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 2009 |
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
Comments
Comments: 69
Visited by: 611 users
| ponderer Posts: 153 From: Aruba  |
Nice review Baz! I haven't snagged this yet but it's on the list now 
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| BudDa Posts: 887 From: Uganda  |
I have never been bothered by their long boring songs. But like I said before, compared to the rest of the 2009 death metal releases, I find this one abit lacking. This would have been stellar if it were from another band..but this is Nile. I was slightly disappointed. I give it a 7 good review btw..
---- Freeze! Step away from the hubris.
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Posts: 40071 From: The Netherlands  |
Why not cut the album down to eight tracks and you will get a nice 45 minute long album. Another problem is that since Kollias has joined the drumming isn't as varied as when Laureano was there and that of course doesn't help at all when playing long songs on a long album. Kollias might be fast and brutal but he sure as hell isn't up there with a true great such as Laureano who doesn't rely on speed and brutality alone.
---- 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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| spirit_inblack harshhead Posts: 715 From: Canada  |
Marcel is right. Kollias can get utterly boring to these ears at times, but Laureano... look at what he even did with Nachtmystium. I find the drumming on Assassins to amazing, even though it's fairly simple. Nuclear Blast... pretty much fucks over whoever signs to them. LOL! 
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| BitterCOld The Ancient One Posts: 15250  |
Put off buying this album because so much other good shit was at the store this week (Slayer, Harvestman, an old Drudkh record, Jesu, Saviours)... seems i made the right call in which to omit for the short run. i will check it out down the line, but a couple phrases in the review touched on why i haven't been able to fully enjoy "Annihilation of the Wicked" and probably won't fully enjoy this one.
---- 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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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Posts: 40071 From: The Netherlands |
Written by spirit_inblack on 04.11.2009 at 18:38 Nile fucked themselves up by getting Kollias. And why is it people think Nuclear Blast dictates the sort of music a band has to play? They don't do that, not even Roadrunner does that. It is only majore labels that try and dictate the music a band has to play.
---- 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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| spirit_inblack harshhead Posts: 715 From: Canada |
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| VPeter Posts: 1450 From: The Netherlands  |
Boring standard death metal who will surely give Nuclear Blast lot's of money again and a contender for the MS Death metal awards 2009.
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| Damned-In-Black Posts: 212 From: New Zealand  |
Each paragraph opens with "It's great" and develops into "It's not that great"... There is very little description of the album except for a bit about the song lengths. I could apply this review to almost every Nile album, with little alteration. Hopefully this won't be taken as anything other than constructive. It's fairly well written as a whole. Being more descriptive and/or less repetitive could be an improvement, though. As for the album. 6/10 from me at this point, but I've only listened a few times and my opinion may change. It's an improvement on their previous one.
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| Solstafir! Posts: 75 From: Bangladesh |
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| arj Posts: 191 From: Denmark |
Kill me now, but this album is the only one of Nile that I like :
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| Raiden Down Under Staff Posts: 8292 From: Australia  |
Written by Guest on 04.11.2009 at 20:24 I think he meant that it doesn't have quite the longevity as it potentially could, not that it doesn't have any at all or would become boring in a couple of weeks. As for myself though I can't wait to get my hands on this album. Regarding Kollias, I don't understand the criticism of him, I think he's a great drummer. More or less as good as Nile's previous ones.
---- "Scream for me Melbourne!!!!" - Bruce Dickinson "I don't see any god up here" - Yuri Gagarin (while in orbit, 1961)
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| wormdrink414 Posts: 1295 From: USA  |
Just finished listening to it for the first time and loved it. Nevertheless, it's too early to tell whether or not I disagree with your score and since that is at the heart of nearly all of my comments on reviews, I have little to say about this album thus far. "Those Whom the Gods Detest" and "Utterances of the Crawling Dead" are two of the most exciting tracks I have heard this year though. On a separate note, where is all of this Kollias hate coming from? I may not be a drum connoisseur, but let's not get out of hand here. The guy is great and the mechanical perfection/speed suits Nile and Karl's guitar style wonderfully.
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| Visioneerie Urban Monster Posts: 810 From: Canada  |
Written by Guest on 04.11.2009 at 20:24 It's a question of opinion man, people interpret ratings differently. Personally, I just read on what important facts the reviewer has to point out about a particular album and get a much more detailed opinion than a number, 6 ! or 8 ! The rating shit is taken way too seriously, imo.
---- Any man can stand adversity, but to test his character give him power - A. Lincoln
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| wormdrink414 Posts: 1295 From: USA |
Written by Visioneerie on 05.11.2009 at 05:17 If it weren't for the amount of tragic fun I have rating albums (and organizing said ratings), I would be all for the elimination of the numerical album rating system. Then again, the number rating system does serve a variety of organizational purposes. By the way, does anyone else hear the Hammer Smashed Face intro riff in the intro riff to "Utterances of the Crawling Dead"?
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| BitterCOld The Ancient One Posts: 15250 |
Written by Guest on 04.11.2009 at 20:24 "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 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." i don't know. those sentences pretty much indicate Baz had an extremely favorable opinion of most the album. somewhere between "best they've ever done" (10) and an album of filler (5 to 6 if executed as well as Nile are capable of) and you get... an 8 or so. 8 for you is "inflated", 8 for many on this site sucks. i can see why Baz might score it an 8 based solely on the description. blistering parts that are jawdropping... and a some filler thrown in because the band gets over-ambitious.
---- 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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| -N- Posts: 29 From: Iran  |
I agree with you Baz. And I think Behemoth's "Evangelion" is better than "Those Whom The Gods Detest"
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| Khaldi Posts: 188 From: Armenia  |
Currently this album is a my favorite number 1 . at present I dont have a time to read review completely .
---- Urartu is a NeoHittite and ProtoArmenian kingdom !!
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| Tatras Posts: 169 From: Poland  |
Best Death Metal album of 2009 year. It's brilliant album form me, maybe 1 h long, but if you hear such punishing music you can hear it over 2h long... It is one of 3 best albums by Nile in my opinion, better than Ithypalic and on the same or maybe better than "Anihillation of The Wicked"... for me it 10/10. Year 2009 is great year for death Metal... Behemoth, Nile, Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation, Asphyx, Vader, Blood Red Throne, Azarath, Lost Soul... all this bands put out such great albums in current year!!
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| TormentoR. Posts: 160 From: Bosnia and Herzegovina  |
Originality: 8 -_______________________-
----  Evil undisguised Breathe in pain Blackened souls remain
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| katafakingstrofa Posts: 21 From: Croatia  |
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| HiF Posts: 18 From: Poland  |
Can anybody tell me what rating did this album get in Decibel Magazine review?
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| Opethian Posts: 1728 From: USA  |
Written by Solstafir! on 04.11.2009 at 22:17 4th Arra of Dagon demolished "Evangelion" lol .. Insane track, love the new album !   
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| The DungonMaster Posts: 2 From: USA  |
I think that the review of Nile's new album is a tad off the mark. I like their long epic songs, and the longer a nile album is the better. Yes I like the quick fast jams, but nothing beats the long doomy parts that they add to their albums. Nile, do what you do, cause I know you do it well! No complaints and keep the albums coming!:mad7:
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| Motionless Posts: 17 From: UK  |
If you want short songs go listen to Anal cunt. I like their songs being long and elaborate. Kolias is among the top 5 drummers at death metal and he is extremely technical. So is Laureanno. The album is by far the best death metal release of 2009 along with Ulcerates new album. EPIC ALBUM
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| Solstafir! Posts: 75 From: Bangladesh |
Written by Opethian on 06.11.2009 at 06:30 So true man...so true...:D
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| Opethian Posts: 1728 From: USA |
I cant believe that there are people actually crying, whining on this album, Nile just kicked the Crap out of 2009 ! As far as Death Metal goes LOL i cant wait to read the review for the new Slayer album, It will probably sound something like this " Slayer = Kings, Kerry is the #1 guitarist in the world, oh yeah by far "World Painted Blood" (What a BRUTAL album title isn't it) kills anything else that has came out this year" .... FAIL Knowing how many other great bands are out there, and till this day ppl still get sucked in by anything that Slayer releases  F@#$K Slayer and the Horse that they rode in on .. 
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