Track Listing

1. Invocation of the Gate of Aat-Ankh-Es-En-Amenti
2. Black Seeds of Vengence
3. Defiling the Gates of Ishtar - Gary Jones, Nile, Roz Porter
4. Black Flame
5. Libation Unto the Shades Who Lurk in the Shadows of the Temple of ...
6. Masturbating the War God - Gary Jones, Nile
7. Multitude of Foes
8. Chapter for Tranforming into a Snake
9. Nas Akhu Khan She en Asbiu
10. To Dream of Ur - Nile, Scott Wilson, Scott Wilson
11. Nameless City of the Accursed
12. Khetti Satha Shemsu - Ross Dolan, Gary Jones, Bob Moore, Bob Moore, Nile, Derek Roddy, Scott Wilson, Scott Wilson

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #45580 in Music
• Released on: 2000-09-05
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .24 pounds

Customer Reviews

Death metal brilliance, near perfection
In some ways Nile are much like the typical death metal band. "Black Seeds of Vengeance" contains more than enough searing guitar work, guttural vocals, and blastbeat drumming to please any Cannibal Corpse or Morbid Angel fan. However, Nile have a unique idea that sets them apart from the pack. They combine their prototypical death metal with Egyptian/Middle Eastern elements that make this album a truly dark and eerie piece of music. It's obvious pretty early that this is more than just a death-metal album. The title track blasts forward with unbridled speed and intensity, driven by Pete Hammoura's amazing precision and variety on the drum kit. The following song, "Defiling the Gates of Ishtar," starts off similarly, but then suddenly breaks into some eerie and frightening choral chanting before getting heavy again. Another highlight is "Masturbating the War God," a slow, grinding basher that also includes some choral vocals towards the end. Probably the best song here, though, is the epic "To Dream of Ur." The song starts out with some creepy music and slow, tortured whisphering, then switches to brusing death metal, then switches back, and then back again. I know that's not much of a description, but suffice to say the song rules. And if that's not enough, "Libation Unto the Shades Who Lurk in the Shadows of the Temple of Anhur" and "The Nameless City of the Accursed" are excellent Egyptian-sounding interludes that add to the haunting atmosphere of the album without being self-indulgent. The musicianship is excellent throughout, and the lyrics are far smarter and more meaningful than the typical death metal fare, so be sure to read them (every song is explained in the liner notes too, which is cool). Now to get their other albums!

Perfect soundtrack to nightmares
I like to play excerpts from this album to music ignorants to let them know what they are missing in their soundscape. I like the look of genuine fear in their faces when the death chants transform into death metal. I like to tell them that the song is about impaling women on the massive stone member of father Anhur, the war god.
Many find this very scary and upsetting. I like that.

Stunning and intelligent
Ok, I admit. I Napster'd this album way back when, and put off actually buying it. Once I finally got the CD, I was very glad I did. Reading the liner notes and the explanation of the meaning of each song was worth more than the cost of the CD. My respect for Nile has doubled having read about their lyrical content.

They put such an intelligent and unique spin on the "evil" death metal routine. Once you know what the songs are about, you will never hear their music in quite the same way. The blast beats sound more punishing, the guitars more desperate for revenge, the vocals more brutal.

Their songs are each pieces of a narrative. They seem to be using the Egyptian motif to explore their own interests in history, but there also seems to be an underlying message of the futility and destructive nature of religion, humanity's endless quest for immortality, sexuality as a weapon, and the costly price paid for one's own arrogance, hatred for others, revenge, etc.

The standout piece is by far Masturbating the War God. Several of the songs have lyrics that were translated more or less directly from Egyptian manuscripts, this is one of them. The lyrics are utterly haunting, you just have to read about it to believe it.

Enjoy!