South Carolina stalwarts Nile long ago established an everlasting legacy in the death metal realms. Following an impressive, innovative debut, Nile cranked out several undisputed modern classics in Black Seeds of Vengeance (2000), In Their Darkened Shrines (2002) and Annihilation of the Wicked (2005). Unlike some of their ageless peers, such as Immolation, Autopsy and Incantation, Nile’s later era has succumbed in part to the Law of Diminishing Returns. After 2009’s devastating Those Whom the Gods Detest, later releases have struggled to match the awe-inspiring legacy of Nile’s peak years. Their unwavering dedication to ancient Egyptian culture and storytelling, deft, pummeling mix of technical, brutally pummeling and atmospheric death has remained steadfast. And while never coming close to dropping a Illud Divinum Insanus quality turd, the allure of a new Nile album is not what it used to be. Nevertheless, my long-held respect has me optimistic for a more positive turn of fortunes.
Despite losing key member Dallas Toler-Wade, 2019’s Vile Nilotic Rites offered solid returns. Now tenth album The Underworld Awaits Us All arrives spearheaded by mastermind Karl Sanders and long-serving drummer George Kollias. Guitarist/vocalist Brian Kingsland and newcomers Dan Vadim Von (bass, vocals) and Zach Jeter (guitars, vocals) round out the line-up. The Underworld Awaits Us All carries the battered baton in tried-and-true fashion, showing no signs of radical reinvention, nor skimping on head-spinning technicality, ferocious speed and uncompromising brutality. It’s cool to hear Nile sounding so vital, even if the album fails to touch their early career classics. “Stelae of Vultures” wastes little time unleashing a relentless firestorm of trademark, skin-flaying Nile riffage, precision, chaotic percussion, and a refreshingly potent example of their multi-pronged vocal attack. The song’s interesting structural shifts, standout riffs and generous dosage of swaggering groove carries a mix of heft, ferocity and memorability.
The Underworld Awaits Us All packs intensity and solid songwriting into a taut blast of streamlined, trusty old school death. Make no mistake, this is modern Nile, so listeners expecting a return to the more chaotic, oppressive edge, supreme writing and immersive Egyptian atmospheres of past glories may be disappointed. Outrageously titled single “Chapter for Not Being Hung Upside Down on a Stake in the Underworld Made to Eat Feces by the Four Apes” blasts and hurtles ahead at maximum speed, leveraging its unforgiving attack with sleek blackened melodeath throwbacks and dicing riffs. Nile set a strong early standard as the concise, cutthroat “To Strike with Secret Fang” convincingly attests. Vocally, this is Nile’s strongest album in a long while, the varied assault more consistent and guttural. The sporadic and likely divisive usage of cleaner vocal sections and chants adds a melodic and bombastic edge to the material. Mostly they work well, embellishing otherwise savage yet memorable cuts as “Naqada II Enter the Golden Age” and “Overlords of the Black Earth,” without being a crutch. “Under the Curse of the One God” demonstrates Nile can still blast with the best of them, while ambitious highlight “The Gods of the Desert” explores moodier terrain, whipped into a hefty slab of death-doom laced goodness.
Nimble-limbed Kollias is a class drummer of the highest order, forming a blazing, technical percussive backbone, fluidly complementing the album’s smooth dynamics and hugely impactful groove sections erupting throughout the album. The triple threat axe attack supplies a meaty, catchy batch of riffs, scorched leads, and Middle Eastern motifs, the dense, lightning-fast, technical tornado given breathing room through dark melodicism and trademark atmospheric touches weaved into the predominantly frantic attack. For all the album’s solid qualities, some artful trimming would tighten the slightly bloated runtime, while the cleaner modern sound lacks some of the menacing charm and heft of their old school material.
Quibbles aside, the writing sticks the landing more often than not and The Underworld Awaits Us All mostly hits harder than recent Nile offerings. Though it cannot match the supreme powers of their earlier albums, it’s a fresh and encouraging follow-up to the progress on Vile Nilotic Rites, clearly showing Nile are not content to rest on their laurels as they enter the twilight years of a long career. Sanders’ passion and craftmanship steers the Nile machine into more accessible, bombastic waters, while offering a lean, mean streamlined update of their signature sound. In the end, some bloat and overt cleanliness fails to detract from the most fun I’ve had with a modern Nile release in a long time.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: Stream
Label: Napalm Records
Websites: nile.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/nilecatacombs
Releases Worldwide: August 23rd, 2024
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