I've interviewed Karl Sanders (guitar/vocals) 25.04.2006 right before their killer gig in Budapest (Hungary). This was the second time I've seen NILE live and for sure it was worth to check their superb and insane Death Metal set in its full content. The band concentrated mostly on the songs of their latest "Annihilation of the Wicked" album, but a lot of old good classics got place there too. Support bands were YYRKOON and PSYCROPTIC. Enough said! Let the annihilation of Pharaohs has begun!!!!!!
With "Annihilation of the Wicked" album you've placed the music of NILE onto another level. Will there be any drastic changes song-writing or music-wise on the forthcoming release?
- Not drastic changes. It would just sound like NILE album. But who knows, I don't know yet. I know this time we will only get heavier and faster. This what we'll do for sure.
So at the moment you don't have any sketches or songs written yet?
- I have. Just a few riff ideas, things I'd like to do, but nothing really I can bearly up. We probably start writing this summer, after we finish this tour and long rest a while and then we get busy.
Lyrics-wise what kind of topics you are gonna touch this time?
- I was thinking... Actually I don't even tell, probably still be more NILE stuff. We're NILE, so I think that will be OK.
Do you and the other guys have already been in Egypt?
- No, not yet. What Death Metal band was before in Egypt?
But as far as you inspired and investigate your lyrics from Egyptian mythology, don't you mind to go there?
- We want to go! We are gonna be on a new record label Nuclear Blast and maybe they will treat us a little better.
Why you left Relapse?
- Our contract is done with Relapse.
Why did you skip from Relapse to Nuclear Blast?
- It was time for a change. We wanted someone who "really", really believed in the band and do what he talk to make this band everything he could be.
You've done a great video clip to "Sacrifice Unto Sebek" song. Whose idea was to do it that way?
- That was the director's idea, the guy who made the video.
It seems like it was arranged in a pyramid, but where did you film it exactly?
- Atlanta.
How George Kollias came to the band? Is it true that Derek Roddy advised him?
- Yes, it is true. When we looking for a drummer, the first thing I did was call Derek Roddy. And the first thing Derek Roddy said was George Kollias, George Kollias, George Kollias, George Kollias... So I called George Kollias.
Is the line-up stable at the moment?
- Very stable.
You have a new bass player Joe.
- Joe is now been with us for just over a year. Year and three months.
So by now he is a full-member and new record will be done with him?
- We will right appeal the new record if he behaves.
Do you have a 5 year plan or something?
- To play metal. That is enough of the plan.
It's a very straight answer.
- I like straight answers, you can see the truth in them.
How do you like this actual tour?
- I like this one. It's very calm, it's relaxed. Well, some hectics, the first band give us some hectics. For the most part this is been a very calm tour. Yeah, no problems.
What's your opinion about the rest of the bands of this tour? Do you like any of them (I mean music-wise)? Or you prefer other kind of music?
- I think they're fine. We have a fun.
What kind of music do you listen to lately?
- Nothing. I listen to nothing. Silence. I get enough Death Metal on tour everyday 4-5 bands.
What are your favourite things or kind of lifestyle after the tour? I mean practicing, play music, etc. What do you do behind the music?
- I like to play online multiplayer first pursuit shooting like "Call of Duty" or "Battlefield 1942" or "Quake".
Trey Azagthoth is really into Quake too.
- I like this things. You can kill people left unrighten. Just get out your aggression and really feels so much better. After killing a much people online I can be a happy person.
You became calm after killing them, right?
- Yes, exactly. It's better than beating up real people. It's when you beat up a real person then you have the police come, then you have to pay the doctor bills and maybe you got to jail. You know, it's a big headache. It's much easier just to do it on the computer.
Why Tony Laureano left the band along with Jon Vesano?
- Well, they left for different reasons. Jon left because his job paid him a lot of money and that's what he wanted in life. Tony left, because Tony was unhappy. He wanted to do other things. Then I said that's OK.
Did Joe play in any other bands before NILE?
- A bunch of little bands. He's also got project called DOMINATION THROUGH PURITY, which is kind of super brutal death. Yes, not normal brutal, super brutal.
Do you ever plan to come to Ukraine? Was any organizers from Ukraine contacted you yet?
- Not to my knowledge. It doesn't mean anything, because they might in contact of our tour-management and if they don't have a good enough offer then our management won't even bother to tell me. This is happens all the time.
I've read that Derek Roddy played some of the "Black Seeds of Vengeance" songs right after some hours of listening.
- No, he played them right then. For "Black Seeds of Vengeance" we called him on the telephone, he drove for 12 hours, got there the next day, set up his drums, smoke some, then put on the headphones and said "OK, roll the demo" and listened to it once. Then we did it part by part. Here is the chorus - "OK", here is the verse - "OK". Yep, the song was almost done. The guy is amazing! He is a god! A god, he could do that. Not many people could do that. Not many and play that good.
I see a parallel between the playing of George Kollias and Derek Roddy.
- He's very similar. I tell you a funny story. We played at the Masquerade in Tampa and after the show I was in the bar and Pete Sandoval came in. Pete was very drunk, but he comes up to me and he goes: "Karl man, I thought it was Derek Roddy back there playing drums". It was George not Derek Roddy, it's funny.
I've downloaded drum videos from George's website with backside view. And if you don't see his face, you say it's Derek Roddy!
- Yeah... Their plain style is very similar, the body motion, the way they carry themselves. It's all very similar.
What do you think about his band SICKENING HORROR?
- They are amazing. They played a show with us in Athens, Greece. It's the first time I heard George. It's amazing! The bass were is amazing.
I've noticed that George has a lot of drum clinics.
- He loves the drums.
How can he find time for all of this (NILE, SICKENING HORROR, drum clinics, etc.)?
- Because he does nothing except drums. He eats drums, he sleeps drums, he showers with the drums.
Are you plan to do another video clip for the "Annihilation..." album?
- When Relapse finds out that we are not under record label anymore, they are not gonna wanna make another video. I am pretty sure.
I see Dallas became a frontman vocalist actually. Will he doing most of the vocal parts in the future?
- I loved of him, yes. And we was stay, Dallas where never move. Once we moved Dallas to the middle, he was stay in the middle.
You have a really interesting guitar on the video clip.
- It's a KXK.
It's a custom made only for you.
- Yes.
Who done it?
- That's KXK Guitars from Sandiego, California. The guy's name Rob Kofne, runs the company. Their website is: www.kxkguitars.com.
Are you using this guitar today and in tour or you use Dean?
- I've got my Dean on this tour. The airline charges you for just about everything. I've really spent enough money on the tour, so I just brought one guitar on this tour.
What kind of distortion you use?
- I don't use any.
You use the amplifiers distortion?
- The more show. There's also a GP8 that's kind of bit an EQ a little bit of gain, but it's not really distortion pedal.
So how you combine your sound? It's really massive and brutal.
- It's in the hands. Yes, feel those hands. (I see, these are brutal hands - Ed.) Brutal hands make brutal music.
Will there be a continuation of your solo project?
- Yes! I've got 3 pieces done for it already. It will be called "Saurian Exorcisms".
Who will be your bandmates? Guest artists?
- I don't know yet.
George?
- George wants to do it. I think that will be fun.
Will it be released on Relapse or Nuclear Blast?
- The contract that we got with Nuclear Blast does not cover my side-project.
What kind of contract you have with Nuclear Blast? For how many albums, how many years.
- Three.
You've been yesterday in Slovenia. So how was that gig?
- Yes. I think that was a really good show. Lot of nice people there. We had a really good time.
After that tour you plan another?
- This is the last tour for this album.
So you will begin to work on new stuff, right?
- After we rest for a while, we will start writing new songs this summer.
Do you like any sports?
- Well, ha-ha... If you call that a sport... I call it a sport.
When you have a rehearsal, how many hours do you rehearse there?
- For just practicing for the tour, we play the set and we joke around and then we go home. If we writing songs then it might be 5 or 6 hours. Writing songs is much harder work. So when you just practicing for the tour, you know songs, so you just play them and like you gonna play.
Before going onstage, how many minutes you need to warm up your muscles?
- Different days is different amounts. In winter it takes more amounts, in summer it's easy, because your muscles are already warmed. It can be a different amount.
How long is your set today? How many songs will you play?
- It's about an hour ten.
From all eras?
- Yes. A lot of new stuff. We got something from every album.
Do you plan to release a DVD?
- No. It's too many people make only a bootlegs of us with video cameras. Just like that one, ha-ha... (Showing with finger on my friend who's already doing the interview with the camera - Ed.) The other night we were in Saale (Germany) and someone had been video taping and we had Fozy take their camera and take out the memory stick and make have erase it right there.
