November brings us none other than Nile’s sixth release, entitled “Those Whom the Gods Detest”. If you aren’t already familiar with Nile, you’ve been missing out.

Nile’s music has always been extreme, technical death metal inspired by ancient Egypt. The band started in South Carolina in 1993 and debuted in 1998, with the album “Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka”. By their second release, featuring the use of drummer Derek Roddy and the acquisition of guitarist/vocalist Dallas Toler-Wade… Nile had established themselves as one of death metal’s most formidable and talked about groups. Things really took off for the band in 2005, with the pairing of Sickening Horror drummer George Kollias, whose playing style has complimented the band perfectly ever since.

“Those Whom the Gods Detest” sounds much like the band’s last album, the now legendary “Ithyphallic”. Any diehard Nile fan can tell you that with these two latest records, the band has perfected their sound. The songwriting is top notch. Although, the two records don’t sound all-too alike. Every Nile album is atmospheric to some extent, highlighting the strong Egyptian influence. However, “Those Whom the Gods Detest” is much more vast and atmospheric than “Ithyphallic”. There are more overdubs, chanting vocal parts, and in general the album plays out much more theatrically. At times it reminds me of their 2005 album, “Annihilation of the Wicked”.

The album starts off with the instant classic “Kafir!”… a near 7 minute display of what’s to come. Nile’s records are always a treat to hear from beginning to end. “Those Whom the Gods Detest” is no different… and although it may be the band’s second-longest record, there are no dull moments. The title track is an 8 minute epic, including moments of relentlessness, breaks for acoustic guitar and a slower chorus, with many well-placed overdubs and even clean vocals backing the trademark Nile growl. At first listen I wasn’t crazy about the clean vocals, but after hearing this album a few times through, I am sold on them. They fit the song perfectly and help set the pace for the rest of the album, which I personally enjoy the most.

The sixth song, “Permitting the Noble Dead to Descend to the Underworld”, bursts into breakneck speed and pretty much stays that way throughout, breaking down only once towards its close. It’s followed by a great instrumental with an equally lengthy title (something Nile is also known for) and then the final three songs… which are immense to say the least. Closer “Iskander D’hul Karnon” eases into one of the band’s catchiest riffs to date, and becomes a very fitting finale. In my honest opinion, it’s the best ending of any Nile album. That’s actually a hard thing for me to admit to, since I am a seasoned Nile fan. “Ithyphallic” had previously had that title for me, with its epic 10 minute closer “Even the Gods Must Die”. I can honestly say that I dig this more.

I feel particularly moved to go on about the production of this album. This is the band’s third album produced by Neil Kernon. Neil has worked with plenty of artists in many music genres, including some of the pickiest. His greatest move so far in death metal, is the pairing with none other than Erik Rutan for the drum recording and engineering. If you don’t know of Rutan already, let’s just call him a monster of all things death metal… because his list of achievements is simply too long to go down. The drums on this record sound amazing. There’s definitely more presence, attack and tone in the drum sounds than on any previous Nile record. It sounds beautiful.

All in all, “Those Whom the Gods Detest” is one of the year’s best extreme metal releases… and is sure to age well.