American Brutal and Technical Death Metallers Nile have returned to entomb London yet again. They’re actually here to support their 2019 release Vile Nilotic Rites, a venture that was put on pause due to the pandemic. Such a prolonged absence has certainly made their fans’ hearts fonder. The Garage is full of admirers on an unseasonably mild Sunday evening. Support tonight comes from Brazilian Death Metal trio Krisiun. King of Killing opens their set of no-bullshit bludgeoning Extreme Metal. The band is composed of three brothers and this year, they unleashed their twelfth full-length album, Mortem Solis. Necronomical, Serpent Messiah and Swords into Flesh represent the release in its grizzly glory. Guitarist Moyses Kolesne pitches oppressive riffs displaying a sophisticated level of technicality, without tipping the music into absolute tech death territory. Vocalist Alex Camargo employs savage and utilitarian rasps, while conversely being particularly cordial to the attendees with his stage banter. Despite their enthusiasm, their music is deprived of significant variety and the songs seem to echo each other. This is mirrored in the crowd’s engagement, which wanes as the set progresses. Hatred Inherit signifies the conclusion of the set and this feels like a timely place to end. Given the sheer amount of innovative fresh Death Metal acts spawning out there, Krisiun feel like a footnote in the sub-genre right now. Such a concern is inapplicable to headliners Nile. Their idiosyncratic interpretation of Ancient Egyptian musical cues weaved into Brutal Death Metal was and remains unparalleled. The band initiates the set at full power with the outstanding Sacrifice Unto Sebek from Annihilation of the Wicked, featuring earth-shaking rhythms that instantly enthral the punters and ignite mosh pits. Original member and mailman Karl Sanders shines on guitar, dishing out breakneck, bone-crushing and fret-shredding riffs alongside evocative Egyptian-inspired melodies. Despite this tour promoting their latest output, the four-piece sacrifice prolonged exposure of Vile Nilotic Rites in favour of a retrospective that fairly covers their discography. Crowd-pleaser chases crowd-pleaser as the Americans exhume the likes of Lashed to the Slavestick, The Howling of the Jinn and Sarcophagus. Drummer George Kolias is incredibly accomplished switching between tense cymbal-led intricacies and weighty blastbeats. For the older tracks, vocalist and bassist Brian Kingsland does an admirable job filling the boots of his highly esteemed predecessors. New anthems Long Shadows of Dread and Vile Nilotic Rites don’t evoke the same kind of audience response, as is usual with younger songs, but nonetheless, the fans readily feast on them and maintain their vigour throughout. Nile have been around for a few decades and have toured extensively, so they understand how to work a venue and put on an excessively entertaining show. It feels like barely any time has elapsed when it comes to the curtain-calling track of the night – Black Seeds of Vengeance. As usual, this set staple dominates and unifies the room into a tsunami of headbanging and fist-pumping. Nile can’t be depicted in a more superior light than this these days. This is a tidy way to conclude an evening of intense Death Metal.
