LP REVIEW NILE 1. INVOCATION OF THE GATE OF
AAT-ANKH-ES-EN-AMENTI
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"Egyptian influenced death metal, with liberal talk of phalluses."
Rock 'n' roll - invented in the fifties by Elvis and has been evolving ever since. Fuck knows exactly happened the way to spawn a band like Nile. Singing? Not really - it's more like retching some thick, black, death-metal mucus out of one's throat instead. Drumming? A pneumatic drill could achieve the same effect - only with less precision and a lot less impact. This album - explosion after explosion - is a blur of orchestrated riots, and contains sicker lyrics than Tom Green could come up with if you told him to take the piss. The explosions are spliced with cultish, gospel chanting, and wonderfully three-dimensional cymbal echoes; making such unlikely bedfellows that the result is so surprising it is as equally refreshing to listen to. The unfortunate mix of indistinct guitars against those unrelenting drums does little justice to show just how incredibly talented these musicians are. An inspired moment then is that even more unexpected acoustic death metal song, 'Libation unto the Shades who lurk in the shadows of the temple of Anhur'. Classic name - complete with tender death metal groans in the background. Before, of course falling away into the pits of hell with one of the album's better explosions: 'Masturbating the War God'. Well, you don't expect them to be singing about flowers, do you? It's ironic that artists so accomplished in the field of death-metal can breathe so much life into the genre. Alasdair Reid (18th January, 2003)www.iwillbeheard.co.uk |
