Nile - At the Gate of Sethu
“Pee in the shower! Pee in the shower!
Pee in the shower! Pee in the shower!”
No, that isn’t how the second cut from the classic Amongst the Catacombs of the Nephren-Ka begins, but it’s wild they made an album so memorable it still lends itself to parody 14 years later. Sadly, it dawned on me one night, gazing at my record collection, thinking, “Do I really need all the Niles? Never listen to ‘em…”, that they haven’t really written anything as memorable since. In retrospect, all Nile albums have been good. That is to say they sound fantastic and enthrall with brutality while being played, but once they’re over nothing is remembered. (The title track from Black Seeds of Vengeance doesn’t count. Too easy.) Hard to argue with results, though. As far as Death Metal bands go, Nile has achieved extraordinary success. Whether that’s because they appeal to the afraid-of-Satan Death Metallers lyrically, or because some Metalheads are convinced Karl Sanders is really Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, is a debate for another time. When I popped in At the Gate of Sethu (bless you), I was reluctantly expecting more of the same. A Nile album that sounds like all Nile albums sound. Fast, brutal, technical, Egyptian bullshit, etc. All of a sudden, I can only wish that were the case! We still get the speed and virtuoso skill level, and of course the Egyptian bugaboo, but where the fuck is the heaviness? And what the fuck’s up with the vocals? Forgive me, I don’t know which of their 37 vocalists is which, but the low growls have taken an unfortunate backseat to awkward, lightweight, pitiful yelling. Related to the return of Joe Vesano or not, the vocals on this album are embarrassingly awful, and that deliriously heavy bottom end is gone. Perhaps a more traditional tuning, a more organic production, and a neutered vocal approach is all an effort to revisit their Thrash roots? Not sure, but the end results are alarmingly weak. I wanted this record to stand out, but not like this. On second thought, I think I’ll keep all the Niles. I’ll just stop at whatever their last one was called.
(1) Comment(s)
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Jon Konrath said:
I personally don’t think anything will top their last release, “Minestrone Couscous”. 1.9 ounces of pure dehydrated low-fat soup goodness. I never thought any of their releases would surpass the classic 1.8 ounce “Red Beans and Rice”, and it’s unfortunate how the now-unavailable “Rice Pilaf Primavera” consisted largely of filler material (yeast extract, dehydrated vegetables). But I think their latest release, “Lentil Curry Couscous” is much stronger than the reviewer suggests. I think Metal Curse should try this one again, possibly being a little more careful when measuring the boiling water poured into the soup cup to insure proper re-hydration of the evil cult satanic ingredients.
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