In the world of technical death metal, Nile is a very well-known name. With seven Egyptian-themed albums under their belt, Nile has acquired a significant amount of fans and supporters in the heavy metal genre. I was lucky enough to catch them at the last tour date of their 2014 North America tour in support of Nile’s latest album “At the Gates of Sethu”. The Orpheum held the show on 5/15/14 with Nile headlining and support from local Central Florida acts Kadaver Dolls, Ulcer, From the Embrace, and Prophecy Z14. How did the legendary Nile and local support sound on this death metal filled night?
To begin, the local acts at this show are some of the best I’ve personally seen to date. Opening the show was Melbourne’s/Orlando’s Prophecy Z14. Prophecy Z14 played a great opening set with their brand of death metal. Their songs were filled with extremely catchy riffs and slams. One slow and chunky slam was so catchy that it stuck in my head after their set. Following Prophecy Z14 was Tampa’s progressive/melodic death metal outfit From the Embrace. From the Embrace’s music had a great range of technicality and melody. The most notable aspect of their performance was their flawless stage presence. Third in the lineup was old-school death metal group Ulcer. Ulcer played a superb set and was the best local old-school death metal act I’ve seen live yet. The band’s highly energetic performance significantly stuck out to me. Finally, the last local group to play was North Port’s Kadaver Dolls. Once again, the melodic/progressive metal set was entertaining to say the least. I immediately noticed how tight the drummer played. Kadaver Dolls also performed an array of catchy riffs. All the local bands that played this event definitely deserve your support.
Finally, it was time for the almighty Nile to perform. Nile played a fantastic set as expected while making sure to play fan favorites and at least one song off of each album. Live, Nile has a crushing guitar tone along with massive sounding drums but audience members can still hear the technicality of complex riffs. Their set list began with one of the most well known Nile songs of all time “Sacrifice unto Sebek”. Opening with this massive song was the best way Nile could have possibly started their set to make fans immediately engaged. Next, audience members heard two songs each from the albums “Black Seeds of Vengeance” and “Those Whom the Gods Detest”. Nile would then jump around albums playing some of the more notable songs off each. Towards the end of Nile’s lengthy set list saw some of the best Nile songs written including “Sarcophagus”, “Lashed to the Slave Stick”, and the closing song “Black Seeds of Vengeance”. Unfortunately, there was not an encore. I was glad to see all of my favorites played. Overall, Nile played a great show. They performed flawlessly which is very impressive considering they played fifteen songs with only a few brief breaks. Not to mention a good portion of their songs are quite lengthy compared to your average song. Also, any musician knows how incredibly difficult Nile’s material would be to play with their complex musicianship and speed. Even at the end of their set, the members of Nile didn’t appear tired at all. This includes George Kollias with his endless amounts of blast beats.
Next time Nile, Kadaver Dolls, Ulcer, From the Embrace, and/or Prophecy Z14 is playing a show near you, be sure to attend, support, and have a great time!
