Karl Sanders, the founding member of Nile, will release his third solo album under the title of Saurian Apocalypse.
In the metal world, Nile is an ancient Egyptian themed technical death metal band but Saurian Apocalypse is not that. The release is the third chapter of Sanders’ Eastern ambient Saurian series. The run of solo efforts have spanned nearly 18 years.
Chapter one, or Saurian Meditation was released in October 2004 through Relapse Records, Nile’s record label. The release explored the atmospheric interludes listeners would hear on Nile’s previous album. Ancient Babylonia and Lovecraftian themes inspired the compositions on Saurian Mediation.
Five years would pass until Sanders would release the second installment, Saurian Exorcisms in April 2009 through The End Records. Inspiration would be drawn on ancient middle east themes atmospheric and interludes on previously released Nile albums. The music on Saurian Exorcisms would touch upon Tibetan, Indian and Arabic related music.
With the release of Saurian Apocalypse, Sanders’ brings the Saurian series to an end in a dark and hypnotizing fashion.
Sanders’ has crafted musical and lyrical themes that detail a fictional journey of a character named Dr. Eduardo Lucciani. This individual is one of a few survivors of mankind’s self-destruction. Lucciani falls into madness after discovering the horrors caused by the Saurian Masters.
Like the previous releases, Sanders’ combines the use of unique instrumentations such as the baglama saz, Ancient Egyptian Anubis Sistrum, Dumbek, Glissentar and gongs. The inclusions of these instrumentations into the album helps to establish an aura of ancient Egyptian times.
Saurian Apocalypse can easily be utilized as a soundtrack for a cinema production set in ancient Egypt.
Sanders enlists the talents of several musicians for Saurian Apocalypse. Original Nile drummer, Pete Hammoura lends a hands percussion wise. Mike Breazeale vocalist on past Saurian efforts returns and guitarist Rusty Cooley provides guitar work to name a few.
Sanders handles the production on Saurian Apocalypse resulting in an extremely clean and crystal clear listening experience. The finely produced album allows all the instrumentation used to shine in their own right. The clarity of Saurian Apocalypse is utterly amazing. There’s is just no other way to express what is obviously evident.
Sanders doesn’t need to present to the metal world an amazing and brutal technical death metal album to illustrate his talent. He has done so with the release of Saurian Apocalypse.
Each of the ten tracks can stand alone individually. If it’s a necessity to highlight tracks, the album opener, “The Sun has Set on the Age of Man” is one. Others include “The Disembodied Yet Slither Among Us” and “The Evil Inherent in us All.” The latter features Cooley and an electrifying solo which stands apart from the Saurian design.
The ninth track, “Mask of Immutable Self Delusion” seeps happiness and peacefulness before the album closes.
The final track, the ten minute “No Creature More Deserving of Cataclysmic Annihilation” features jazz musician Matthew Kay. The skills Kay brings sets the tone of the panicked narration of Lucciani upon his discovery of the man-made destruction. The narration Lucciani is provided by Italian metal drummer Jonathan “ADD” Garofoli.
His voice delivery sets that sense of urgency that elevates Saurian Apocalypse above Sanders’ previous two Suarian chapters. All these diverse and smaller elements together tap Saurian Apocalypse as something special. An uninterrupted listening experience is the only justice for Sanders’ effort in the third chapter of the Saurian experience.
Saurian Apocalypse will be available on Friday, July 22, 2022 through Napalm Records.
