Nile - Those Whom The Gods Detest review
| Band: | Nile |
| Album: | Those Whom The Gods Detest |
| Style: | Brutal death metal, Technical death metal |
| Release date: | October 30, 2009 |
| A review by: | Baz Anderson |
01. Kafir
02. Hittite Dung Incantation
03. Utterances Of The Crawling Dead
04. Those Whom The Gods Detest
05. 4th Arra Of Dagon
06. Permitting The Noble Dead To Descend To The Underworld
07. Yezd Desert Ghul Ritual In The Abandoned Towers Of Silence
08. Kem Khefa Kheshef
09. The Eye Of Ra
10. Iskander D'hul Kharnon
Those Whom The Gods Detest is an intense, explosion of technical death metal that immediately upstages the band's most recent releases. Nile pulled out all the stops with this one, but unfortunately still produced nothing that will keep you addicted two months down the line. The Nile name can never be overlooked however, and within Those Whom The Gods Detest you will find a death metal album of all the usual Nile traits, which includes the band's usual inexplicable musicianship.
Early impressions of the album are the best ones you'll have of it. However some of these death metal eruptions such as "Hittite Dung Incantation" and "Permitting The Noble Dead To Descend To The Underworld" may simply never get old. When Nile are on the ball, they absolutely kill it. The good thing about Those Whom The Gods Detest is that the band are on the ball more than they have been for the best part of a decade. Where Nile struggle however, is pulling together a full-length album that is consistently relentless in its brilliance. Since the band started putting out longer albums, we have been haunted by longer songs such as the dragging "4th Arra Of Dagon" that sometimes even come close to ten minutes. Ambition is one thing, but if you look back at where Nile are in their element, it isn't there.
Egyptian influence, some of the best vocals in death metal, and some of the most punishing drumming this side of the pyramids. Those Whom The Gods Detest has it all, but unfortunately it also has too much. Take out the twenty most tedious minutes of this otherwise long death metal album, and we could have been staring at the best album the band have ever put out. When Nile are good, they are simply the best. The problem with Those Whom The Gods Detest is that once again the band tried to be too ambitious and the result is a dreary average song length of pushing six minutes.
Nile have such potential to put out one of those great death metal albums you'll always remember, and Those Whom The Gods Detest is the closest the band have come to making that dream a reality in recent years. But also, let us not overshadow the terrifying intensity the band have had ignited within once more with the shorter songs of the album. This is an at-times mesmeric and awe inspiring album, but unfortunately also a little dull at other times.
Once again Nile flash their unrivalled talent and ability to blow you away with the power of death, but also remind you that they have become incapable of condensing material down into that whole, manageable, complete album.
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Death metal
Nuclear Blast
USA
Length: 56:36
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 10 |
| Songwriting: | 8 |
| Originality: | 8 |
| Production: | 9 |
Comments page 2 / 3
Comments: 69
Visited by: 615 users
| Opethian Posts: 1768  |
Written by wormdrink414 on 05.11.2009 at 03:43 Amen to that ! 
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| Baz Anderson Staff Posts: 13262  |
You people have to understand that I wrote this review after having this album for two months before it came out. Of course I went through my phase of listening to it non-stop, but now it just doesn't draw me like it did. Still, like I wrote, it is an at-times amazing album.
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| wormdrink414 Elite Posts: 1295  |
It is important to emphasize Baz's point that, although Nile does "miss", when they "hit" they "hit" like no other fucking band can. I agree with the range of his score. I'd have given it an 8.5. It is far more consistent than Ithyphallic (although it does not have an "Essential Salts") but feels more like a spiritual successor to Black Seeds than it does to an album like Annihilation of the Wicked, which I find a bit disappointing. This take exists only after 5 or 6 full listens though so I can hardly count on it remaining a concrete opinion of mine.
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| thesabbathfan Posts: 410  |
I downloaded the album yesterday, still need to give'er a listen...
----
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| K✞ulu Seeker of Truth Posts: 2574  |
The first impressions after two listens are: the don't offer anything new, but nevertheless they sound pretty good. The only song to have stood out so far is "Kem Khefa Kheshef." And I do agree with most of the points of the review.
---- Savor what you feel and what you see Things that may not seem important now But may be tomorrow R.I.P. Chuck Schuldiner Satan was a Backstreet Boy
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| TormentoR. Posts: 160  |
Originality: 8 -________________- Originality: 8 -________________- Originality: 8 -________________- Originality: 8 -________________- Originality: 8 -________________- Originality: 8 -________________- Originality: 8 -________________- lawllll!!! :blasts his head off with a revolver:
----  Evil undisguised Breathe in pain Blackened souls remain
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| manthraxxx Posts: 27 |
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| TormentoR. Posts: 160 |
Written by manthraxxx on 08.11.2009 at 15:10 there is no god but Allah  deal with it
---- Evil undisguised Breathe in pain Blackened souls remain
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| Dangerboner Lactation Cnslt Posts: 7262  |
This is much better than Ithyphallic and the last two Behemoth albums. The only filler track I think is 4th Arra Of Dagon, as mentioned in the review. My favorite is either Hittite Dung Incantation (I like to pretend that the voice sound effects or whatever are actually brutal guttural vocals) or Yezd Desert Ghul Ritual In The Abandoned Towers Of Silence/Kem Khefa Kheshef. I kinda wish that they would incorporate more Egyptian sounds like they did on Black Seeds of Vengeance, but without some of the odd filler. Making an album like this combined with BSoV would be Nile at it's best, I think. Good review, but I'm disappointed that you didn't mention the brilliant drum production done by Erik Rutan. This is really the first time Nile has had impressive sound production. @Joose
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| BitterCOld The Ancient One Admin Posts: 15303  |
Hi. keep the discussion on topic. if you go wildly off topic, i will hunt you down and lash you to the slave stick, or something else particularly nasty that either Karl Sanders or Ahmose would approve of.
---- get the fuck off my lawn. Beer Bug Virus Spotify Playlist crafted by Nikarg and I. Feel free to tune in and add some pertinent metal tunes!
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| danielllewis Posts: 119  |
This sounds like Annihilation Of The Wicked part 2, but less memorable. The song structures, and production are pretty much the same. The only difference is that it has islamic chants. By no means is it a bad album, and it's also way better than ithyphallic. Nile is similar to deicide and behemoth now in that every album they release is overshadowed by their masterpiece (Annihilation, Stench Of Redemption, Demigod
---- 
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| Baz Anderson Staff Posts: 13262 |
I don't get what it is with "Annihilation Of The Wicked"... That was when they started to go downhill for me...
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071  |
Written by Baz Anderson on 16.11.2009 at 13:32 Exactly. Their true masterpieces for me still are "In Their Darkened Shrines" and "Black Seeds Of Vengeance" "Annihilation" is indeed where they started going downhill.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996 
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| Nergal Posts: 25  |
Bought today, I'm giving it a listening right now... third track, 1000 better than Ithyphallic... By the end, I think my ears will bleed...
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| InnerSelf proofread free Posts: 2701  |
I know I am going to bring down the wrath but it didn't convince me at all actually Obscura's 2009 is much better and much enjoyable I know Nile tend to play a more Brutal approach but as a Death Metal album Cosmogenisis is better
---- He who is not bold enough to be stared at from across the abyss is not bold enough to stare into it himself.
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| Nergal Posts: 25 |
Heard four times today... This album grows each time you listen to it... you need time to enjoy, btw great album!!! 
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| Overlord_PT Posts: 140  |
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| Uirapuru Liver Failure Posts: 2955  |
Very good! Not much to complain about  Just that, its 99% death metal, 1% Egyptian instruments or atmosphere... and this 1% is not even mixed within the Death metal... the bizarre instruments and sounds are what makes this death metal special. Its good, but they kinda lose it this time.
----  ---- member of the true crusade against old school heavy metal, early 80s thrash, NWOBHM, traditional doom, first and second wave black metal, old school death metal, US power metal, 70s prog rock and atmospheric doomsludgestoner. o/
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| thewall30 Posts: 349  |
Amazing album! It's my first Nile album and I plan to get the others as well...
---- 
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| Deadmeat Necrobutcher Posts: 2437  |
This album has some MAGNIFICENT songs and also some others like kafir and 4th ara dagon that are completely hateable because of their stupid long-breaks.
---- Υou've sold your human essence to the cold world of dead and empty things... You're SOLD!
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| I_Die_Often Posts: 697  |
As with every Nile album, I love it! 
---- Old enough to be your Daddy... speaking of which... you look familiar... do I know your mother???
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| Horus Posts: 43 |
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| KneeSlider Posts: 3 |
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| Kuroboshi Posts: 1208  |
4th Arra of Dagon absolutely slays live! This might be my favorite Nile album. But they're all excellent, really.
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| Deadmeat Necrobutcher Posts: 2437 |
Written by Kuroboshi on 15.02.2011 at 15:56 is it really that great live? i've found it awful in the album comparing it with most of the shorter songs....
---- Υou've sold your human essence to the cold world of dead and empty things... You're SOLD!
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| Baz Anderson Staff Posts: 13262 |
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| Kuroboshi Posts: 1208 |
I thought it was a nice breather, and it's awesome to headbang to, whereas other nile songs often are a bit too fast for me. For me, their low-point live must be that Sanders is like, "Now we're gonna play something really awesome from (random)!!! DO YOU WANNA HEAR IT!?" after like _every_ song. At the end of the setlist, I couldn't shout anymore..
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| @gent_-_orange Posts: 905  |
4th Arra of Dagon IMO should have been cut from the album... I always end up skipping it, it is just boring to me.
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| Deadmeat Necrobutcher Posts: 2437 |
Written by @gent_-_orange on 17.04.2011 at 16:37 it is awfull. i'd give a 9 to the album without it. but now, 8.
---- Υou've sold your human essence to the cold world of dead and empty things... You're SOLD!
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| @gent_-_orange Posts: 905 |
Written by Deadmeat on 18.04.2011 at 00:00 Exactly, it just stops the momentum of the album dead in its tracks. Still though everything else on this album is very enjoyable.
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