Nile

I actually, seriously, literally think "La Chant du Cygre," the first song on this EP of unearthed Nile tunes from 1994 (as that oh-so-awkward title makes clear), isn't Nile. Like, remember when Meshuggah were just aping …And Justice for All (I know we agreed to not really talk about that, but let's be honest for a second)? This song sounds like a band aping old Meshuggah. It's horrible, right down to the hilarious (but not on purpose) vocals ― ugh. Coupled with the stiff production and awkward riffing, there's a reason why that song was lost. Seriously, listen to the demo-Hetfield vocals and the clunky riffing! Tell me again this is from death metal heroes Nile. "Worship the Animal" gets a bit better, although it's mainly a simplistic, groove-based metal tune. "Nepenthe" is where the seeds finally get sown for the band's majestic death metal, redeeming things a bit on this five-song clunker. A group have to start somewhere and while Nile turned into death metal legends of the highest order, apparently their really early material stinks. This one is definitely for completists only. Even then, don't bother.