Nile: Anointed with Blood and Dung
Ancient Egyptian death metal. This phrase brings to mind one band, and one band alone, for many in the death metal scene – NILE. For over a quarter of a century, the South Carolinian outfit, led by lead songwriter Karl Sanders, have delivered top-tier death metal, blending brutal technicality with Eastern scales and melodies to create a unique and instantly recognisable sound. Though collectively NILE have one of the strongest discographies in the genre, the 2010s have not been kind to the band with line-up issues and two comparatively weak albums taking centre stage. However, as the decade draws to a close, Sanders and co. are set to reaffirm their place as death metal royalty with their strongest album in years, Vile Nilotic Rites.
“I think Vile Nilotic Rites has the potential to grow the band. While the songs are technical and fast, they are very musical; there’s a lot to grab onto if you’re listening, there’s a lot of very catchy stuff in there,” Sanders ponders. “This is NILE reborn. We’ve been given a second chance as a band; the new members have really brought some fresh blood and fresh energy. Having everyone working together this time, that’s priceless.”
From the first listen of Vile Nilotic Rites, it’s abundantly clear that this isn’t a cookie-cutter quote to build hype around in the album. 2015’s What Should Not Be Unearthed was a solid album, but a far cry from the glory of earlier NILE releases. Similarly, At the Gates of Sethu‘s hyper-technicality proved to be one of the outfit’s most challenging albums, mired by terrible production. Since the release of What Should Not Be Unearthed, live bassist Brad Parris joined Sanders and legendary drummer George Kollias as a full member, while long-serving front man Dallas Toller-Wade was replaced by ENTHEAN shredder Brian Kingsland. Such drastic line-up changes might have spelt disaster for a lesser band, but not NILE.
“We’re really happy as a band right now… There is some truth in that you can have the most talented musicians in your band, but if they’re working against each other it’s the music that will ultimately suffer.” Sanders offers, once more reinforcing how important the breath of fresh air Parris and Kingsland have given the band has been. “I’m really grateful to have guys like this who are able to step up and deliver, given the opportunity.”
And NILE have, collectively, knocked it out of the park. Vile Nilotic Rites is easily the outfit’s best album in a decade at least, and takes a very special place in the band’s discography. But while there was greater collaboration than ever on the musical front, Sanders, as always, handled the lyrical works himself. Throughout the record, he takes the listener on wild journeys into the darkness of the ancient past, telling tales on the apocalyptic decline of Egyptian civilisation, ancient warfare on a genocidal level, ancient philosophies and, perhaps most bizarrely, the mating practices of snakes.
Though NILE‘s mantle as the kings of Ancient Egyptian death metal is, perhaps, a touch oversimplified – lyrically, Sanders has devoted plenty of time to other Ancient civilisations in the Middle East, and, of course, the works of H.P. Lovecraft – it would be fair to say that this Ancient Egyptian influence is what the band are best known for. And there are no simplistic platitudes present in the band’s discography; every lyric comes from meticulous research and Sanders‘ fountain of knowledge. But does this knowledge come from any formal education, or is Sanders simply a man with a passion and a knack for research?
“I took some history classes in college, like everybody else, but nothing beyond that,” he explains on his pre-NILE Egyptology background – or lack, thereof. “After I realised I was in a band called NILE, somebody needed to write some words and if we were going to do even a half-assed job of it, somebody needed to bone up. So that was me. I was in college at the time, and I had access to the internet libraries that our college system has. There was a whole explosion, every day I was printing stuff out, reams of paper… I’ve actually still got it all. But as I researched Egyptology to write these NILE lyrics, I was actually having fun learning.”
Can we expect to see Professor Karl Sanders headlining the lecture hall one day, trading the guitar for the red marking pen? “Nah. I’m having too much fun playing metal… We have, in the States what we call armchair quarterbacks. These are the guys that drink beer on Sunday, they sit in their armchair with their feet up, beer in hand, and they know everything about football. Imagine you have the equivalent here; I’m an armchair Egyptologist.” He comments drily with a mischievous smile.
The origin of NILE‘s sound is similarly fascinating. While the brutal, more traditional death metal elements of the band’s sonic obliteration have always been, at least, strong, it’s the blend of Eastern scales and melodies that have made the band unique in the greater death metal pantheon. “The original drummer of this band, Pete Hammoura, and I had been playing in bands together for about ten years before NILE. He’s Lebanese, so when I’d be hanging out with his family we’d have Lebanese food and listen to Lebanese music, which of course had all the cool Eastern motifs and weird sounding scales. We always said that if someone could do that sound, but do it metal, it would be really unique. Lo and behold, that’s what we did with NILE.”
Sanders has come a long way since first shredding with Hammoura in thrash outfit MORRIAH, and releasing the initial demos before NILE‘s debut Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka. The only constant as NILE have released nine albums, relentlessly toured and seen eight members enter and leave the fold, you could be forgiven for thinking that this is very much his band. However, Vile Nilotic Rites ushers in a new dawn of collaboration within the band, as Sanders, Kollias, Parris and Kingsland stand as a brotherhood of Pharaohs, set to bring NILE to even greater heights.
What one worships, one becomes. And, as they have always been, NILE are worshipping the Gods.
Vile Nilotic Rites is out now via Nuclear Blast Records.
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