Nile / Worship the Animal

This demo is quite different from the Nile we know today, but that does not make it any less amazing. The demo only has five songs, but it is in fact longer than Nile’s first actual CD. The songs are all lengthy, which gives the tracks an epic feel. Bassist/Vocalist Chief Spires sings in a clean vocal style for the most part, although he does lean to more death metal vocals in a few parts. Though clean vocals aren’t usually thought of in regards to Nile, I must say that Chief’s voice is quite good.

Lyrically, the album is not as Egyptian themed as later Nile releases, but they still speak of ancient times, mythology, battles, etc. The speech of the lyrics is more modern sounding than those of the current lyrics. Not as many ‘thou arts” or “thy(s)”, although there are a few.

The sound quality of the album is very bass driven. Some may not like this kind of quality, but I quite enjoy it. Chief Spires has a heavy, loud bass sound which gives the music more aggression. Karl’s guitar is also very crunchy and heavy sounding. His solos split through the bass end and really stand out. Even on this early demo you can hear what a great guitarist Karl is, and the licks have some of that old “Sanders” style that is so discernible in his playing nowadays. Also because of the lack of a second guitarist, the solo sections have a very cool bass/drum groove to them.

Pete Hammoura’s drumming is also great. He can play the thrash parts well, and has control over both his hands and feet. He is able to create some unique, interesting, and entertaining rhythms which weave around the complex riffings. Although the time signatures get pretty wild at points, it never gets confusing. There are some really fast drum fill parts and also some fast double bass parts. The drums have a really big sound which adds to the heaviness of the demo. There are also some tribal tom parts that heighten the epic feel of things.

All in all, this is an awesome first release, and the start of Nile’s transcending musical career.