REVIEW: NILE “The Age of Vile Divinities Tour” | New York City
Born of H. P. Lovecraft lore, Egyptian culture and Death Metal, legendary band NILE have not only influenced a great deal of Tech-Death bands for nearly three decades, but have also carved a path for brutal Death Metal to follow in its path. Nile’s unique trailblazing in the world of extreme music explains it all, with a legacy of hit albums such as, “Black Seeds of Vengeance” and “Annihilation of the Wicked”. Without pause, Nile brought forth “The Age of Vile Divinities Tour”, with A-game support from Incantation, Sanguisugabogg and I AM to kick off 2022.
Nile fans have long been accustomed to their deranged lead guitar patterns. The amount of superlative musical skills tightly knit together by the entire band has made them a household name in Metal. Many fans also praise Nile’s unique ability for vocal contributions by their three lead instrument players. Tremendous brooding, low growl snarls by Karl Sanders, Brad Parris and Scott Eames is an outright display of powerful vocal duties. It’s a treat to see the band members get a turn to shine on their snarls. Nile is the only band I can think of at this moment, which allows its members vocal creativity. Expecting the arrival of a new child, Brian Kingsland did not perform on this tour. Scott Eames had been graciously chosen to fill in, having played in bands like Vital Remains and Thy Antichrist, was a choice everyone could get behind for this tour. Eames’ veteran shreds and power chords were all done with consistent and precise measure.
While founding member Karl Sanders swaps guitars every so often to present an insane dual lead guitar battle with Eames at all times, Brad Parris stepped up to the edge of the stage with powerful, reverberating bass lines. Ultimate blast beat master drummer George Kollias made his presence known with incredible double kicks strong and fast enough to knock some heads around, combined with his sound barrier breaking rocket snare. Nile set an extravagant performance, one featuring some masterful classics like “Black Seeds of Vengance”, “The Howling of the Jinn”, “Sacrifice Unto Sebek”, “Sarcophagus” and many more. The crowd participation was on full point, fans chanting lyrics verbatim and the mosh pit at the center, running on pure metalhead energy, powered by Nile’s zenith Tech-Death experience.
INCANTATION originally formed in the heart of New York City back in the late 80s, but has since then relocated to Pennsylvania. Nevertheless, Incantation has remained the spirit of New York’s massive Death Metal groups to fully break out from the underground scene over the years. Alongside groups like Cannibal Corpse and Immolation, Incantation has put Death Metal on the map and represents my home state very well! Vocalist and rhythm guitarist John McEntee has a very compelling shrill on stage. His vocals complete with death metal antics meant to hype the crowd at all times. Simultaneously, drummer Kyle Severn provides a very beefy section and keeps ceasless grooves for Incantation. The band played a nearly hour-long hour set for fans to indulge in, with tracks like “Carrion Prophecy”, “Siege Hive”, and “The Fallen”.
Legitimately one of the heaviest bands I’ve ever seen, SANGUISUGABOGG is absolute mental chaos that shouldn’t be missed at all. The best of both worlds for brutal death metal and slam all come together in one beefy, “ignorant” package. In time, it is certain that Sanguisugabogg will be in the forefront of brutal death metal, just as Cannibal Corpse was when they started nearly four decades ago. Sanguisugabogg was also the band that got the ball rolling, putting the pit in high gear once taking to the stage. We were treated to 30 minutes of raw adrenaline. Vocalist Devin Swank was cracking some funny jokes in between songs and enjoying the audience interaction during their set. The group brought the house down with robust tracks like “Permanently Fucked”, “Gored in the Chest”, and “Tortured Whole”. Do not sleep on Sanguisugabogg!
I AM is a massive contender for leading ranks in modern day Deathcore. Merging together Slayer’s power chords, Pantera’s groove, Morbid Angel’s death metal attitude & The Red Chord’s breakdown laden frenzy, I AM has all of the ingredients to dominate the future of Metal. This tour is also the first time I’ve seen I AM ever open up for a death metal group like Nile. Previous tours have seen I AM perform with many greats such as Despised Icon, Spite, Kublai Khan TX, Thy Art is Murder and Ingested, with one awesome one off shows with Power Trip and Devourment.
New York has always been a tough crowd. Those who showed up to catch the Texas shredders open up the show were either hardcore fans or Nile fans looking to dig in to some new heavy music. I AM knows how to mesh their tunes extremely well, going from hard hitting thrash tracks, to slow brooding death metal ensembles and a final barrage of massive breakdown hits to the face. Vocalist Andrew Hileman kept the scowls consistent and the crowd intrigued. His strong vocals definitely held the attention of the audience during their set. Meanwhile, guitarist Tom Reyes provided some absolutely menacing shreds and solos with some mind blowing effects. I AM is a band that should be on the radar, as a band destined to tour with many great headliners in the future, while making a strong statement and name for themselves in Metal. As a deathcore band, they have shown their dedication in breaking the barriers to entry and merging sub-genres that otherwise none would think would make sense. Except it does and they’ve proven that on the live front.
Nile’s headliner was easily one of the most fun shows I’ve ever been to and it’s only the beginning of 2022. This is a tour that definitely delivered on all fronts for many fans of extreme metal and I’m hoping that all of these bands will return to the general NYC area very soon!
