Nile

It’s almost shocking to see Nile leave long-time home Relapse and hop over to Nuclear Blast. However, nothing has really changed with this new disc, except there’s a better production sound — yeah, the bass drums still sound goofy, just not as goofy. The eight-minute-long opening track, "What Can Be Safely Written,” has all the elements that make Nile so damn good: raging blast beats, ultra slow-mo sludge parts, numerous guitar solos and, as always, the Egyptian overtones. "As He Creates So He Destroys” is as streamlined and hard-hitting as the best of the band’s material from their classic Amongst the Catacombs of Nephran-Ka and "Eat of the Dead” slows things down to a wonderfully painful doom metal crawl. "Laying Fire upon Apep” has some of the fastest kick drum work I’ve heard in a while. And while the album is certainly laborious and slightly oppressive, aren’t they always with these guys? Back to the production, which helps take away from that oppressive vibe and gives the band a new energy, one that has increased with their new home and outlook on life. Oh, and you were asking about the stupidest song title ever? Sure, it’s right here: "Papyrus Containing the Spell to Preserve Its Possessor against Attacks from He Who Is in the Water.”