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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 Baghdad by the Mongols.
Negating the Abominable Coils of Apep — Fuck I hate it when bands write in Shakesperean English just to be pretentious dicks. Yet another masterpiece referencing highly specific characters in Egyptian mythology that I can’t follow along. Still makes me feel like I’ve been plunged into the depth of catacombs being guarded by pharaohs. Thing about Nile is even when they come off kind of pretentiously, I have to remember their singer, Karl Sanders, is like a world’s foremost expert on ancient Mediterranean civilizations. Respect.
Liber Stellae Rubae — guess it’s a reference to an ancient cult dedicated to Apep and this is a reference to a sex magick…
