Of course the expectations were set very highly for the new Nile album. This sort of pressure can be very hard on a band, especially when they are in the middle of lineup changes. Not so for Nile. With In Their Darkened Shrines they delivered their most crushing album to date. It sums up the previous albums and multiplies them by tenfold. The songs are real intense and more brutal than before. I have to say that Tony Laureano is the right man for the job after Pete unfortunately had to quit drumming because of an injury.

The songs are truly epic too, perfected with the use of various real instruments from the Middle East. And if you think that epic stands for power metal or gothic crap, think again and listen to this album and conclude that death metal can be even more bombastic. To add to the perfection the new artwork is also very dark and splendid.

This time it is not done by Wes Benscoter but by Orion, and he did a hell of a job. In the tradition of Nile, all the lyrics are explained in the `booklet`. In this case it is more like a folded scroll. On one side it features the lyrics, while on the other they are explained.

The production is of course done by their long-time producer Bob Moore. Because they have worked together for so many years the production is perfect. This makes it even harder for the next album to surpass this standard. To put it shortly: In Their Darkened Shrines is a complete masterpiece. From the lay-out to the production and from the compositions to the lyrics. This not only a `safe buy` for whoever loves (extreme) metal, it is a must for people who love death metal.