Nile (band)

Nile is a technical death metal band from South Carolina, USA assembled in 1993. Their music and lyrics are inspired by Ancient Egyptian mysticism, history, religion and art.

Biography

Nile's music is mostly written by founding member and guitarist Karl Sanders. It combines traditional death metal with elements of Middle Eastern music, incorporating traditional Egyptian instruments into some of the songs. Nile's music is also characterized by its extreme complexity and speed, for which the band has received acknowledgement from many music fans and journalists.

The lyrical content is based on Karl Sanders' interest in Egyptology as well as other ancient Middle Eastern cultures such as Mesopotamia. Lengthy sleeve notes are included with the albums Black Seeds of Vengeance, In Their Darkened Shrines, and Annihilation of the Wicked albums, explaining the inspiration or source for the lyrics of each song. Also, some of the songs are based on the fictional work of H. P. Lovecraft, an author who has inspired many bands from various genres.

Karl Sanders has also released one solo album called Saurian Meditation.

Many people mistake members of Nile as being Egyptian or having ancestors of that nationality. None of them are Egyptian in any way, shape or form, nor do any of them hold degrees in Egyptology (despite them studying the texts as a hobby). They are all American-born of Anglo-Celtic descent with the exception of drummer George Kollias, who is Greek (who recently joined the band, and can be heard on Annihilation of the Wicked).

In May 2006, Nile signed a new recording contract with Nuclear Blast Records. A new album is expected in 2007.

Music

Nile is noted under a genre named "Technical Death Metal", which is considered a branch of Death Metal featuring odd time signatures and complex guitar riffs and solos. The band categorizes their music as "Ithyphallic Death Metal", in reference to their epic Egyptian themes.

Some also consider the band to be "Brutal Death Metal", along with Suffocation and Bolt Thrower due to their low pitched vocals, churning guitar rhythms to melodic leads and relentless drumwork.

Discography

Studio Releases

Festivals of Atonement (EP, 1995)
Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka (1998)
Black Seeds of Vengeance (2000)
In Their Darkened Shrines (2002)
Annihilation of the Wicked (2005)

Additional Releases

Nile (Demo, 1994)
Ramses Bringer of War (Demo, 1997)
In The Beginning... (Compilation featuring 'Festivals Of Atonement' EP & 'Ramses Bringer of War' Demo, 2000)