Ah Nile – purveyors of brutal, Egyptian-themed death metal since 1993. Unbelievably, this is the band’s tenth album and, being their first in five years (the last effort being Vile Nilotic Rites, released back in 2019), anticipation has reached fever pitch. Produced and recorded at main man Karl Sanders’ own Serpent Headed Studios in Greenville, South Carolina, for this effort the band reunited with engineer Mark Lewis (Cannibal Corpse, Dying Fetus, Whitechapel), who did such a great job on Vile Nilotic Rites. The result, The Underworld Awaits Us All is a fine example of both the band’s ever-evolving musicianship, and of their detailed song craft which is refined to a quite ludicrous degree.
Wasting little time on niceties, the album opens with the regal wrath of Stelae Of Vultures. The opening, doom-laden riff notwithstanding, it’s a face-melting example of death metal at its finest, with Karl’s scabrous rasp sounds more commanding than ever. With complex riffs dotting the landscape and a production job that renders every element with utmost clarity, it’s not so much an opening gambit as a statement of intent, and it sets the scene perfectly for what follows. Comfortably competing as one of the year’s most f***ed up song titles, Chapter For Not Being Hung Upside Down On A Stake In The Underworld And Made To Eat Feces By The Four Apes thankfully does not try to cram that mouthful (for goodness’ sake – Ed.) into the chorus. Rather, it unleashes its visceral rage amidst a flurry of pummelling riffs and Eastern-tinged riffs. The economical To Strike With Secret Fang dispatches its victims in less than two minutes, the band simply tearing into the track, although it’s the melodic lead breaks that remain firmly embedded, long after the song has concluded its rampage. In contrast, the lengthy Naqada II Enter The Golden Age has more room to breathe, the band incorporating choral elements and that epic sense of grandeur that has been the band’s unique trademark since their inception. Another short segue follows – the gorgeous The Pentagrammathion Of Nephren-Ka, which provides a moment of necessary light amidst the death metal shade, all of which only goes to make the crushing Overlords Of The Black Earth all the more oppressive.
Barely pausing to draw breath, the band head straight into the splenetic death metal of Under The Curse Of One God. A mean spirited, churning cauldron of snatched riffs and insanely precise percussive blasts, it initially finds Nile at their most dogmatic, only for choral elements to seep in, paving the way for a final third that takes in an atmospheric element, underscoring the band’s unique ability to explore their chosen themes both musically and lyrically. The inventive Doctrine Of Last Things slips elements of Therion into the mix, alongside some sweeping riffs that neatly showcase the band’s dexterity.
However, those imagining that the second act would focus solely on the band’s death metal credentials are in for a surprise, and the band serve up to monolithic epics back to back. The first of these, True Gods Of The Desert, clocks in at just over seven minutes, the band using the extended run time to mine a doomier vein, the slower-paced riffs providing ample space for some surprisingly melodic leads. With clean vocals reminiscent of ICS Vortex’s time with Dimmu making an appearance, it’s a genuinely widescreen vision the band present, and one of their most stunning offerings to date. It’s followed by the immense The Underworld Awaits Us All. Heavier than its predecessor, but with more variation, it captures the desiccated essence of Egyptian mythology as gongs ring out and guitars slice across the surface, resulting in one of Nile’s most complete offerings to date. The album closes with the doom-laden instrumental Lament For The Destruction Of Time. A cinematic finale it caps off an album that never once misses its mark.
The Underworld Awaits Us All has been a long time coming, but oh, the wait has been more than worth it. With the band firing on all cylinders, there’s an argument to be made that this is their masterpiece. With the death metal elements honed to their sharpest point, the thematic elements given depth by the clean vocals and soaring leads, and the overall production crystal clear, it’s basically faultless. If you love atmospheric death metal, then Nile’s latest offering is a must. 9/10
Tracklisting:
1 Stelae of Vultures
2 Chapter for Not Being Hung Upside Down on a Stake in the Underworld and Made to Eat Feces by the Four Apes
3 To Strike with Secret Fang
4 Naqada II Enter the Golden Age
5 The Pentagrammathion of Nephren-Ka
6 Overlords of the Black Earth
7 Under the Curse of the One God
8 Doctrine of Last Things
9 True Gods of the Desert
10 The Underworld Awaits us All
11 Lament for the Destruction of Time
NILE is:
Karl Sanders – Guitar, Vocals, Keyboards,
George Kollias – Drums
Brian Kingsland – Guitar, Vocals
Zach Jeter – Guitar, Vocals
Dan Vadim Von – Bass
