This latest NILE record is produced by Neil Kernon. You guys know he did some MICHAEL BOLTON stuff, right? HALL AND OATES too (just curious to see if the peeps were onto that one, as it may not show up in the pages of Terrorizer). He did some amazing work in the eighties like QUEENSRYCHE’s “Rage for Order” and the nineties like FLOTSAM AND JETSAM’s “Drift”, so he’s obviously quite capable.

The overall sound is high and mighty for a death metal record. As always, there are some flooring moments. “Lashed to the Slave Stick” is an extraordinarily strong track; it’s convulsive yet meticulous melodic thrusts smacking of Adrian Smith and the later DEATH catalog. “Von Unausprechlichen Kulten” not only gives me a chance to show off my German translating skills, but also grabbed me by the hair (metaphorically speaking) with some juggernaut lurch riff.

But I can’t get around the air compressor factor. These guys use triggers like Jiffy Lube uses 30 weight. It always reminds me of the old days when I would go over to Murtaugh's garage so we could hang out; he’d work on our cars while we cranked the good stuff. Whenever the air compressor would come on, it would drown out the best parts of our favorite records. We’d have to shout over it, and often ended up backing up the tapes to the parts we missed (no digital discs yet, my kiddies). That’s how NILE always strikes me. The triggers are usually at the front of the mix, as they are on this album, and they distract me away from the oft-superior guitar heroics going on somewhere in the nether regions of the ditties. Death metal should absolutely, unequivocally take your head off, and not just when the compressor isn’t running. The abundant drawn-out midpaced sections and marching pharaoh processions of NILE songs always bore me to tears. Tell the slaves we're revoking their power tools for building the next set of pyramids.

- Marchman

OFFICIAL SITE: www.nile-catacombs.net

MP3 SOUND SCRAP: Lashed to the Slave Stick

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