Those Whom the Gods Detest
| Those Whom the Gods Detest | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Nile | ||||
| Released | November 3, 2009 | |||
| Recorded | 2008-2009, Mana Recording (drums, Tampa, Florida); all other instruments tracked at Serpent Headed Studios/OTB (Greenville, South Carolina) | |||
| Genre | Technical death metal | |||
| Length | 56:39 | |||
| Label | Nuclear Blast | |||
| Producer | Neil Kernon | |||
| Nile chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| About.com |   [1] |
| Allmusic |  [2] |
| Blabbermouth.net | [3] |
| Rock Sound | [4] |
| Sputnikmusic | [5] |
| Ultimate Guitar | [6] |
Those Whom the Gods Detest is the sixth studio album by American technical death metal band Nile. The album was released on November 3, 2009, in North America, and on November 6, 2009, in Europe through Nuclear Blast. It was produced and mixed by Neil Kernon, with Erik Rutan handling the drum recording. The album debuted at #160 on Billboard 200 list in United States.[7]
The cover artwork, a depiction of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten, was brought to realization this time around by Michal "Xaay" Loranc, with whom Karl Sanders has previously worked on his second solo record Saurian Exorcisms.
According to a post on the band's message board, they are planning to release a "making of" documentary covering the rehearsals, preproduction and studio sessions of the album. Liner notes featured in the album booklet, written by Karl Sanders, to explain the concept behind the songs, saw their return on this album. They were previously featured on the albums Black Seeds of Vengeance, In Their Darkened Shrines and Annihilation of the Wicked, however didn't appear on the follow-up album, Ithyphallic.
As of September 24, 2009, the track "Permitting the Noble Dead to Descend to the Underworld" has been made available for streaming over MySpace Music.[8]
On October 28, 2010, the band released the official video for "Permitting the Noble Dead to Descend to the Underworld".[9]
Critical reception
Critical reception of this album has been relatively positive. Justin Norton from the website About.com, within the website's heavy metal subdivision, favorited Those Whom The Gods Detest as being one of their best albums to date. "Those Whom The Gods Detest is a career landmark packed with mind-boggling guitar riffs and solos, nonstop speed, George Kollias’ inimitable drumming and a sense of urgency some claimed was missing from their last effort. Death metal bands take note – Nile is back with a vengeance, much like Boris Karloff in the old Universal Mummy pictures." [1]
Norton also noted the criticism towards this album's name as being anti-religious. "Frontman Karl Sanders says anger and rejection were parts of this album, and it shows. 'The concept is that all of us who play and listen to metal are the people that the gods hate. So [the new album] is a unified rejection of the gods - any god, every god,' Sanders says. 'Not any one in particular, but all of 'em.' If the album is meant to be a rejection of gods then it’s certain to unify metalheads in praise." [1]
Track listing
All lyrics written by Karl Sanders.
| No. | Title | Music | Additional info | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Kafir" | Sanders, Kollias | 6:50 | |
| 2. | "Hittite Dung Incantation" | Sanders, Kollias | 3:48 | |
| 3. | "Utterances of the Crawling Dead" | Toler-Wade, Kollias | 5:09 | |
| 4. | "Those Whom the Gods Detest" | Sanders, Kollias | 8:06 | |
| 5. | "4th Arra of Dagon" | Sanders, Kollias | 8:40 | |
| 6. | "Permitting the Noble Dead to Descend to the Underworld" | Toler-Wade, Kollias | 3:32 | |
| 7. | "Yezd Desert Ghul Ritual in the Abandoned Towers of Silence" | Sanders | 2:33 | |
| 8. | "Kem Khefa Kheshef" | Sanders, Kollias | 6:18 | |
| 9. | "The Eye of Ra" | Toler-Wade, Kollias | 5:00 | |
| 10. | "Iskander Dhul Kharnon" | Sanders, Kollias | 6:40 | |
| 11. | "Hittite Dung Incantation (instrumental version)" | Sanders, Kollias | on LP version and CD version with bonus tracks | 3:47 |
| 12. | "Permitting the Noble Dead to Descend to the Underworld (instrumental version)" | Toler-Wade, Kollias | on LP version and CD version with bonus tracks | 3:33 |
| Total length: | 56:39 | |||
Charts
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Finnish Albums Chart | 35[10] |
| French Albums Chart | 149[11] |
| Billboard 200 | 160[7] |
| Billboard Heatseekers | 3[7] |
Personnel
Nile
- Karl Sanders − guitars, vocals
- Dallas Toler-Wade − guitars, bass, vocals
- George Kollias − drums, percussion
Additional personnel
- Mike Breazale, Chief Spires, David Merideth, Jon Vesano, Pete Hammoura − additional vocals
Production
- Neil Kernon − production, mixing, engineering
- Erik Rutan − engineering
- Serdar Ozturk − assistant engineer
- Alan Douches - mastering
External links
References
- 1 2 3 Norton, Justin M. "Review: Nile - Those Whom the Gods Detest". About.com. Retrieved 5 November 2009.
- ↑ Prato, Greg. "Review: Those Whom the Gods Detest". Allmusic. Retrieved 1 November 2009.
- ↑ Ogle, Ryan. "Nile - Those Whom the Gods Detest (Nuclear Blast)". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved 3 November 2009.
- ↑ "Nile - Those Whom the Gods Detest". Rock Sound. Retrieved 23 November 2009.
- ↑ "Nile - Those Whom the Gods Detest". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 4 November 2009.
- ↑ "Nile - Those Whom the Gods Detest". Ultimate Guitar. Retrieved 2010-02-25.
- 1 2 3 US Charts. Retrieved on 2011-07-02.
- ↑ Nile: New Song Available For Streaming blabbermouth.net. 2009-09-24. Retrieved on 2009-10-30.
- ↑ "Permitting the Nobel Dead to Descend to the Underworld". Metal CallOut. Retrieved 2010-10-28.
- ↑ Suomen virallinen lista ylex.yle.fi. Retrieved on 2009-11-11.
- ↑ French Charts. Retrieved on 2009-11-09.