Black Seeds Of Vengeance
[Relapse]

When I first heard about Nile I made the mistake that I am afraid many others will make with this band: I passed them off as a cheap imitation of Cannibal Corpse. Now that I have given the band a good listen however, I can say that while the style may share many similarities with CC, this band is incredibly unique. This brings us to the review of their latest offering, "Black Seeds of Vengeance".

The opening track is a beautifully done Egyptian-style instrumental, the only thing that would make it better would be if it were a bit longer as it clocks in at a mere 43 seconds. The album then kicks into the title track. "Black Seeds of Vengeance" is a lesson in the meaning of true brutality. It definitely has been a while since a band has completely knocked the shit out of me like this. Seriously, fuck Cannibal Corpse. Nile is what you want to listen to if you're in the mood to get your ass kicked all over the room. As if the growls weren't enough to make you realize that this is a band that is not to be taken lightly, many songs come in with a chorus of growls or chants. The chants work especially well on "Defiling The Gates Of Ishtar" where the music suddenly stops, chants come in, and in perfect sync, the double-bass pounds your face in with the chants.

The instrumental "Libation Unto The Shades Who Lurk In The Shadows Of The Temple Of Anhur" features some beautiful, eerie acoustic guitar playing with gongs and growls in the background. It also features one of the longest song names that I have ever seen. The other unusual track here, "To Dream Of Ur" is a breathtaking composition that simply has to be heard to be understood. This isn't just all-out blast beats, this album has an abundance of substance.

Having gotten this far, I realize that I have not even praised the incredible guitar playing on this album. Karl Sanders and Dallas Toler-Wade can grind, but they can also solo with amazing precision. There is often a lot of guitar layering, but rather than muddy the effect that the instrument has on the album, it magnifies it, bringing everything into focus.

Everything here is done on a grand scale, three vocalists, magnificent production, I simply don't think I can praise this album enough. The band also decided to include notes about the making and ideas behind each song. Some of the Egyptian themes are just frightening when you read about them, and Nile have definitely done their homework. To hell with Satan and hellspawn, if you want to hear truly scary stuff, just follow along with Nile's lyrics. I guarantee it makes interesting reading along with excellent music.