drum blasts that push human limits of endurance, and vicious vocals are mastered in a way never before heard, giving them a more concise and balanced attack than ever before!« less
2009 release from the Extreme Metal outfit. With six critically acclaimed albums and several world tours under their belts, Nile have raised the bar for extreme metal bands musically, lyrically and conceptually. Their withering live performances are nothing short of legendary, gaining them the respect of fellow musicians, critics and fans worldwide. On Those Whom the Gods Detest, they have brought the Middle Eastern sound that sets them apart from their peers to the forefront of their assault. Their trademark swarming guitars, relentless drum blasts that push human limits of endurance, and vicious vocals are mastered in a way never before heard, giving them a more concise and balanced attack than ever before!
CD Reviews
Is it an insult to say that Nile has matured?
M. Fontaine | Ecotopia | 11/05/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album showcases Nile's jaw-dropping technical prowess with excellent production values that deliver snap and crunch without a trace of murk. Nile's riffs are like a movie whose frames pass too fast to distinguish the gaps between them, creating a seamless fractal whole out of tiny fragments.
I disagree with the reviewer who said the songs show less dynamic range than earlier releases as well as the notion that they have abandoned their trademark exotica. Instead, I felt the dynamics were better-integrated into the song and album structure, as were the sounds of evil pharaohs groaning and banging gongs. Five stars and I'm definitely going to catch them in Seattle in January at El Corazon."
Impressive!
Don Weidner | Pacific Northwest | 11/05/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Interestingly, Nile's new album came out the same day as Slayer's new World Painted Blood. I had pre-ordered both and was excited for the dual-release day! Having been a Slayer fan for more than two decades, I have to say I was most excited about their release. However, after the first listen, I am far more impressed with Nile's newest work!
Nile continues to broaden their scope and deepen their skill with each release. Those Whom the Gods Detest blazes as fast as any Nile album to date while somehow adding more. Vocal ranges have improved, the lyrics are fascinating, and I detect additional instruments beyond their norm. The notes even explain the history and meaning behind every song.
If you're a metal fan and you're only buying one new album this month, choose Nile over Slayer (Araya forgive me)."
True death metal
E. Hyatt | 11/04/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The new Nile album is a stellar work, with stunning production values that only enhance the overall product. Karl Sanders' liner notes are back and they provide an insight on where these ideas come from and show a great sense of humor as well. Only Nile fans are likely to read these reviews and so to them, I say that you will absolutely love this album. The vocals, guitar tones and drumming are so far beyond the curve for most music, and on this album the bass presents itself as never before. This reviewer's favorite album of the year, followed closely by Behemoth's Evangelion and Mastodon's Crack the Skye.
Buy this album."
You can actually hear instruments!
George Arnett | North Carolina | 11/06/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"For a band that touts itself as extreme metal with a focus on technical riffing, it seems like every Nile album I've heard has been a surprisingly muddy and/or thin, poorly produced mess. But this album sounds amazing. After collecting the past few Nile albums, I didn't really care that much about this upcoming release, until it leaked and people started saying it had good production. Then I listened to a new song on their myspace page and it blew me away. FINALLY, Nile has released an album with production values worthy of their insane technicality. If you have ever been interested in Nile, but didn't enjoy putting on head phones and straining to hear each instrument, get this album! Some other reviews say that this sounds like Nile, and we've heard it before and all that, but I own three of their albums and I can honestly say this is the first time I've ever really HEARD them. They are freaking amazing. This music gets so crazy in parts, you're brain can't keep up with it and you go into that delightful metal stupor. And if you're a musician, it makes you want to throw all your equipment in the trash and never play again. I mean, what can you do that's technically better than this? Also, the liner notes are great. Having each song explained adds a whole other layer that you may not have picked up on without them. Fantastic album, if you've read this far and your interest is piqued, go get it now!"
Back to the Shadows Whence They Came
Necropolis | P.G. Maryland USA | 11/10/2009
(3 out of 5 stars)
"In order to explain the problem with the "Those Whom the Gods Detest" album, I feel compelled to go backwards and look at the bands progression. Plenty of us became aware of Nile when the "In their Darkened Shrines" was released. As plenty of Nile fans still remember, this cd was a wild one. Wade and Sanders shredded their guitars in a way that created an almost indecipherable wall of buzzing sound. While some of their songs fit this description, "Kheftiu Asar Butchiu" for example, a few slower paced tracks like, "Sarcophagus" stood out to show the fans an alternative direction for the band.
"In their Darkened Shrines" marked a point in the bands career where Nile began to mature, putting aside sheer speed and brutality for tracks with more listenability.
The band's next two albums illustrated this perfectly, pushing thematic and egyptian elements to the front of their sound. Even though plenty of the tracks were still blindingly fast, they retained a quality that kept the listener's ability to keep a steady headbang to the rhythm. Check out Burning Pits of Duat, the Annihilation of the Wicked track, Eat of the Dead, or Even the Gods Must Die.
Since the Ithyllphalic album was released, I couldn't wait for more once I heard that the "Those Whom.." album was being released, but once I heard it, I was a bit disappointed. The problem with the album once I listened two it, was that it did not follow the same path as the previous two albums! It resembles Nile at a younger, less selective point in their career of more technicality, more buzz, more brutality and less melody.
On a different note, I must admit that this cd has the best production I've heard from this band to date. Each note note from every instrument is sharp and discernible, but that doesn't distract from the fact that some of the album's melodies are just plain weird (and not in a dissonant good way), the chorus of the album's title track is sung HORRIBLY, and the middle eastern singing excerpts are installed in just the worst way. Aside from that, this is still Nile.
The interludes from Sanders are plentiful and are some of the band's best, although in my opinion they don't mix well with the main track. I believe that Sanders got his fill of thematic acoustic style music and decided to focus mainly on the albums rougher sounds rather than creating brooding melodies shared by the interludes and the main track (thus creating a more magical mesh).
Aside from all the lows I pointed out, some of the albums tracks are truely unforgetable! Tracks like, "Permitting the dead... and Iskander D'hul Kernon " stand as purely epic and BEYOND AMAZING! (Better than anything on the previous cd!) And yes, like the rest of the albums, this one gets better the more you listen to it. Although the entire album wasn't as good as Ithyllphalic (from start to finish) it is more than worthy of a full listen."
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1