I've read a lot of reviews etc that say that Ithyphallic was a disappointment and the Annihilation of the Wicked wasn’t as good as Black Seeds of Vengeance. These people are unbelievably wrong! Ithyphallic was awesome and Annihilation of the Wicked was the best album Nile have done. Besides, there not really much to tell between there last 4 albums anyway, they’ve all packed the same excessively speedy brutal death combined with the lurching down-tempo sections, all tempered by belly gurgles about the good ol’ ancient Egyptians courtesy of monsieurs Sanders and Toler-Wade.

Those Whom The Gods Detest is a hefty slab of much of the same. Progression isn’t really needed when you have honed such a massive and awe inspiring sonic attack over the last decade or so. However Nile, like Rotting Christ have blended the called to prayer style singing with extreme metal to great effect on opener ‘Kaffir!’ And a little bit of clean singing in title track ‘Those Whom The Gods Detest’. Everything slots in nicely into the Nile machine, there is the ever present instrumental interludes, the obligatory long song names, this time in the form of ‘Yezd Desert Ghul Ritual In The Abandoned Towers Of Silence’, and of course, the thing that most endears me to Nile, the really slow, grinding, doomy sections, showcased perfectly on ‘4th Arra Of Dagon’. Its just crushing riffery at its very best, so very drawn out and nasty, like being tortured in a pleasant way.

A brilliant album that will fit nicely into their back catalogue and shows that the band are perfectly capable of delivering the goods time and time again.

Carl Sucharyna Thomas.