Daughters of the Nile
Untitled 4 track Ep
~reviewed by Blu

History has proved time and time again that conservative environments often produce the best bands through the necessity of rebellion. This is the case with Daughters of the Nile. We can thank the overly religious town of Salt Lake City, Utah for giving birth to this band in 1989. Their heavy sound - a unique combination merging elements of metal, hard rock, pyschedelica, punk and goth - saw them pack out many venues and play alongside bands such as The Church, Christian Death, Electric Hellfire Club and Godhead. They put out a full length CD in 1998 called Apocatastasis and released this 4 track EP in 2001.

"Deadrun"s war themes are reflected in the heavy handed, choppy guitar riffs which seem to at times emulate gunfire. The vocals are harsh and raw - no processing that I can hear and the powerful group choruses have me thinking of the metal band Slayer.

"Bloodgrass" starts more quietly - sneaking up on the listener as a sexy groove kicks in - low and rumbling. Thematically appropriate - this song about addiction is more psychedelic in tone  - the vocals are sung in a dream like state and finally come to a more powerful boiling point on the chorus. The bass lines and guitar are kept in check - minimal is more here; holding back for a couple of really big build ups that coincide with vocal outbursts by Daron. 

"Author" is probably my favorite track on this EP with its exotic, almost Egyptian guitar line and rumbling bass propelling it along. This is also the track where Daron's vocals seem to be exercised to their widest range - from almost spoken word verses to extremely dramatic choruses where at times his voice breaks into shouts.  It's a powerful, in-your-face type of song with a bit of a punk edge in it. 

And finally, "Problem" is a moody, bitter song reminding me of Jar of Flies era Alice in Chains. It's catchy and melodic in the chorus but darkly sinister at the same time.  The lively drumming does alot to keep this slower track dynamic. Moreover, Daron uses "fuck" alot in this song - and although it sounds juvenile of me to say this - for some reason, I love the general rebellion of using cuss words in songs. But how would this song ever get radio play you ask? "Fuck that" I imagine would be their answer. These boys play because they want to - not because they want to be FCC rock stars.

I had the privilege of meeting and hanging out with these guys in Seattle before I moved (thanks to Jyri from 3SKS/The Sins). Amusingly I found out they're known as "gothic basketball players" because all members of the band are over 6' tall -- an intimidating bunch to be sure if only they weren't so damn nice. I never got to see them play live and I regret that. Perhaps some day in the future. Meanwhile - see if you can spot Daron - fan boy that his is - in the crowd at this Penis Flytrap show. 

Tracks:
Dead Run
Bloodgrass
Author
Problem

Website (which has mp3 samples of the songs on this EP): 
www.daughtersofthenile.net

Daughters of the Nile are: 
Daron on vocals
Lars on guitar
Kyle on bass
Jeff on drums

05/03/02