Search - Nile :: Ithyphallic

I think everyone pretty much said what i'm about to say

JMF | ca | 06/08/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"awesome. every newer nile release just makes me DROOL. i loved "annihilation of the wicked", but "ithyphallic" just TURNS ME ON (no, not in a fetish/homosexual way, but in a musical way).



"what may be safely written" opens up the cd with brutal, blisteringly fast riffs after a nice little overture in the beginning of the song.



the next three tracks continue the sheer insanity of the intricately written guitar parts, speedily precise drumming, and growled vocals. each one sounds different and more memorable than the last.



"eat of the dead" and "the inifinity of stone" slow it down and give you a breather, but not for long! because in between each song and after them, there are MORE AWESOME SONGS with the same great material that somehow fails to get boring each time i listen to it.



i loved nile the first time i heard them in 2006, but ithyphallic doesn't disappoint; it just adds more to nile's spot in "awesome death metal bands.""

Grows on you...

avgvstvs | Omaha NE | 10/16/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'm more of a critic of death metal than active fan: VERY VERY VERY few recordings make it to 4-stars for me in this genre. This is because the style is typically VERY limited in scope: Two guitars, one bass, and drums, and a cookie-monster vocalist bellowing unintelligble lyrics.



How many times do you think you'll reinvent the wheel like that?



Couple that with the absolutely insane bent of your typical death-metal fan: "Singing is not allowed! You're a p-ssy if you sing! Keyboards are ghey! Good guitar leads are for posers! My band is more manly than your band!"



Its no wonder that the show Metalocalypse is so popular: The stereotype proves true; even metalheads at large make fun of the subgenre. (Don't worry, this will all be pertinent in a second.)



Recently I had the chance to buy Bloodbath's new disc; it was brutal AND incredibly melodic. I had heard Nile via their myspace page sometime in '07 and thought what another reviewer said earlier. "Boring."



However, I decided to give this disc a real chance, after all Bloodbath hit a chugging-home run! I bought Ithyphallic.



Initially...



I didn't like it. It seemed uninspired. But before coming here to write a review I made it a point to listen to it more; strangely it wasn't a chore. It became kind of like Absu's "Tara," an album that at first I could find no redemption for, but it really grew on me and I came to highly enjoy it. Although in neither case, can I actually tell you WHY I like it--because it breaks all of my own views for how I normally enjoy music; I like subtlety and artistic expression. Death metal typically conjures images of children with crayons for some reason; noted exceptions being any swedish/norwegian/finnish metal band from 1990 on. And Arsis.







Nile isn't quite your typical grind/death band... I say this loosley. You have to be pretty familiar with the genre to be able to tell the difference between two bands. Nile borrows a bit from Melechesh (one of the best metal bands ever) and use some traditional mideastern instrumentation... These songs are incredibly good. The vocals are the weakest link, however he uses more intelligent and (sometimes) intelligble vocal patterns that actually show some craftsmanship.



Of all the bands I listen to, this band DOES remind me alot of Absu, just downtuned on both vocals and guitars, mixed with Melechesh. (I think he's tuned down to G; hard to tell though as notes are barely intelligble at that range.



This isn't a balls-out rock fest... there won't be as much head-banging as there was on Bloodbath's newest, but there are shining moments, my favorites being "The Essential Salts," and "Eat of the Dead."



Best release of '07? I---have extreme reservations going that far. I would lean towards Dark Tranquillity's "Fiction," or All Shall Perish's "The Price of all Existence," but considering that '07 was kind of a bleak year for metal (most of your best bands, Opeth etc; all waited till '08.) this would rank on the top ten.



EDIT: After 2 more months, it's still in my mp3 player and still an infectious listen. I'd give it 5 instead of my original 4 if I could.



"

Nile absolutely destroys

king beagley | warsaw, in usa | 06/05/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Nile's "Ithyphallic" is definitely a must-own. after the instrumental, this album kicks into high gear, although the 1st song gets rather slow. as with Nile tradition, one of the songs is 10 minutes or longer. however, Nile can make a ten minute song mean something."