It is a curious phenomenon that seems prevalent in all forms of entertainment: the personalities that stick around with an unusual talent for flattering to deceive. This is exactly the category I continually have to relegate Nile to, no matter how many times I give them a fresh ear. Drawn in time and again by the inspirational ancient Egyptian iconography and their undiminished reputation, supposedly at the forefront of a genre I have grown to appreciate greatly in recent years. Yet musically, At The Gate Of Sethu is yet another disappointing slice of very average death metal.

The sound is decidedly flat and far too hollow, lacking that devastating aural blow that is so intrinsic to this violent brand of music. And with an infuriatingly repetitive song structure of ambient intro/heavy verse-chorus combo/indulgent solo/more mindless riffing, there is nothing memorable here to get excited about. Nile have demonstrated just how middle-of-the-road extreme music can become, and there are many other bands, both old and new, around today showing just how far At The Gate Of Sethu is from nudging any boundaries.

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