For me, In Their Darkened Shrines was one of the most anticipated releases of 2002, as I’ve been a fan of Nile ever since I bought Amongst The Catacombs Of Nephren-Ka in 1999. Unlike 90 percent of the bands in Death Metal at the time, Nile brought uniqueness and an entirely fresh style of song writing and influences to Death Metal. While of course they took some influences from some older Death Metal bands, overall their sound was very new and innovative; where as most bands were simply content with perfecting the Deicide or Morbid Angel sound, and most still are (not always a bad thing), Nile was not.

Nile have progressively improved with each release, and In Their Darkened Shrines is their best effort to date, hands down. The 10 minute plus Unas Slayer Of The Gods is proof that Nile have really matured. This song of epic proportions is amazing, and it is probably their best track yet, as it is busting at the seams with clever dynamics and insane drumming, mixed with crushing and haunting riffs. The Egyptian musical influence in the form of some leads, ancient chants, percussion, and horns are once again placed in the perfect spots and they really are a welcome addition to the CD. Along with the classic Nile chaos tracks such as Execration Test and The Blessed Dead, we are also introduced to a more Doom influenced Nile on Sarcophagus and the final track, Ruins. This new Doom element that finds it ways into passages in the overall speedy songs, too, comes at no surprise to me, and pays homage to early Candlemass in a respectful manner.

The drumming by Tony Laureno is outstanding. His fills and rolls are awe-inspiring; probably the best drum performance this year in the genre. Laureno is so precise and so fast, and Nile do a lot of fills and breakdowns, yet Laureno handles each one with perfection. Whereas certain bands who use fills and break downs a lot become hard to get into due to very few long lasting hooks, Nile is the opposite; the chaotic nature of the band is fitting and makes the songs even more brutal. The guitars, especially the leads, aren’t the most technical from a shredding stand point, but damn, those fast rhythms and change ups are really impressive, and the great guitar production really adds to the unique and haunting atmosphere that Nile can call their own. The vocals are very well done as well, with the new vocalist Jon Vessano fitting right in with no problems- I couldn’t picture Nile using a different vocal style. When it comes down to it, Nile have blended their frantic and urgent song writing style with just the right aspect of accessibility for the casual Death Metal fan. Even though the songs challenge the band and the listener, they still click in right away and don’t take 10 listens to get, mostly thanks to short lived but very well placed head banging chugs and double bass runs mixed with the more complicated dynamics.

I would say without a shadow of a doubt that this is the best Death Metal release of the year, and one of the best in the past 5-7 years... I like it that much. I’ve always had an interest in Egyptian myths and history, and I really like when bands go out of the typical mold in their genre and do something different. Nile does just that- something different, and their Egyptian influence in both the lyrics and usage of percussion and chants is really the icing on the cake for me. In Their Darkened Shrines should appeal to all current Nile fans, and if you’re a Death Metal not into Nile, now is a good time to give them a try.