Review by UnhinderedbyTalent for Nile - Annihilation of the Wicked (2005)

My introduction record to Nile, their fourth full-length offered a brilliant gateway into their brand of technical and brutal death metal.  Vast though it seemed in scope at the time the whole experience felt varied and accessible still.  Whether it was the far eastern promise on the strings or the looming beastly riffs that cemented the death metal credentials of the record, there was enough ability on show for the record to gain instant respect from this listener.

For me this record completed the band's golden run that started with 2000's Black Seeds Of Vengeance.  It engaged all the brutality of the preceding two records but also showed a much more mature and skilled delivery, complete with a story-telling to the song writing that made the whole experience even more compelling.  The multi-instrumental wizard that is Karl Sanders leads brilliantly on this release.  His supporting cast of Toler-Wade, Vesano and the brilliant Kollias play sterling roles in the execution of the album and Kernon's production job lets the music come across as vibrant as Landau's artwork suggests it will be.

The band for me went into a bit of a decline post-Annihilation of the Wicked culminating in the decidedly ordinary Vile Nilotic Rites in 2019.  But their 2005 release was a triumph in both design and content and is an album I still visit with regularity to this day.