Nile

Egypt’s macabre, death-obsessed history has inspired scads of role-playing dorks to take strange names and chant stranger bullshit to their friends, who also dwell in their secret world of magic and sorcery. So it’s no wonder that a group of long-haired stoners would draw inspiration from the pharaonic culture of death and create their own little metal band, complete with creepy imagery and lyrics. All silliness aside, Nile has become a serious contender in the world of extreme metal with blinding-fast riffs, daintily composed Egyptian and Middle Eastern-tinged moments of tranquility, and guttural vocals. The combination of these elements has allowed Nile to stand out from the pack of repetitive, formulaic mosh-metal trash, especially on last year’s Annihilation of the Wicked. The band’s Lawrence stop should not be missed for the sheer entertainment value of seeing grown men who believe in magic actually performing kickass songs. Just get over the fact that they take themselves seriously.