NILE performs without KARL SANDERS at HELLFEST
02-07-2024
NILE founding mastermind/guitarist Karl Sanders was forced to miss the band’s June 29 performance at Hellfest in Clisson, France after becoming “seriously ill.” The other three members of NILE‘s current touring lineup — drummer George Kollias, guitarist/vocalist Zach Jeter and bassist/vocalist Dan Vadim Von (Morbid Angel) — played the show as a three-piece.
Earlier on Saturday, Sanders released the following statement via social media: “I’m heartbroken to share that I became seriously ill after Graspop (Metal Meeting in Belgium) and have been in an emergency hospital this week in Belgium. As a result, I am going to have to miss NILE‘s performance at Hellfest.
“This is the first time in 19 years that I, personally, have not played a show due to illness, and it’s incredibly hard for me to disappoint you all.
“Over the many years of my career with NILE, I have played shows while combating broken bones, neck injuries, back injuries, hand and wrist injuries, and all conceivable varieties of tour flu and infection sicknesses,” he continued. “If there were any way at all for me to make the show at Hellfest, believe me I would be there to participate in Metal. It’s just not possible this time. However, in the spirit of metal perseverance, the other members of NILE — George, Dan, and Zach — will be there to play the show as a three-piece. Please show them your support as they bravely give it their all to bring you the music that we in NILE love to share. Your energy and enthusiasm will make all the difference to create an unforgettable experience for everyone. It will make me happy to see videos of epic moshing and classic NILE chants at Hellfest from my sickbed!
“Thank you for your understanding and support,” Karl added. “I appreciate all of you, and will see you back on tour with the guys in September.”
NILE return in 2024 with their tenth studio album, “The Underworld Awaits Us All”, due out August 23 via Napalm Records. NILE have dropped the album’s first new single, “Chapter For Not Being Hung Upside Down On A Stake In The Underworld And Made To Eat Feces By The Four Apes” earlier this year, alongside a new official music video. The song is citing the Egyptian Book Of The Dead.
Watch “Chapter For Not Being Hung Upside Down On A Stake In The Underworld And Made To Eat Feces By The Four Apes” below.
Sanders comments on the new track and video: “‘Chapter For Not Being Hung Upside Down’ is one of our favorite tracks on the new record. It’s a lot of fun to play, challenging and unpredictable, but with an infectiously brutal, unrestrained vibe that I am very certain will be a blast in the mosh pit during live shows.
“We are super happy to be working with Tom Flynn for the video for this song. He is a visionary with insanely creative ideas and a really cool guy to work with. Very excited for people to see what he has been cooking up with this video.”
previously, NILE shared a short video of founder Karl Sanders (guitar, vocals) and Lewis as they were putting the finishing touches on the band’s tenth LP. The clip was accompanied by the following caption: “We are DONE mixing the new NILE album! This album sounds killer – We have put our hearts and souls into this record, and we believe that the amount of time, effort, and detail that went into it shows through the music. \m/”
Sanders says about the album: “We are very happy to be sharing with fans NILE‘s 10th album. We worked overtime making this record as killer as we could — because we sincerely felt fans deserved our best efforts. ‘The Underworld Awaits Us All’ — and we will see you there.”
“The Underworld Awaits Us All”‘s mind-bending art was once again envisioned and created by Michał “Xaay” Loranc, with reference to the cycle of life and judgment at its end.
“The Underworld Awaits Us All” track listing:
01. Stelae Of Vultures
02. Chapter For Not Being Hung Upside Down On A Stake In The Underworld And Made To Eat Feces By The Four Apes
03. To Strike With Secret Fang
04. Naqada II Enter The Golden Age
05. The Pentagrammathion Of Nephren-Ka
06. Overlords Of The Black Earth
07. Under The Curse Of The One God
09. Doctrine Of Last Things
10. True Gods Of The Desert
11. The Underworld Awaits Us All
12. Lament For The Destruction Of Time
Last October, NILE announced its new touring lineup. Joining Sanders and longtime drummer George Kollias are Dan Vadim Von (MORBID ANGEL, INCANTATION) on bass/vocals and Zach Jeter (HIDEOUS DIVINITY, OLKOTH) on guitar/vocals.
In June 2023, mastermind Karl Sanders spoke to Headbangers Latinoamérica about the progress of the recording sessions for NILE‘s tenth studio album. Asked how the studio work is coming along, Karl said: “Very well. (NILE drummer) George (Kollias) finished all his drums. He did an amazing job. When people hear this, they are not going to believe that it’s a real live human doing all this stuff. But it’s George. People who have seen him live and in the flesh can believe. So he’s done probably the best album of his career with this new NILE record. Now it’s our turn playing guitars.”
In July 2022, Sanders told Guitar World magazine that he and his bandmates had 10 songs written for the follow-up to 2019’s “Vile Nilotic Rites”. Earlier that same month, NILE announced the departure of bassist/vocalist Brad Parris.
NILE‘s current lineup consists of Sanders handling guitars and vocals, Kollias on drums, and Brian Kingsland, who joined the group in 2017, on guitar and vocals. Julian David Guillen is the band’s touring bassist and vocalist.
Originally hailing from Greenville, South Carolina, international death metal legends NILE have become one of the most revered names in the worldwide heavy metal scene today, combining extreme traditional and technical death metal styles with their trademarked blend of Ancient Egyptian and Near Eastern soundscapes and historical mysticism.
“Vile Nilotic Rites” was released in November 2019 via Nuclear Blast. The disc was recorded and produced by Sanders at Serpent Headed Studios in Greenville, South Carolina, with the exception of the drums which were recorded at Esoteron Music Studios in Athens, Greece with engineering handled by Jim Touras and George Dovolos. The album was mixed and mastered by Mark Lewis at MRL Studios. For the album artwork, the band returned to artist Michal “Xaay” Loranc who had worked with the band for over 10 years.
In September 2021, NILE announced that it had signed a worldwide contract with Napalm Records.
Social media