I’ll be honest, this is the first Nile album that I have gotten and also the first time that I’ve been able to sit and really listen to what Nile has to offer. I’m happy to say that I’m not disappointed in the slightest. There is plenty of heaviness for me to rock out to, yet enough diversity to keep me engaged.

Nile is a straight up Death/Thrash Metal band with Technical elements and they do this genre proud. The songs have intricate riffs and progressions, the guitarists playing very well off of each other. The drummer is very nimble, and comes up with some interesting grooves, though the “go to” pattern for each song is usually the stereo-typical “blast beat”. The vocals are your typical death growls and grunts interspersed at times with very gothic melodies. Although I make Nile sound like other metal bands out these days, I feel that by adding textural Middle Eastern flavors and elements, Nile stands apart as a much more interesting and satisfying group to listen to.

The opening track, “Kafir”, demonstrates exactly what you should expect for the rest of the album. Opening up with ambient, Hellish sounds, the song dives into a thick and fast onslaught before pulling back into “I-need-to-headbang-until-my-brains-leak-out-of-my-ears” territory. Unearthly choirs join singer Karl Sanders in howling, “There is no god!” and before long, I was joining in. This is a tight song that prepared me for the next nine tracks.

Read on for the rest of the review In terms of production quality, this album is a mixed bag. The drums are a mixed bag in terms of sound quality. The snare has a solid snap and the cymbals a nice, ear-friendly presence. However, the bass drum, while very clear and articulate, is sorely missing some “oomph” behind it. The toms also sound flat and uninspired. The bass guitar is not as present as it should be. Music like this needs the bass to hit you in the center of your chest, break through your ribs and liquefy your intestines. Guitars sound thick and very crunchy yet have a constant, very slight “fizz” about them. This is easily acceptable and even adds to the “dirtiness” vibe that this album gives forth.

The perfect amount of haunting choirs, church bells ringing, dissonant Middle Eastern instruments and cacophony of haunting ambient textures make these songs feel like they come from a twisted, evil version of Aaru (the Egyptian land of the dead that Osiris, the God of the Dead, presides over).

The overall production quality is better than most metal releases these days.

With “Those Whom the Gods Detest”, Nile has release a very solid metal album that newcomers (such as myself) as well as veterans should thoroughly enjoy.