“Speak
not of the Gods to me.”
The
feelings that Nile create are of a massive,
majestic and holistic entity. With complex song structure, intense delivery of
double vocals, bombarding drumming and the use of samples recreating what the
music in ancient Egypt could be like, they take the listener to a mythical and
mystical journey into places that have long been dead.
Sanders knows what he is talking,
singing, yelling and growling about. He has a deep knowledge of the mythology and
history of ancient Egypt and through that he writes stories.
The
album begins with an unusual, for the band, storytelling. “Call to Destruction” is
about the destruction of ancient temples by Islamic extremists. An excerpt
says:
“The preservation of human
heritage
And the enduring achievements
of Mankind
Are secondary to the will of
Allah.”
and
the lyric video that was released begins with a disclaimer. I can understand
that. The lyrics are being written like the one that is singing is in fact the
one that endorses the destruction of our cultural heritage. This, from the
perspective of the listener, creates a very weird relation with the song. Just
imagine singing these lyrics, while taking a walk or a bath. And you will do it
because the song fucking slays. It will stick with you. “Allaaaaaah.”
Nile’s mastering is not only about
writing top-notch riffs. It is about the song flowing. How every section is
connected and pushes through until the end of it. From the bridges, to the
mid-section riff, to the vocal delivery that feels like it is coming from
within the song. Like a warmonger general that shouts to his soldiers in the
midst of a battle.
This
is where several songs have flaws. Some songs don’t have good sequencing.
Actually the not-so-good parts take the listener out. Let’s dissect “Liber
Stellae – Rubeae”. It begins strong, introducing us to the song with a
heavy riff and the unstoppable drumming. Then, at around the 30 seconds mark,
the guitars plays a lead that should serve as a canvas for the vocals, but it
is dull and repetitive. At around 1:10 the song fucking explodes into
awesomeness, with a beautiful lead that turns into a riff and the vocals being
thrown at you. The song then repeats the intro riff and then sinks into the
doomy section of the song, which closes it smoothly. It is just a flawed
section that doesn’t do justice to the song.
The
title song “What should not be unearthed”, should not be unearthed and
included. It is just a mush up of music sections which results into a song that
is not a song. After that comes one of Nile’s
best songs. “Evil to cast out evil” is catchy, with a great riff and a solo
that reminds exactly what made death metal, death metal.
On
the same pace, “The Age of Famine” is an uneven song, with great sections and
boring ones. It is more of a doomy song that finally catches up towards the end
of it. But it feels like it wasn’t worked on as much as it should be worked on.
Finally, the album closes with one of the best songs contained in it. “To
Walk Forth From Flames Unscathed” can be called a classic Nile song, leaning towards the doomier
sound and it is perfect for closing.
I’d
say that this is an uneven album that doesn’t do justice to the potential that
it showed. The evolution of Nile can
be seen from album to album. They have a more defined and refined approach to
song writing, sometimes even stripping it down to its essentials. But it
doesn’t always work out. Creating songs that are extreme and chaotic and at the
same time disciplined, as to grab the listener, isn’t easy and that can be seen
with “What Should Not Be Unearthed”.
Sometimes it works, other times not so much.
