Review Summary: If you ever wished that Nile was actually Egyptian...
The obsession over ancient Egypt or its mythology is certainly nothing new. It strikes a certain chord in the hearts of people across cultures, across times, and across disciplines. Early 20th century American writer H.P. Lovecraft, famous for the introduction of Cthonic themes and its ancient mythos, including a vast pantheon of gods and monsters, saw Ancient Egypt as an expression of the inexpressible that speaks to a primal darkness that exists beyond the human perception, but dwarfs it in its manifestations. It just seemed natural, therefore, to infuse its lyrics, melodies, and overall themes with the genre of metal, the darkest and heaviest of music, to touch upon its monolithic nature. Perhaps most notable, Nile has often been applauded for this, combining brutal technical death metal with these themes and atmosphere, creating a dense, musty, claustrophobic, and mysterious sound that seems to come straight from the sarcophagi of ancient Pharaohs buried deep within the great pyramids. One thing that always bothered me, however, was that Nile is a band from the vast and mysterious lands of... South Carolina. While a band's origin should not determine the quality of their music (and certainly not, since they make excellent music), it has always seemed to cheapen it as a sort of gimmick, rather than touching upon the haunting mysteries of ancient Egypt.
Enter Scarab, a death metal group from Cairo. "Serpents of the Nile" is their second full-length, their first being "Blinding the Masses" from 2009. Their debut, although solid, was marred by distractingly poor production, the drums sounding too tinny and the guitars too distant in the mix, although it sported the Middle Eastern flair that caused Nile wannabe outcry. With their 2015 sophomore effort, they still sport a very similar sound to the aforementioned South Carolina natives, and while certainly wearing that influence loud and proud, they have several tricks of their own, allowing hints of groove metal and a healthy dose of melody that separate them from the masses.
Beginning with "Calling Forth the Ancient Spirits of Kemet," an instrumental track, the disc swells from the dunes, allowing the listener to be engulfed in the atmosphere of the Egyptian mystery. However, the direction is unexpectedly diverted with the first death metal track, "Visions of a Blood River", which forsakes the template of dense and thick production for a surprisingly crisp and crunchy sound. While this is certainly unique, especially in comparison to Nile, the atmosphere is suddenly not one of mystery or monolith, but one of energy and punch: instead of the musty tombs, Scarab's sound encompasses the blazing sunshine upon the pyramids, admiring their greatness rather than their depth or monumental nature.
This trend continues, sporting fast and heavy grooves, tremolo picking, punchy snare, vicious growls, and a surprising dose of solos and melody, with simply mere hints of the atmosphere, most prominent in songs such as the intro track, "Funeral Pharaoh," or "Days of a Burial Mask." Although it does not encase the whole of the atmosphere, as these moments would have us believe, it comes across simply as one hell of a good time. The grooves are infectious and work well with the vocals ("Serpents of the Nile"), the solos are melodic without sounding mechanical ("Spells of Coming Forth by Day"), the blastbeats are creative and technical ("The Afterlife Illusions"), and the tremolos are powerful and well-placed ("Funeral Pharaoh"). Although they are a relatively young band, their songwriting abilities surpass their age as a collective unit, as movement after movement in each track transitions smoothly without sounding forced. The lyrics, touching upon Egyptian history, mythology, and heritage, are nothing exceptional, but are still poetic and intelligent.
In the case of the each individual track, with the exception of the intro track and the title track, each song surpasses the 6-minute mark, which is quite impressive but somewhat frustrating, due to the relatively lighthearted nature of Scarab's sound. While, again, their songs are impressively well-written, and do not seem excessively lengthy, they lack the gravity and atmosphere that make Nile's epics so compelling. Because of the focus on grooves, melodies, and energy, each song lacks direction, which might leave the listener wondering, "now what?" at the end of the album's nearly hour-long runtime, perhaps also questioning the length each song offers.
Apparent on this disc, although they do not surpass the greats achieved by their American counterparts and certainly wear their influence on their sleeves, Scarab holds enough of its own for a surprisingly fun and engaging 55-minute listen, with enough tricks up their members' sleeves to distinguish itself from the pack. Although imperfect and perhaps too long, the benefits far outweigh the negatives: Cairo, Egypt's Scarab has put together a very worthy album of their inclusion on music players everywhere. Combining the grooves of Sepultura, the theme of Nile, the melodic technicality of Decapitated, and just enough atmosphere of their homeland's heritage, these Egyptians may find the secrets of the ancient Pharaohs and pyramids in time...
