LIVE REVIEW: Nile @ Club Academy, Manchester

Since forming in 1993, NILE have grown into one of the premier names within death metal. Through their technicality and ferocity, and an adoration for the Ancient Egyptian era of history, the quartet are a firm favourite in the genre. Now, with album number nine, Vile Nilotic Rites, on the horizon the band are steam-rolling their way across Europe and the UK.

Openers OMOPHAGIA have the daunting task to kick off proceedings, and despite the basement room of Club Academy being far from capacity, the Swiss quintet waste absolutely no time in setting an immediate precedent of brutality. Donning smart shirts and ties, somewhat intriguing given their brand of death metal, the band command the stage through a musical maelstrom of savage riffs and brutal blasts from frontman Beni. Splashes of technicality from lead guitarist Mischa showcases the technical prowess within their ranks and with a substantial portion of the set comprised of material from latest album 646965, it’s clear that the band are looking ahead to the future. A solid opening effort from a band that could really have benefited from a larger audience.

Rating: 7/10

No such problems occur for VITRIOL though. By the time the Portland bruisers hit the stage, the venue is sufficiently full to witness the band in action. Any question marks lingering as to whether the band could replicate the overwhelming brutality of their recent release, To Bathe From The Throat of Cowardice, were quickly squashed as the band roar into the life right from the get-go. Buzz-saw riffing come thick and fast from guitarists Mike Ashton and Kyle Rasmussen, who trades guttural exchanges with bassist Adam Roethlisberger to wonderful effect. Whilst the sheer density of their brand of death metal may be overwhelming for the uninitiated, the sheer power the band display on stage wins over the crowd incredibly quickly. As they power through their short time on stage, the band leave little room for the crowd to collectively catch their breathe, and with The Parting of a Neck serving as a resounding closer, VITRIOL make a phenomenal impression which bodes well for a long-serving career in extreme music.

Rating: 9/10

HATE ETERNAL are regarded in the same calibre as tonight’s headliners. Led by the formidable Erik Rutan, the American death metallers have slogged away in the death metal scene for over two decades now and if anything can be taken away from their main support slot to NILE, it is that they are a band who operate with the utmost proficiency in the live environment. Throughout their time on stage, the three piece dispatch a set that is just entirely solid. The riffs from Rutan and live bassist Art Paiz forge a solid wall of sound, with occasional splashes of lead trickery from Rutan displaying a technical edge, and live drummer John Longstreth pounds his kit to one inch of its life. With a set spanning a wide portion of their back catalogue and with new material from last year’s Upon Desolate Sands slotting in nicely to their older material, the band commanded the stage. And yet, given the sheer brutality of VITRIOL prior and the later monolithic effort from NILE, HATE ETERNAL just lacked that spark to truly grab you by the throat and pummel you into submission. It’s difficult to pin-point exactly what was at fault, as the trio gave it their all and certainly received adoration from the crowd, it just felt like for all their tightness and proficiency, HATE ETERNAL just lacked that cutting edge to make a good performance into a truly spectacular one.

Rating: 7/10

With a decorated back catalogue, NILE have a wealth of material to unleash on the now swelling crowd of Manchester’s Club Academy. A blessing rather than a curse, tonight’s setlist is reflective of their long-serving career and as the now-iconic opening salvo of Sacrifice Unto Sebek begins to unfold, there is anticipation in the air for what is about to commence; sheer musical brutality. And oh boy do the band deliver.

Karl Sanders and Brian Kingsland never break stride in delivering their rampaging riffing, combining effortlessly to dispatch passages of sheer monolithic power as seen with the mid-tempo chug of Kafir!, which keeps heads banging aplenty. George Kollias is often regarded as one of the best drummers in the realm of death metal and he adds a further feather to his cap with a breathtaking performance in Manchester as he continuously keeps the pace flowing in top gear, and bassist/lead vocalist Brad Parris‘ low, rumbling growls rarely get lost in the frantic mix.

As the set unfolds, it becomes increasingly clear that NILE have been consistently at the top of their game throughout their career and the songs in which make the cut tonight are reflective of that. Call To Destruction and In The Name of Amun, lifted from 2015’s What Should Not Be Unearthed, serve as a fitting reminder to that often overlooked record, The Howling of the Jinn is a blast from the past and Black Seeds of Vengeance‘s chanting finish makes for one hell of an emphatic closure to the set. As a new chapter looms on the horizon, things seem to be business as usual for NILE as the several cuts from the upcoming opus which make the set slot in so organically, you might have thought they were already celebrated deep cuts from prior albums. Whilst it may be disappointing that no material from 2007’s Ithyphallic or fan-favourite Lashed To The Slave Stick made the cut, what NILE gave was a performance of sheer monolithic power and further bolstered their position as one of the finest bands death metal has to offer.

Rating: 8/10

Check out our photo gallery from the night’s action in Manchester from Sabrina Ramdoyal Photography here: