Nile, “What Should Not Be Unearthed” Review
One of the most profound death metal records for an otherwise redundant genre
Nile is an impressive death metal band from Greenville, South Carolina. They formed in 1993. Their magnum opus is arguably Black Seeds of Vengeance, which certainly was my entry point to the band. Their initial sound back when they first started was more thrash-y but this record would establish their tried and true characteristic death metal sound which would distinguish them from their contemporaries in the metal scene.
Song by Song Review
Call to Destruction — aaaand blast off. I know Nile has a love affair with ancient civilizations, particularly that of ancient Egypt and Sumeria in particular, but given the lyrics, this clearly is about the futuh campaigns of Arabia and region of Ash-Sham post Muhammad, prophet of Islam’s death. Given the lyrical reference to destruction of the pyramids, which the Muslims never did, this may even be a reference to the khawarij heretical sect. In general, western attempts at composing any kind of artistic expression that makes reference to the Middle East, (in particular, vis a vis using Islamic tropes) usually come off crazy phony at best and disgustingly orientalist at worst…buuuut gotta admit this song slapped harder than the pummeling of…
