History & Biography Former Morriah members in South Carolina founded the band in 1993. That state and part of the USA is better known for its Jesus lovers, gun lovers and military base lovers. The founding members were Chief Spires, Pete Hammoura and Karl Sanders who was an autoworker. Hammoura’s background was Lebanese. The act quickly gained attention for its ancient Egypt references and was termed ithyphallic metal. In reality, however, the Egyptian theme had evolved over the course of the band’s first couple of years. The term refers to the erect penis of ancient Egyptian statues. The band referenced Egyptian hieroglyphs. Lyrics remained important to the band.
The band had a self-titled demo in 1994 and another called Festivals Of Atonement in 1995. Ramses Bringer Of War was a demo that brought the band to Relapse Records. The group had opened for Deicide, Obituary and Broken Hope by now. Visceral, which had distributed Ramses, went out of business before it could take care of a full-length. The band toured with Incantation and Morbid Angel. The band also played the Dynamo Festival in 1999. Pete Hammoura left the band citing body fatigue. Derek Roddy sessioned for the touring band, but future roadie Laureano was the permanent replacement. Dallas Toler-Wade also joined on guitar. The band reissued its demo songs. More importantly, Chief Spires butted heads with Sanders and left as well.
There was some drama involving a tour with Voivod in 2002. Voivod fans were angry that the act would open for Nile. Sanders made a statement claiming a lack of concern as the tour was organized for Nile. Then when Voivod dropped out after a few denials they would do so Nile and its promoter blamed monetary demands from Voivod as the real reason. Voivod had officially claimed it preferred to focus on its next album. The group played at Wacken in 2003.George Kollias became the drummer in 2004 and recorded Annihilation of The Wicked. It was Vesano’s turn to leave now. Nile joined Amorphis in jumping ship from Relapse into the arms of Nuclear Blast. Nile was shoehorned unto the Ozzfest’s second stage. More touring on both sides of the Atlantic followed. Chris Lollis was drumming. The End Records signed Karl Sanders and his solo band in 2009. Nile itself was on the Those Whom The Gods Detest tour with Immolation, Krisiun and others. The label released Sanders’ second full-length solo album, entitled Saurian Exorcisms, on April 14th. Chief Spires and John Ehlers joined with Flo of Cryptopsy in a band called Temple Of Thieves. The group opened for Morbid Angel and Kreator in Europe in 2012. The group also played Bloodstock in the UK. One-time bassist Joseph Payne was arrested regarding the distribution of more than 2,900 grams of marijuana in the USA. The band was in Europe in mid-2016. Cannibal Corpse would headline 2016’s The Summer Slaughter Tour, beginning July 23rd. The tour featured After The Burial, Nile, Suffocation, Krisiun and others. A tour for Overkill, Nile and Amorphis was announced for USA for winter of 2017. Dallas Toler-Wade lasted until 2017 at which time Brian Kingsland replaced him. The band announced a new album for 2018 to be produced by Erik Rutan. Former bassist Joseph Payne died at age thirty five in early 2020. Nile signed a worldwide deal with Napalm Records in 2021 and was working on its next album. The band, Incantation, Sanguisugabogg and I Am were touring the USA in the winter of 2022. Brian Kingsland was sitting out the band’s tour in order to spend time with his newborn son. Scott Eames (Thy Antichrist) filled in for him. The act also announced a tour of Europe called Vile Nilotic Rites for November and December. The band’s Vile Nilotic Rites album was issued in 2019.
Brad Parris left the band in the middle of 2022 and the group was auditioning members. Candidates could contact the band through nilebassistaudition@gmail.com. The reason for the departure was ostensibly a desire to focus on other projects and family issues. Nile, Omophagia , Vapor and Confess were using the Vile Nilotic Rites European Tour 2023 monicker for their trek beginning in April. Omophagia and Nile had toured together with Hate Eternal on the Vile Desolate Sands Tour of 2019 as well. Nile was joined by Dan Vadim Von (Morbid Angel and Incantation) on bass and Zach Jeter (Hideous Divinity, Lecherous Nocturne and Olkoth) on guitar for touring. The band was still working on its new album. The band was confirmed for the 2024 edition of the 70000 Tons Of Metal. The band, however, was forced to cancel its participation at 70000 Tons Of Metal 2024 as two members contracted COVID-19. Monstrosity replaced the band on short notice.
Nile's next album The Underworld Awaits Us All was available through Napalm Records on 23.08.2024. The band again produced and recorded it at Sanders’ Serpent Headed Studio in Greenville, South Carolina, USA. A video for the song Chapter For Not Being Hung Upside Down On A Stake In The Underworld And Made To Eat Feces By The Four Apes was available. Nile had a European tour for September followed by a Japanese tour in October. The band had been confirmed for Maryland Deathfest 2025. The band played Graspop following which Karl Sanders fell ill and spent time in a hospital in Belgium. He had to miss the band's appearance at Hellfest. A trio of George, Dan and Zach played there. Brian Kingsland was AWOL. Nile announced a 2025 tour with Six Feet Under. The band was also booked for Poland's Mystic Festival in 2025.
Reviews NILE - ANNIHILATION OF THE WICKED - RELAPSE
Heavy metal's leading Egyptologists are back with a new album which the band's proponents (of which there are many) will be happy to know does not let up on intensity. Furthermore, Annihilation Of The Wicked is the band's most linear album yet. The band is a tight death metal unit in both mid and fast gears which uses tight arrangements to bring home the falafel. The changes in line-up have not adversely affected the band, except perhaps there is little left of the band's Middle Eastern rhythms and interludes. The Egyptian or Arabic melodies are heard less of and are mostly consigned to intros. Instead, Nile is most analogous to Morbid Angel nowadays, in arrangement and in complexity, and given the latter band's relative stagnation is probably a better choice right now than the originators. It is almost effortless to be convinced by Nile as songs like the title track demonstrate. This is funny given how much effort the band puts into its music or into coming up with titles like Dusk Falls Upon The Temple Of The Serpent On The Mount Of Sunrise or Chapter Of Obeisance Before Giving Breath To The Inert One In The Presence Of The Crescent Shaped Horns. - Ali "The Metallian"
NILE - THOSE WHOM THE GODS DETEST - NUCLEAR BLAST 
As with several other records reviewed over the course of the decade, initial thoughts here don’t focus on death metal: instead I am relieved that Those Whom The Gods Detest is a grammatically correct title, for had it not been I would have been annoyed every time I went to spin this album. Yes, the immediately subsequent sentence is a lame one, but it’s the truth. Now that grammar’s been dealt with, immediate musical impressions of Those Whom The Gods Detest indicate that this is an undeniably more listenable effort than Ityphallic, that album’s detached production really being a stumbling block that irreversibly hindered its longevity. The first reviews that have come in (both critics and fans) herald Those Whom The Gods Detest as one of Nile creative peaks and this scribe would have to concur, as South Carolina resident Karl Sanders has outdone himself on every level and has written a record that could have justifiably lived up to the ridiculous hype set forth for Black Seeds Of Vengeance follow-up In Their Darkened Shrines (an excellent album in its own right, mind you). And while we’re on that Black Seeds Of Vengeance point, it’s at this stage that Nile, while remaining artistically and commercially relevant as never before, has begun to enter the realms of nostalgia band, especially given how cherished 2000’s Black Seeds Of Vengeance was and still is (and, incidentally, the overwhelming praise that surrounded it release places it as one of the '00s' most talked-about records). But, as mentioned, Nile finds itself at a new artistic peak, the aforementioned Sanders writing in classic Nile schemas, but also incorporating subtle outliers that allows for a dynamic and vibrant new take on the Nile sound. On an amusing side-note, only in death metal would a second producer be needed just for drums (Erik Rutan is credited with drum production, while Neil Kernon worked on the rest), but that grin-inducing thought is quickly silenced by probably the most effective album cover of Nile’s career. - David Perri
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