Annihilation of the Wicked

Annihilation of the Wicked
Studio album by Nile
Released	May 23, 2005 (Europe) May 24, 2005 (North America)
Recorded	December 2004 – January 2005 at The Sound Lab, Columbia, South Carolina Mixed at Rax Trax in Chicago.
Genre	Death metal, technical death metal
Length	51:41
Label	Relapse
Producer	Neil Kernon
Nile chronology
In Their Darkened Shrines (2002) Annihilation of the Wicked (2005) Legacy of the Catacombs (2007)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Blabbermouth	(9/10)
PopMatters	(9/10)

Annihilation of the Wicked is the fourth studio album by American technical death metal band Nile. The album was released on May 23, 2005 by Relapse Records. This is the first Nile album to feature George Kollias on drums, replacing Tony Laureano. This album marks Nile's last record released by Relapse. A music video for "Sacrifice Unto Sebek" was produced.

Critical Reception

Annihilation of the Wicked received relatively positive reviews. Vincent from metal-observer, gave this album an 10/10, and commented on its predecessor In Their Darkened Shrines: "A bigger change was the departure of Tony Laureano, who has been replaced by Greek drummer George Kollias. But don’t worry, as could be expected the new drummer easily fills the shoes of his predecessor. Maybe the drum work is not as subtle and layered as the ingeniously structured drums on the previous album, but speed and creativity are both at a nearly unequalled level (take for instance the drums during the solo of “Cast Down The Heretic”, breathtaking!)."

Vincent went onto to talk about the fantastic guitar work on this album, saying, "Still, progression of technical level of the music hasn’t stopped, it’s just that the mix of the album is more directed at a brutal sound, but with the complex song structures still clearly audible (guitar freaks, listen to for instance "The Burning Pits Of The Duat" and mind your jaw)."

James from sputnikmusic gave this album an 4.5 out of 5. Commenting on why this album is not a 5 out of 5, he said, "So far, the whole album feels like a goldmine, until you hit the next two tracks, The Burning Pits of the Duat and Chapter of Obeisance Before Giving Breath to the Inert One in the Presence of the Crescent Shaped Horns. Both songs have positive things to hear in them (the subject matter in the former and the fast pace of lyrics in the latter) but it is not enough to get them out of the hole they dug theirselves in. In this reviewer's opinion, they are filler material. Not stuff to keep your earphones glued to your ears. Though opinions may vary from different listeners."

James went onto comment about how this is Nile's best album as of July 2011. "Annihilation for the Wicked is one of, if not the, best album by Nile. Brutal, unrelenting, insane, maddening and evil. A great buy if you are a fan of Egyptian culture, or death metal."

Track listing

1. "Dusk Falls Upon the Temple of the Serpent on the Mount of Sunrise" – 0:51
2. "Cast Down the Heretic" – 5:45
3. "Sacrifice Unto Sebek" – 3:03
4. "User-Maat-Re" – 9:14
5. "The Burning Pits of the Duat" – 3:52
6. "Chapter of Obeisance Before Giving Breath to the Inert One in the Presence of the Crescent Shaped Horns" – 5:21
7. "Lashed to the Slave Stick" – 4:18
8. "Spawn of Uamenti" – 1:14
9. "Annihilation of the Wicked" – 8:36
10. "Von Unaussprechlichen Kulten" – 9:46

Bonus tracks

11. "Sss Haa Set Yoth" (Japanese bonus track) – 5:15

Personnel

• Karl Sanders − guitar, lead vocals, bağlama, saz, keyboards, bouzouki
• Dallas Toler-Wade − guitar, vocals
• George Kollias − drums, percussion
• Jon Vesano − bass guitar, vocals
• Mike Brezeale − exorcism chants and Pazuzu bowl on "Chapter of Obeisance Before Giving Breath to the Inert One in the Presence of the Crescent Shaped Horns"