Ending a 13-year drought, Nile’s Karl Sanders has resurrected his Eastern-ambient solo project with the debut of the new song “The Sun Has Set on the Age of Man,” which comes off the new Saurian Apocalypse album.
The release, due July 22, will be the third studio album in this style, which began with Saurian Meditation in 2004 and continued five years later on the Saurian Exorcisms album.
On the forthcoming record, Sanders employed the use are a variety of world instruments, including baglama saz (Turkish lute), Ancient Egyptian Anubis Sistrum, Dumbek (Middle Eastern goblet drum), glissentar and gongs. Original Nile drummer Pete Hammoura has linked up with Sanders on the record, which also features returning vocalist Mike Breazeale.
As for tribal-inflected sound of “The Sun Has Set on the Age of Man,” Sanders was joined by guitar virtuoso Rusty Cooley, who lent his talents to the song and contributed a solo.
“‘The Sun Has Set on the Age of Man’ is a great choice for people’s first exposure to this album,” Sanders begins, “It’s the opening track of the new Saurian record, very cinematic and an eerie mood setter. Much like the score of an opening scene of a sci-fi movie, the song serves as an introduction for the many twisted journeys of the album that follows. It uncannily evokes that feeling we all get right after the sun has gone down and night is upon us, conjuring an awareness of the ancient, evolutionary dread of the unknown dark and its terrors that have been imprinted on the human psyche since early prehistoric man first realized that there were things in the night that would prey upon him.”
He continues, “The track is also very special to me as it features two dear longtime friends of mine, original Nile drummer Pete Hammoura on percussion, and legendary guitar shredder Rusty Cooley on guest acoustic solos. Although Rusty certainly is a prolific electric guitar shredder, this track marks his debut on acoustic guitar. Thank you, Pete and Rusty!”
Listen to the track below and view the Saurian Apocalypse album art and track listing further down the page. Pre-order the album through Napalm Records here, where you’ll also find vinyl pressing for Sanders’ two previous solo affairs.
Karl Sanders, “The Sun Has Set on the Age of Man”
Karl Sanders, Saurian Apocalypse Album Art + Track Listing
01. “The Sun Has Set on the Age of Man”
02. “The Disembodied Yet Slither Among Us”
03. “The Evil Inherent in us All”
04. “Skull Fuck Ritual (Skull Breach Edition)”
05. “Nada Zaag”
06. “An Altered Saurian Theta State”
07. “Nihil Emplexus”
08. “Divergence: The Long Awaited Third Primordial Ascension”
09. “Mask of Immutable Self Delusion”
10. “No Creature More Deserving of Cataclysmic Annihilation”
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