Photo by Francesco Desmaele, courtesy of Freeman Promotions
w/ Incantation, Sanguisugabogg, and I AM | 7:00 PM | Pop’s, 401 Monsanto Ave., Sauget, Ill. | All ages | $25 advance, $30 day of show, $50 reserved
“The world has become a despairing desert,” Karl Sanders growls on “Long Shadows of Dread,” and man, ain’t that the truth? The song, the opening salvo on Nile’s 2019 album Vile Nilotic Rites (the band’s ninth) is a fitting representation for the Nile sound: frenetic thrash metal guitars, bass, and drums that move in lockstep at lightning speed, then lurch to a death metal chug to allow the guitars to thud like the musical personification of impending doom. (“Lightning speed” is barely even an exaggeration: tune your ears to the bass drums on “The Oxford Handbook of Savage Genocidal Warfare” and you’ll swear drummer George Kollias is pummeling out the rhythm at what feels like 500 beats per minute.) Throw in vocals that move from a guttural snarl to an anguished howl, awe-inspiring guitar solo theatrics, Middle Eastern imagery, and the occasional ominous church bell and you’ve got Nile in a nutshell.
Vile Nilotic Rites marked the first album appearance for two Nile newcomers, bassist Brad Parris and guitarist Brian Kingsland, though the pair got a few good years of touring in with the band before COVID shut down Nile as a touring operation for two full years. Nile hits the metal-friendly stage at Pop’s 20 shows into the 31-date The Age of Vile Divinities tour, which serves as prep for the band’s forthcoming tenth long-player, their first for Napalm Records.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit popsrocks.com. | Jason Green
Nile on tour:
02.25: Minneapolis, MN @ Cabooze
02.26: Joliet, IL @ The Forge
02.27: Sauget, IL @ Pop’s
03.1: Fort Wayne, IN @ Piere’s
03.2: Detroit, MI @ El Club
03.3: Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
03.4: Pittsburgh, PA @ Crafthouse
03.5: Reading, PA @ Reverb
03.6: Worcester, MA @ Palladium (Upstairs)
03.8: New York, NY @ Gramercy Theater
03.9: Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage
03.10: Richmond, VA @ Canal Club
03.11: Greensboro, NC @ Blind Tiger
03.12: Spartanburg, SC @ Ground Zero
