Track listing
Show track credits
- 1 What Can Be Safely Written 8:15
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music
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music
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- 2 As He Creates, So He Destroys 4:36
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music
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music
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- 3 Ithyphallic 4:40
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music
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music
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- 4 Papyrus Containing the Spell to Preserve Its Possessor Against Attacks From He Who Is in the Water 2:57
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music
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music
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- 5 Eat of the Dead 6:29
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music
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music
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- 6 Laying Fire Upon Apep 3:25
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music
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music
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- 7 The Essential Salts 3:51
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music
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music
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- 8 The Infinity of Stone 2:04
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- 9 The Language of the Shadows 3:30
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music
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music
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- 10 Even the Gods Must Die 10:01
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music
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- Total length: 49:48
Rate/Catalog
Catalog
Set listening
Review
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13 Issues
- Release view [combined information for all issues]
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Ithyphallic [p]
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Ithyphallic Bonus Tracks, Digipak
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Ithyphallic 33 rpm, Bonus Tracks, Colored Vinyl, Gatefold, Numbered Edition
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Ithyphallic Bonus Tracks
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Ithyphallic Bonus Tracks
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Ithyphallic Bonus Tracks, Digipak, Limited Edition
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Ithyphallic Bonus Tracks, Digipak
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Ithyphallic Bonus Tracks, Collector's Edition, Numbered Edition
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Ithyphallic Bonus Tracks
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Ithyphallic 180 gram, 33 rpm, Bonus Tracks, Colored Vinyl, Exclusive, Gatefold, Numbered Edition
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Ithyphallic 180 gram, 33 rpm, Bonus Tracks, Gatefold, Limited Edition
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Ithyphallic [clear/white/orange splatter vinyls] 33 rpm, Bonus Tracks, Colored Vinyl, Gatefold, Limited Edition
53 Reviews
Impressive!
Nile is always a huge power in death metal! Just listen once to make sure how brutal they are! I just think they might be the most extreme band ever!
Nile is always a huge power in death metal! Just listen once to make sure how brutal they are! I just think they might be the most extreme band ever!
Published
Fucking wicked. One of their best albums, I can tell that already. I'm loving the production! The vocals are great, the drums are mental, and the guitar riffs here are some of the best I've ever heard. There's more breakdowns and slower, more doom-like parts, which is also great. Downloaded it, but will happily buy the CD when its released!
Published
Nile are victims of their own brilliance. At the time of Ithyphallic’s release, it was met with a sort of “meh” reaction from fans and critics. And that isn’t fair at all. Yeah, each Nile album prior to this had seen the band taking steps, becoming bigger and better, but their sound sort of finalised itself on Annihilation of the Wicked, and this album doesn’t do anything new for the band. In fact, its probably marginally weaker than its predecessor. I feel it was sort of just expected that each new Nile album would see them add something to their sound, create a new epoch in their history but the reality is that it just doesn’t work like that. Nile maxed out their songwriting and style so to speak, and this album sees them continue in that style. Don’t fix what isn’t broken.
And if there is one thing Annihilation of the Wicked wasn’t, it was broken. It was an utterly seminal Death Metal record, and Ithyphallic doesn’t really build on it so much as expands upon it. You could say, if you were being really harsh, that this album is like a B Side version of its predecessor, but personally I prefer to think of this as the second part of the ideas that album had. The album sort of lacks the grandeur of the earlier Nile albums, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing in this albums case; this feels like looking over a failing empire; the illusions of power and grandeur utterly dispelled, the rotten corpses of Kings revealed for all to see.
That isn’t a mark against its name either. Think of this way, did you like Annihilation of the Wicked? Yeah? Great, because this is more of the same, only its further down the line. Anoint your phallus in the blood of your enemies and enjoy this seminal Nile record. If you weren’t a fan of the former album, or just feel like you don’t need another album in that vein, then this isn’t going to be for you. Nile were victims of their own brilliance, but they just didn’t have anywhere else to take their sound. I suppose its sad that they wouldn’t really innovate again from this point…. Well, actually they did innovate on the next album but people didn’t like it (Drop A for lyf). Another great record, just not as utterly essential as what came before.
And if there is one thing Annihilation of the Wicked wasn’t, it was broken. It was an utterly seminal Death Metal record, and Ithyphallic doesn’t really build on it so much as expands upon it. You could say, if you were being really harsh, that this album is like a B Side version of its predecessor, but personally I prefer to think of this as the second part of the ideas that album had. The album sort of lacks the grandeur of the earlier Nile albums, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing in this albums case; this feels like looking over a failing empire; the illusions of power and grandeur utterly dispelled, the rotten corpses of Kings revealed for all to see.
That isn’t a mark against its name either. Think of this way, did you like Annihilation of the Wicked? Yeah? Great, because this is more of the same, only its further down the line. Anoint your phallus in the blood of your enemies and enjoy this seminal Nile record. If you weren’t a fan of the former album, or just feel like you don’t need another album in that vein, then this isn’t going to be for you. Nile were victims of their own brilliance, but they just didn’t have anywhere else to take their sound. I suppose its sad that they wouldn’t really innovate again from this point…. Well, actually they did innovate on the next album but people didn’t like it (Drop A for lyf). Another great record, just not as utterly essential as what came before.
Published
(June 2021)
I remember being severely bored by this release when it came out. I think it was probably impossible to top the gargantuan Annihilation Of The Wicked, to be honest, but it would be wrong if I held a grudge against this follow up for that reason. Whilst it held no real highlights for me when I first heard it, I can now listen to this back and appreciate it for the solid death metal record that it is. Long live Nile
I remember being severely bored by this release when it came out. I think it was probably impossible to top the gargantuan Annihilation Of The Wicked, to be honest, but it would be wrong if I held a grudge against this follow up for that reason. Whilst it held no real highlights for me when I first heard it, I can now listen to this back and appreciate it for the solid death metal record that it is. Long live Nile
Published
Not their best record, but still Nile is one of the few brutal death metal bands you can actually listen to.
Published
One of the best 00s death metal albums and one that holds up to this day. They blended in doom sections in their sound and somehow managed to make their songs both more expansive and tighter. The technical musicianship is also toned down and made to serve the atmosphere of the songs rather than be their centerpiece as is the case with so much death metal of that period and as was the case with some of the material on the previous Nile albums.
Published
This is often considered one of Nile's weaker efforts, but it's hard for me to see why. I think it's the best record of their career. Very consistent, tight, interesting songwriting. 'The Essential Salts' and 'Even the Gods Must Die' are huge highlights. I guess the production can be considered an acquired taste; it has a dusty, muddy quality that contrasts considerably with how crisp Annihilation and Gods Detest sound. The drums are also very high in the mix. However, I think these sonic choices add an effective, evocative atmosphere.
Published
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1
What Can Be Safely Written
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2
As He Creates, So He Destroys
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3
Ithyphallic
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4
Papyrus Containing the Spell to Preserve Its Possessor Against Attacks From He Who Is in the Water
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5
Eat of the Dead
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6
Laying Fire Upon Apep
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7
The Essential Salts
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8
The Infinity of Stone
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9
The Language of the Shadows
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10
Even the Gods Must Die
What a fantastic band! A band that was able to claim his own special throne in the vastity of the brutal death metal scene. Obscure egyptian themed lyrics and Lovecraft references matching a total gut-wrenching and ultra technical style of brutal death metal. This is to me their third consecutive masterpiece, completing a perfect streak that started with the insane In Their Darkened Shrines, continued with the basically flawless Annihilation of the Wicked and finally with this record.
When I listen to this album I almost feel like I’m inside the album cover, feeling the sand of the desert coming at my face at super high speed, completely ripping my flesh (What May Be Safely Written, Laying Fire Upon Apep, As He Creates So He Destroys, Papyrus…, Language of the Shadows, the titletrack), as well as the stench of opened sarcophaguses (Eat of the Dead, The Essential Salts, Even the Gods Must Die).
If Dallas Toler-Wade's vocals are completely barbarous and possessed-like, what amazes me the most in this regard are Karl Sanders' vocals, absolutely i n h u m a n. But there’s someone else who’s totally out of this planet in this record: George fucking Kollias!!! Jesus Christ this guy is in my opinion, the most amazing and skilled drummer in this genre. His precision, class, speed, and unmatched expertise behind the kit are an essential part of Nile's outstanding sound, and he truly stands out among his drumming colleagues.
I like Nile’s music also because of the numerous details that enhance even more this eerie and occult experience they create; they did this in the past records and even on here there are these moments, with my favorites being the triumphant intro of What May Be Safely Written or the beautiful, sumptuous oriental-ish solo on The Essential Salts.
MY RATE: ★★★★★ ~ 9.5/10
FAVORITE SONG: The Essential Salts
Published
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Catalog
20 May 2024
19 May 2024
17 May 2024
13 May 2024
12 May 2024
11 May 2024
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1
What Can Be Safely Written
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2
As He Creates, So He Destroys
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3
Ithyphallic
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4
Papyrus Containing the Spell to Preserve Its Possessor Against Attacks From He Who Is in the Water
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5
Eat of the Dead
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6
Laying Fire Upon Apep
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7
The Essential Salts
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8 The Infinity of Stone
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9
The Language of the Shadows
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10
Even the Gods Must Die
8 May 2024
8 May 2024
5 May 2024
3 May 2024
27 Apr 2024
26 Apr 2024
24 Apr 2024
24 Apr 2024
15 Apr 2024
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