Nile

Order ov Riven Cathedrals – Göbekli Tepe [Things You Might Have Missed 2018]

By Grymm on December 16, 2018 in 2018, Italian Metal, Reviews, Self-released, Technical Death Metal, Things You Might Have Missed 2018, Death Metal, Technical Death Metal, 49 comments

“Göbekli Tepe, located in the southeastern part of Turkey, is believed to be the world’s oldest temple, predating the pyramids by roughly 6,500 years. With recent diggings finding three-dimensional figures of animals and humanoids in a period where many believed hunter-gatherers couldn’t possibly achieve such architecture, Göbekli Tepe continues to amaze historians just over twenty years after its excavation. It’s fitting that a mysterious Italian duo, Order ov Riven Cathedrals, would use this phenomenon as the title for their second album of utterly crazy technical death metal.” Olden worship.

Third Storm – The Grand Manifestation Review

By Carcharodon on November 7, 2018 in 2018, Black Metal, Dark Descent Records, Death Metal, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, 36 comments

“Despite originally forming in 1986, The Grand Manifestation is the first full-length offering from Swedish five-piece Third Storm. After just two years and a handful of shows, Third Storm’s original line-up disbanded. It was not until 2014 that founding member, Heval Bozarslan, gathered a new band around him, releasing the Taritiya Me EP a year later. “Despite its Mayhem-inspired cover and the howling winds and distant siren that open the EP, it is not a black metal offering. Some promising-sounding death groove is short-lived and gives way to medium-paced, funeral doom, which dominates most of the 25-minute runtime. Which Third Stormwould be on display on The Grand Manifestation—the anticipated black metal, the groove-laden death that made a brief cameo or the sludgy doom that predominated?” Precious metals sampler.

Behemoth – I Loved You at Your Darkest Review

By Angry Metal Guy on October 8, 2018 in 2018, Black Metal, Nuclear Blast, Polish Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, 189 comments

“"Behemoth’s star has been on the rise for nearly 15 years. Following the release of 2004’s Demigod and 2007’s The Apostasy, these Poles toured frenetically in the USA and Europe, building a huge fanbase based on their dominant live presence and hooky blackened death sound. Their hard work paid dividends when they were picked up by Nuclear Blast, resulting in 2009’s Evangelion. But while neither The Apostasy nor Evangelion were a tour de force equal to Demigod, Behemoth delivered on 2014’s The Satanist, which showcased the darkest, most mature writing of Nergal’s career. But great records are tough to follow, and the rounds of snickering that ensued following the release of the title I Loved You at Your Darkest and the album’s first single—”God=Dog”—hinted at skepticism among fans." Maybe The Satanist was an exception, not the establishment of a new rule?” Loving the evil sinner.

Tornado – Commitment to Excellence Review

By GardensTale on August 29, 2018 in 2018, Extreme Metal Music, Finnish Metal, Glam Metal, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Thrash Metal, 57 comments

“The world of today is in turmoil. Across the Western world, after decades of growth for love, tolerance and liberty, a movement of blanket hatred for the ‘other’ has begun to creep up through the pores. That movement, which has been festering in the darkness and has finally started to expose itself in full in recent years, has infected political discourse all over North America and Europe. Most metal bands simply keep trucking on, and that’s a good thing. We all need an escape from the raging shitstorm every now and then. Finnish thrash band Tornado could not abide by this, however, and they’re taking their music to the streets, likely along with a few picketing signs.” Commit to semi-goodness.

DeathgraVe – So Real, It’s Now Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on June 26, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Death Metal, Grind, Reviews, Tankcrimes Records, Death Metal, 63 comments

“The question of why we listen to this stuff is asked so frequently as to become quite meaningless. Sam Dunn’s Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey documentary concluded that you either “get it” or you don’t, and that’s fine. Find a seventeen-year-old who’s just heard Nile or Behemoth and they’ll inform you that metal is for the musically elite, wrapping words about history and antitheism in swathes of dizzyingly technical instrumentation (especially the drums). I disagree with both to some degree, and the question being posed by a great friend I have tremendous respect for led me to think more about it than normal.” Why do we metal?

Karma Violens – Serpent God Review

By Kronos on April 16, 2018 in 2018, Black Metal, Death Metal, Greek Metal, Growl Records, Reviews, Death Metal, 27 comments

“The creeping regularity of life has toppled many; for some, it’s the barrel of the next coffee-fueled third shift staring them down; for others, it’s another dreary adventure in cubeland. For me, it’s every death metal band that I’ve never heard of from Southern Europe.” South of the blunder.

Crescent – The Order of Amenti Review

By Ferrous Beuller on February 14, 2018 in 2018, Death Metal, Egyptian Metal, Listenable Records, Reviews, 0 comments

“Some pain will last. In particular, those most formative of musical memories, the marriage of experience and DNA. Realm of Chaos and Consuming Impulse were the first to school me on how hard death metal could hit, and while Pierced From Within taught a lesson in climactic brutality, it was In Their Darkened Shrines that embodied the extravagance of extremity. These three tenets are what I champion in truly great death metal and, thanks to the latter, what can clumsily be described as “eastern” chord progressions have appealed to me ever since. Egypt’s very own Crescent know my needs, and their second album, The Order of Amenti, seeks to deliver just that.” Pyramid schemes.

Degial – Predator Reign Review

By Grymm on December 5, 2017 in 2017, Death Metal, Reviews, Sepulchral Voice Records, Swedish Metal, Death Metal, 17 comments

“It’s that time of year again where people are scrambling for gifts to buy people, malls to populate, and year-end lists to create. It’s also the time of year when I try to step outside of my blackened, doom-laden comfort zone and try my hand at less bleak, more visceral waters. In other words, I done burned myself out on black metal for a bit, and what better pick-me-up is there than Swedish death metal?” Satisfying like Swedeath Fish.

Belphegor – Totenritual Review

By Ferrous Beuller on September 18, 2017 in 2017, Austrian Metal, Black Metal, Nuclear Blast, Reviews, 28 comments

“Ever blackened, ever brutal, ever bothersome of livestock, Austria’s Belphegor have once again returned to necromance us with another flurry of panzer division extremity. I may not have gushed quite so profusely over the previous album, Conjuring the Dead, as Steel Druhm, but I certainly enjoyed the uptake in death metal that informed that record and still occasionally drop in when in need of a merciless bondage beating.” Hogtied and beaten sheepless.

Nervecell – Past, Present… Torture Review

By Master of Muppets on August 27, 2017 in 2017, Lifeforce Records, Reviews, Technical Death Metal, United Arab Emirates Metal, Technical Death Metal, 42 comments

“Why tech-death insists on being an exercise in as many bands as possible doing the exact same thing as each other, is something that baffles. On that note, and with Beuller-approved levels of irony, let’s talk about some dudes from Dubai and what they’ve done with the genre on their third full-length, Past, Present… Torture.” Dial N for Nile, oh, and Nervecell.